What muscles do face pulls work?

The upper back and the shoulders, mainly the rear delts, with the traps helping. They also train the rotator cuff muscles that turn your upper arm outwards.

Are face pulls good for shoulder health?

They are a popular way to train the back of the shoulder and the outward rotators, which pressing barely works. Many coaches add them to balance a programme heavy on bench and overhead presses.

Where should I set the cable for face pulls?

At about face height, or slightly above. Much lower and it turns into a row; much higher and you end up pulling down.

How heavy should face pulls be?

Light enough to pause at the end of every rep with your hands beside your ears. If you have to lean back to finish, lower the weight.

Face Pull: Muscles Worked and How to Do It

Face pull: muscles worked and how to do it

The face pull trains your upper back and your shoulders, mainly the rear delts at the back of the shoulder, with your traps helping. It also works the small muscles that rotate your upper arm outwards, which most pressing and pulling leave alone.

You pull a rope from a cable set at about face height towards your face, spreading the ends apart so your hands finish beside your ears. It is light work and easy on the joints, which is why many lifters use it to balance all their pressing.

At a glance

Main muscles: Upper back
Shoulders
Also works: Traps
Movement: Pull the arms back and apart
Equipment: Cable machine
Type: Compound (several joints)

Front

Back

How to do a face pull

Set a cable pulley at about face height and attach a rope. Hold one end in each hand, palms facing each other or slightly down.
Step back until your arms are straight and the weight lifts off the stack. Stand tall with a slight lean back, or a split stance for balance.
Pull the rope towards your face, leading with your elbows and keeping them about shoulder height.
As the rope reaches your face, pull the ends apart so your hands finish beside your ears, knuckles pointing back.
Pause for a moment, then let your arms straighten slowly back to the start.

Cues that help

"Pull the rope apart": the ends finish wide, beside your head, not in front of your nose.
"Elbows high": they stay about level with your shoulders.
"Show your biceps": at the end, your arms look like a double-biceps pose.
"Shoulders down": pull with the back of the shoulder, not by shrugging.

Common mistakes

Too much weight, so you lean back and row it with your whole body. Face pulls work best light and slow.
Elbows dropping, which turns the movement into a row and takes the rear delts out of it.
Stopping in front of your face. The finish, hands wide and turned back, is the part that trains the outward rotation.
Shrugging the rope up, which hands the work to your traps.

Sets, reps and weight

For muscle and shoulder health: 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps.
Rest about 1 minute between sets.
Use a weight you can hold at the end for a second on every rep.
They fit well at the end of an upper-body session, or between sets of presses.

Variations and alternatives

Seated face pull: sitting takes your legs and lean out of it.
Band face pull: a resistance band anchored at face height, for home or a warm-up.
Rear delt fly: the back of the shoulder without the outward rotation.
Seated cable row: a heavier pull for the upper back and lats.

Tracking your face pulls

PushBeyond logs the weight and reps of each set and charts the history of the exercise. Its muscle map counts the face pull for your upper back and shoulders, with your traps as a helper.