Rear delts exercise
Face PullHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Rear delts, Upper back
- Also works
- Traps
- Equipment
- Cable
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Face Pull?
- Set the rope at eye height and hold one end in each hand, thumbs towards you.
- Step back until your arms are straight and the cable is tight.
- Pull the rope towards your face, driving your elbows high and wide.
- Finish with your hands beside your ears and squeeze your shoulder blades.
- Straighten your arms slowly back to the start.
Cues
- Elbows high, hands apart.
- Shoulders down, away from your ears.
- Stand still, only your arms move.
Common mistakes
- Shrugging as you pull: lighten the weight and keep your shoulders down.
- Elbows dropping to your sides: keep them level with your shoulders throughout.
- Leaning back to move the weight: stand tall and use a load you can pull with your arms alone.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Rope on a single cable pulley set at about eye height (top of the upper-chest to face range). Stand facing the column, feet hip-width apart, toes forward, knees soft (about 10°). Hold one rope end in each hand just below the end knobs, palms facing each other, thumbs pointing back towards you. Step back until the cable is taut with the arms straight. Trunk upright or leaning back no more than 10°, stomach braced, shoulders set down, gaze straight ahead.
The movement
The hands travel back in a near-horizontal line at eye height, separating as they near the face. The elbows rise to shoulder height and sweep back; the forearms rotate up only in the last third. Feet, knees and trunk stay still; the head does not move forward to meet the rope.
End position
Hands beside the ears, either side of the face, about 40–50 cm apart; rope just in front of the forehead. Elbows high, at or slightly above shoulder height, out to the sides and level with or just behind the trunk line. Upper arms about 90° out from the body; elbow flexion about 100°. Forearms rotated up and back so the knuckles face the ceiling (about 70–90° of external rotation). Shoulder blades squeezed together. Pause 1 s.
Tempo
Pull 1.5 s / squeeze 1 s / return 2 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulley height | eye height | upper chest to forehead | |
| Trunk angle from vertical | 5° back | 0–10° back, no change in the rep | |
| Shoulder flexion at the start | 90° | 80–100° | |
| Elbow flexion at the start | 5° | 0–10° |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Face Pull is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
