Face Pulls: How to Do Them, Muscles Worked, Benefits and Best Variations

Face pulls are one of the most effective cable exercises for developing the rear delts, upper back and shoulder muscles. They are especially useful for balancing workouts that include a lot of pressing movements and can be performed on almost any cable machine or functional trainer.

Unlike many pulling exercises that focus heavily on the lats, cable face pulls place more emphasis on the muscles around the shoulder blades and the back of the shoulders.

Whether your goal is stronger shoulders, better upper-back development or more variety in your cable workouts, face pulls are an exercise worth including.

What Are Face Pulls?

A face pull is a cable exercise where you pull an attachment toward your face while allowing your elbows to travel outward.

The movement is commonly performed with a rope, straps or independent handles attached to a cable positioned around face or upper-chest height.

Instead of pulling toward the stomach like a traditional cable row, the hands travel toward either side of the face.

This change in direction shifts more of the work toward the rear delts and upper-back muscles.

What Muscles Do Face Pulls Work?

Face pulls primarily train the muscles across the back of the shoulders and upper back.

The main muscles involved include:

● Trapezius

● Rear deltoids

● Rhomboids

● Infraspinatus

● Teres Minor

● Rotator cuff muscles

● Upper-back stabilizers

The biceps and forearms also assist, but they are not the primary target.

Because several muscles around the shoulder blades work together during the movement, face pulls are a useful addition to a balanced upper-body training program.

Face Pulls for Rear Delts

One of the biggest reasons lifters use face pulls is to train the rear delts.

The rear deltoid sits on the back of the shoulder and helps move the upper arm backward and outward.

Many common exercises such as bench presses and shoulder presses heavily involve the front of the shoulder. Face pulls provide a pulling movement that emphasizes the muscles on the opposite side.

For more complete shoulder development, that makes face pulls a valuable complement to pressing exercises.

How to Do Face Pulls

Set the cable around face height or slightly above.

Stand facing the cable machine and take hold of the attachment.

Step backward until there is tension on the cable with your arms extended.

Keep your torso stable and maintain a comfortable athletic stance.

Pull the attachment toward your face while driving your elbows outward.

At the end of the movement, your hands should finish near the sides of your face while your shoulder blades move toward each other.

Pause briefly and squeeze the muscles across the back of your shoulders and upper back.

Slowly extend your arms and return to the starting position.

Face Pull Technique

Face pulls are usually most effective when performed with control rather than maximum weight.

Keep Your Elbows High

Allow the elbows to travel outward instead of keeping them close to your torso.

If the elbows stay tucked, the movement can begin to look more like a conventional cable row.

Pull Toward Your Face

The attachment should travel toward the face or upper forehead area rather than toward the stomach.

This helps maintain the pulling angle that makes the face pull unique.

Control the Return

Do not let the weight stack pull your arms forward quickly.

A controlled return keeps tension on the rear delts and upper-back muscles for longer.

Keep Your Torso Stable

Avoid leaning excessively backward to move more weight.

If your whole body is rocking through each repetition, the resistance is probably too heavy.

Rope Face Pulls vs Handles

Traditional rope face pulls work well because the ends of the rope can separate as the hands approach the face.

Independent handles or straps allow even greater freedom of movement because each arm can move separately.

This can help the wrists, elbows and shoulders find a more natural pulling path instead of being restricted by a fixed attachment.

Using Focus Straps for Face Pulls

The Face Pull, or cable face pull, is one of the best exercises for targeting the rear delts, upper back and shoulder stabilizers. Using the Andreoni Fitness Focus Straps changes the movement by taking much of the pressure away from the hands and especially the wrists, allowing you to concentrate more on the muscles doing the work.

Instead of having to tightly grip a rope or rigid handle, the padded straps support the hand and allow the wrists to stay in a more natural position throughout the pull. The small handle is there mainly to keep the strap securely in place, not to act as the primary pulling point.

Because each hand can move independently, the Focus Straps also give your wrists, elbows and shoulders more freedom to follow a comfortable path. The result is a smoother face pull exercise with less grip distraction and a stronger focus on the rear delts and upper-back contraction on every rep.

Face Pulls and Range of Motion

One advantage of cable face pulls is the ability to maintain resistance throughout a relatively large range of motion.

At the beginning of the repetition, the arms extend forward while the upper back lengthens.

As you pull toward the face, the shoulder blades move back and the rear delts and upper-back muscles contract.

A controlled repetition allows you to use both portions of the movement rather than simply moving the weight from one point to another.

Avoid shortening the exercise just to use more resistance.

For muscle development, a lighter load performed through a controlled range of motion can often be more effective than a heavier weight moved through a shortened path.

How Heavy Should Face Pulls Be?

Face pulls are not usually an exercise where maximum weight should be the goal.

Using too much resistance can cause you to lean backward, shorten the movement or turn the exercise into a row.

Instead, choose a resistance that allows you to control the entire repetition and clearly feel the muscles across the back of the shoulders and upper back working.

Progressive overload still matters. Over time, you can increase the weight, repetitions or total training volume while keeping good form.

How Many Reps for Face Pulls?

Face pulls work particularly well in moderate-to-higher repetition ranges.

A common starting point is:

10–20 repetitions per set

For example:

3 sets of 12–15 repetitions

can work well as part of a shoulder, back or upper-body workout.

The ideal repetition range depends on your goals and overall training program.

When Should You Do Face Pulls?

Face pulls can fit into several types of workouts.

● They can be performed during:

● Back workouts

● Shoulder workouts

● Upper-body workouts

● Pull workouts

● Cable machine workouts

Some lifters use them earlier in the workout with lighter resistance, while others use them later as a rear-delt and upper-back isolation exercise.

They are especially convenient on a functional trainer because you can move quickly from face pulls to other cable machine exercises without changing equipment.

Face Pulls vs Rear Delt Fly

Face pulls and rear-delt flyes both target the back of the shoulders, but they are not exactly the same movement.

A rear-delt fly usually involves moving the arms outward while keeping them relatively straight.

A face pull combines horizontal pulling with elbow flexion and shoulder rotation.

As a result, face pulls generally involve more of the upper back while still strongly targeting the rear delts.

Both exercises can be useful in the same training program.

Face Pulls vs Cable Rows

Cable rows usually pull the attachment toward the torso while the elbows travel backward.

Face pulls use a higher pulling angle with the elbows traveling outward.

Cable rows generally emphasize the lats, rhomboids and middle back.

Face pulls shift more emphasis toward the rear delts and upper-back muscles surrounding the shoulder blades.

Using both gives you two different pulling patterns from the same cable machine.

Common Face Pull Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes is using too much weight.

Heavy resistance often causes the lifter to lean backward and use momentum.

Another mistake is pulling the attachment toward the chest instead of the face.

You should also avoid rushing through repetitions.

Face pulls benefit from a controlled pull, a strong contraction at the end of the movement and a slow return.

Are Face Pulls Good for Shoulder Health?

Face pulls are commonly included in shoulder training because they strengthen the rear delts and muscles that help control the shoulder blades.

They can complement pressing movements such as the bench press and shoulder press by adding more pulling volume to a training program.

However, no single exercise can prevent every shoulder problem.

If face pulls cause pain, adjust the cable height, resistance, attachment or range of motion. Persistent or significant shoulder pain should be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional.

Face Pull Variations

Once you are comfortable with standard cable face pulls, several variations can change the movement slightly.

Rope Face Pull

The traditional version uses a rope attachment and allows the ends of the rope to separate as you pull.

Strap Face Pull

Independent straps allow each arm to move freely and can reduce the need for constant gripping.

Single-Arm Face Pull

Using one cable at a time lets you concentrate on each side independently.

High Cable Face Pull

Positioning the cable slightly higher changes the pulling angle and can alter how the upper-back and shoulder muscles are challenged.

Seated Face Pull

Performing the exercise seated reduces the ability to use body momentum and can make it easier to focus on the upper-body movement.

Add Face Pulls to Your Cable Workouts

One of the biggest advantages of a functional trainer or cable machine is the ability to change exercises quickly.

Face pulls can easily be combined with movements such as:

● Cable rows

● Lat pulldowns

● Cable shoulder presses

● Rear-delt flyes

● Tricep pushdowns

● Bicep curls

● Cable pullovers

● Straight-arm cable pulldowns

Together, these exercises can create a complete upper-body workout using primarily a cable machine.

Final Thoughts

Face pulls are a simple exercise, but they can provide a lot of value.

They train the rear delts, upper back and muscles surrounding the shoulder blades while requiring only a cable machine and a suitable attachment.

For the best results, focus on controlled repetitions, an appropriate resistance and a comfortable range of motion.

Using Focus Straps can make the movement feel even more natural by reducing pressure on the hands and wrists, allowing the straps to carry the load while the small handle simply keeps them securely positioned.

The result is a face pull where you can focus less on gripping the attachment and more on the rear-delt and upper-back contraction you are trying to create.