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Face Pull

Face Pull trains 4 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Rear delts 90%, Mid-back / traps 35%, Side delts 20%, Biceps 15%.

Accessory Level: Beginner Cable machine Pull Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Face Pull - Start position
Start position
Face Pull - Finish position
Finish position

How to do it

  1. Set a rope on a high pulley, at about face height.
  2. Grip the rope with both hands, palms facing each other, and step back to load it.
  3. Pull the rope toward your face, splitting your hands apart as it comes.
  4. Finish with your hands beside your ears and your elbows high, level with your shoulders.
  5. Squeeze your shoulder blades, then return slowly. Keep the elbows high - dropping them turns it into a row.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

How it compares

Compared with the Band Pull-Apart, it loads Biceps 15 points higher, Mid-back / traps 10 points lower, Rear delts 10 points higher. It needs Cable machine where the other uses Resistance bands. Compared with the Wide-Grip Cable Row, it loads Mid-back / traps 60 points lower, Lats 30 points lower, Biceps 25 points lower.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Rear delts

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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