Muscle is vital to our health and physical appearance, but some take it to mean that every exercise you do needs to build it, and if it doesn’t, don’t do it. Specific exercises are also broken down to the nth degree, implying there is only one way to do them that counts.
Face pulls are one exercise that straddles both worlds.
The standard face pull is difficult to load heavily because the weight pulls you forward, making it hard to maintain balance. So, from a pure muscle-building standpoint, load is an issue. Like many exercises in the post-YouTube era, talking heads want to ensure you perform it the right way.
The lifter is torn between not doing it because it doesn’t build slabs of muscle and, when they do, being unsure whether they’re doing it right. With the help of a few of my coaching friends, here’s the lowdown on the face pull, which answers the question, “Do face pulls belong in your program?”
Let’s dive in.
What Are Face Pulls and Why Are They Important?
The cable face pull is an upper-body pulling exercise that targets the muscles responsible for shoulder health, posture, and upper-back strength. “Face pulls are intended to load the rear delts, mid-traps, and lower traps,” explains Matt Wenning of Wenning Strength. “While reinforcing scapular retraction and external rotation, which are essential for long-term shoulder health.”
Using a rope allows your hands to move apart, which encourages shoulder external rotation. It isn’t a “how much weight can I yank?” exercise. It’s a quality-of-movement exercise that keeps your shoulders happy and supports stronger presses and pulls.
Step-by-Step Face Pull Technique
- Set a cable pulley at the upper chest to eye level.
- Attach a rope handle and grab it with thumbs pointing back.
- Step back, brace your core, and keep a tall posture.
- Pull the rope toward your face, leading with your elbows.
- At the finish, separate the rope and rotate your hands back slightly.
- Pause briefly, then return slowly to the start.
How to Perform Face Pulls with Perfect Form
When performed using the tips below, this exercise will improve your upper back endurance, enhance your posture, and support shoulder health. Done wrong, they turn into a sloppy cable biceps curl.
Here’s how to make every rep count.
Your Grip
Use a thumbs-down grip and hook your hands under the rope, keeping your thumbs free and pointing back toward you. This small change is huge because it takes the biceps out of the equation and shifts the load to the rear delts, upper back, and rotator cuff.
Where You Pull From Matters
Think of your elbows leading the movement, not your fists, and actively spread the rope apart as you pull.
Own The End
At the finish, you should achieve a clean 90/90 “goalpost” position, upper arms parallel to the floor, elbows bent close to 90 degrees, with your shoulder blades together.
Height Doesn’t Matter
The height you pull to determines which muscle you want to focus on more, depending on your goals.
- Hands above your head: external rotators
- Hands at shoulder level: upper back
- Hands below shoulder level: posterior delts
There’s no single “correct” height. It depends on joint comfort and the muscles you’re trying to light up. The cable’s height also affects the feel of the exercise.
- Lower cable position: more upper traps and lateral delts
- Higher cable position: more upper back and rear delts
Range Of Motion
Each rep should move from arms fully extended, with the shoulder blades spread apart, to the shoulder blades together. Don’t skip the protraction at the start or the retraction at the end because both are important for getting the most out of this exercise.
Slow Down
Lower the weight under control for 3–5 seconds. On the way down, lower from the shoulders, keep your elbows up, and let your hands travel slightly ahead of your elbows.
If The Weight Pulls You Forward
Go seated or chest-supported. If you’re fighting to stay upright, you’re no longer training the shoulders; you’re just surviving the set.
The Two-Rope Solution
Athlean-X’s Jeff Cavaliere suggests using two ropes to allow greater separation at the top, own the goalpost position, and further enhance shoulder external rotation. It’s a solid option, but sometimes you may not have access to two ropes. If you want to do it their way, a single-arm face pull can an effective alternative.
Where Face Pulls Fit in Your Workout Program
Gareth Sapstead (MSc CSCS) uses face pulls in his programs, but within reason. “I don’t see it as a magic corrective or shoulder panacea,” says Sapstead. “But as a way to accumulate quality volume for rear delts, mid-traps, lower traps, and external rotators.”
Here’s why face pull have a place in your workouts.
Trains Neglected Muscles
Face pulls strengthen the rear delts, mid and lower traps, rhomboids, and external rotators, which are critical for keeping the shoulders centered and moving well under load.
Pressing Supporter
Strong, stable shoulders press better. When the upper back and rotator cuff can control the shoulder at end range, you get better bar paths, smoother lockouts, and less joint irritation during heavy benching and overhead work.
Improved Posture
Face pulls reinforce the exact opposite of the rounded-shoulder, head-forward position many lifters adopt. Jason Leenaarts, owner of Revolution Fitness And Therapy also likes face pulls for shoulder mobility issues. “I’ve found it to be an invaluable exercise for clients who complain about having tight shoulders,” says Leenaarts. ”That could be senior clients, clients who spend too much time at a desk, on their computers, and on their phones.”
Volume-Friendly
Unlike heavy rows or aggressive pulling variations, face pulls deliver training stimulus without the grind. That makes them easy to plug in often, between pressing sets, at the end of workouts, or as part of warm-ups without draining your precious energy.
When Face Pulls DON’T Belong in Your Program
Face pulls are usually loaded lightly; lifters often stop paying attention to scapular movement, elbow path, and shoulder rotation. “If the upper traps dominate or the elbows flare excessively, the exercise usually becomes junk volume,” explains Sapstead. The result is a half-rep, biceps-dominant cable row that delivers little return.
That’s why face pulls have a high false-positive rate:
- You feel a burn
- Nothing hurts
- You assume they’re helping
But if you’re not reaching actual external rotation, not fully protracting and retracting the shoulder blades, or letting the elbows drop, you’re missing the benefits that make face pulls valuable. Face pulls reward precision, but they don’t punish sloppiness as much as heavy rows do.
Here are a few other reasons why face pull doesn’t belong in your program.
You Overemphasize Upper-Back Volume
Lifters who run high volumes of rows, pull-aparts, rear-delt work, and upper-back focused accessories may already be covering the same bases. If that sounds like you, face pulls aren’t harmful; they’re just redundant.
A Band-Aid Solution
Face pulls won’t fix poor pressing form, limited thoracic mobility, or a lack of overhead strength. “They’re a support exercise, not a bandage,” says Sapstead. “They don’t ‘fix’ shoulders on their own, but they support pressing, overhead work, and long-term shoulder health when programmed intelligently.”
If you’re performing face pulls but still benching with flared ribs, jammed shoulders, and sloppy bar paths, take a step back and fix what needs fixing.
If You Have Shoulder Pain
While face pulls are shoulder-friendly, they’re not a universal green light. Active shoulder impingement, acute rotator cuff issues, or post-surgical restrictions may require a different exercise altogether.
Bottom line: Face pulls are a tool, not a cure-all. When they’re loaded, programmed well, and paired with sound pressing and pulling mechanics, they shine. When they’re thrown in mindlessly, they’re effectiveness fades.
Best Sets and Reps for Face Pulls
Face pulls are not a go hard or go home or an “it’s all you,” bro type of exercise. It’s best performed in the moderate-to-high rep range, to add pulling volume and improve muscular endurance. “I like them for 15 reps or so,” explains strength coach Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D. “As many do not move their upper arms back behind them very often due to the keyboard warrior position.”
- 10–15 reps: Sweet spot for most lifters
- 15–20 reps: Great for shoulder health, and warm-ups
The sets you perform depend on your goals and your current workout level. For warm-ups, you’ll need no more than two sets; if face pulls are in your workout, 3-4 sets is a sweet spot.
Best Placement: As a warm-up/primer before upper-body sessions. Face pulls work well when paired with the bench or overhead press, or at the end of upper-body days when increased pulling volume is needed.
Frequency: Two times per week works well for most lifters.
Progression: Instead of adding weight every week, progress by:
- Improving control at end range
- Increasing pause time
- Slowing the eccentric
- Changing your body position
If the reps look better, you’re progressing because mastery is an underrated form of progression.
The Verdict
Face pulls aren’t flashy, and they don’t add slabs of muscle; they’re neither overrated nor magical. They’re context-dependent.
They work best when:
- The lifter understands scapular mechanics.
- They’re paired with proper rowing, pressing, and overhead work.
- They’re loaded conservatively and executed with intent.
When performed with the form tips above in mind, face pulls become an effective upper back exercise for shoulder health that you can include in any program. They balance out heavy pressing and give lifters a way to train the small but critical muscles that keep the shoulders centered and resilient. That said, face pulls won’t fix bad technique, replace rows, or compensate for poor programming.
The lifters who last the longest aren’t the ones who lift the heaviest or the fastest, but the ones who respect the finer details of lifting. Face pulls reward those details.
