Face Pull: The Best Shoulder Exercise You Are Probably Skipping

Before you start. This guide is for general education and is not medical advice. Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program, start with a light resistance you can control, and stop if you feel pain in the shoulder or neck. Read our full exercise disclaimer.

What the face pull does

Pressing, typing and driving all pull the shoulders forward. The face pull pulls them back. The rope travels toward your face with the elbows high and the hands finishing beside the ears, which does three things at once:

• works the rear deltoids, the small muscles on the back of the shoulder that bench presses and push-ups ignore;
• works the mid-back (rhomboids and lower traps), the muscles that keep the shoulder blades set during a press;
• adds external rotation at the end, where the hands turn back and up, which trains the rotator cuff in a way few other exercises do.

Trainers call it "pressing insurance": people who face pull regularly tend to press more comfortably. It is light, it is simple, and it belongs in almost every upper-body session.

Setup

• Attachment: a rope. Hold the ends with the thumbs pointing back toward you (an overhand grip with the knots in your palms is also fine).
• Pulley height: at the top of the machine, or at least above head height. On a functional trainer the highest setting works; on a crossover use one side only.
• Weight: light. A resistance you can pull for 15 clean repetitions with a one-second pause at the face. Face pulls are never a heavy exercise; if the stack is moving fast, it is too much.
• Position: stand facing the pulley, take two steps back until the stack lifts slightly, split stance, knees soft, torso upright or leaning back a few degrees.

How to do it

1. Grab the rope with both hands, step back and let your arms extend fully toward the pulley. Set your shoulders: chest up, shoulder blades down, neck neutral.
2. Pull the rope toward your face by driving the elbows back and out, keeping them at shoulder height or slightly above. Think "elbows wide", not "hands to the chin".
3. As the rope approaches, pull the ends apart so your hands finish beside your ears with the knuckles pointing up and back. Your upper arms are level with the floor and your forearms are vertical, like a double-biceps pose without the flex.
4. Pause for one second. Feel the squeeze between the shoulder blades and the back of the shoulders.
5. Let the rope return slowly, over about two seconds, until the arms are straight and the shoulder blades glide forward. Do not let the stack yank you forward.
6. Repeat for the set. Finish by stepping toward the pulley to set the stack down under control.

Common mistakes

Pulling to the chest or chin. That turns it into a row and shifts the work to the lats and biceps. The rope goes to the face, the elbows stay high.

Hands finishing in front of the shoulders. If the forearms point forward at the end, the external rotation is missing. Pull the rope apart so the hands end up beside the ears.

Leaning back and heaving. Rocking the torso to move a heavy stack means the rear delts are not doing it. Drop the weight until you can stand still.

Shrugging. The traps take over when the shoulders rise toward the ears. Keep the shoulder blades down; the elbows go up, the shoulders do not.

Letting the elbows drop. Elbows below shoulder height change the angle and take the rear delts out. Keep the upper arms level with the floor.

Make it easier or harder

• Easier: half-kneeling face pull, with the pulley set at head height when kneeling; it removes the balance problem and makes it hard to heave.
• Harder: a 2-second pause at the face; a slow 3-second return; or a face pull with a small overhead press at the end (from the ears, press the rope up and slightly back, then return) for extra lower-trap work.
• Variation: seated face pull on a bench facing the machine, with the pulley a little above head height.

Sets, reps and where it fits

Face pulls respond to volume, not load. Two to four sets of 12–20 repetitions, two or three times a week, is a common prescription. Good places for it: as a warm-up before pressing, between pressing sets, or at the end of an upper-body day. Choose the weight by the pause: if you cannot hold one second at the face with the elbows high, it is too heavy.

Safety

• Check the rope attachment and the carabiner before every session; rope ends fray before cables do.
• Set the pulley height with no tension on the cable and make sure the pop-pin is seated.
• Walk back with the rope in both hands, do not reach for a loaded rope at arm's length.
• Keep the neck neutral. The rope comes to the face; the face does not go to the rope.
• Stop if you feel a pinch at the front of the shoulder or any pain in the neck. Lower the pulley slightly or shorten the range on the next set, and if it persists, talk to a professional.

Choosing a machine for face pulls

Any cable machine with a pulley above head height works. On a functional trainer use the highest setting; on a cable crossover one high pulley is all you need, so it pairs well with a partner using the other side. A cable column beside a rack is the most compact option. If you are choosing a machine, send your room size on WhatsApp and we will tell you what fits.

More cable exercises

• Cable Crossover Exercises: The Complete Home Gym Guide
• Cable Chest Fly: High, Mid and Low
• Cable Lateral Raise: Side Delts With Tension From the First Inch

Spotted a mistake? Our illustrations are reviewed before publishing, but if you are a coach or physical therapist and see form you would correct, tell us on WhatsApp or at support@combogym.com. We read every message and fix what needs fixing.

The exercise guides on this site are for general education only and are not medical advice. Consult your physician before starting an exercise program. You exercise at your own risk. Read the full exercise disclaimer.