Shoulders · Horizontal pull

Face Pull

The face pull is a cable exercise where you pull a rope towards your face while pulling your hands apart and rotating your shoulders outward. It trains the rear deltoids, mid-traps and external rotators. The muscles most neglected by pressing, and the main counterweight to a bench-heavy programme.

Also known as: Cable face pull, Rope face pull, Rear delt face pull

Muscle group: Shoulders
Movement pattern: Horizontal pull
Type: Compound
Equipment: Cable machine, Rope attachment
Difficulty: Beginner

What muscles does the face pull work?

Primary movers

Posterior deltoid
Trapezius
Rhomboids

Assisting muscles

Infraspinatus
Teres minor
Biceps

Three things happen at once in a face pull, and each one loads a different set of muscles. The arms pull backward, which is rear deltoid work. The shoulder blades retract, which is rhomboid and mid-trap work. And the forearms rotate outward at the end, which is the infraspinatus and teres minor, two of the four rotator cuff muscles.

That third element is what makes the exercise unusual. External rotation under load is trained by almost nothing else in a normal programme, and the external rotators are the muscles that hold the head of the humerus centred in the socket during pressing.

The posterior deltoid is the primary mover of the pulling portion. It is the smallest of the three deltoid heads and the one that receives least attention, rows train it partially, pressing trains it not at all, and most lifters do far more pressing than horizontal pulling.

That imbalance is why face pulls are recommended so persistently. Heavy benching develops the anterior deltoid and internal rotators, and without a counterweight the shoulders progressively pull forward. Face pulls train the opposing group directly.

The exercise responds badly to heavy loading. Once the weight is high enough, the body abandons external rotation, the elbows drop and the lats take over, at which point it becomes a poor high row and stops doing the thing it exists for.

How to do the face pull

Setup

1
Attach a rope to a cable pulley set at roughly upper-chest to eye height.
2
Grip the rope with palms facing each other, thumbs on top and hands towards the ends.
3
Step back until the cable is under tension with your arms extended.
4
Stand with a split or shoulder-width stance and brace your abs.
5
Set your shoulders down and back before the first rep.

Execution

1
Pull the rope towards your face, leading with your elbows and keeping them high.
2
Separate your hands as they approach so the rope splits either side of your head.
3
Finish with your hands beside your ears, knuckles pointing back and upper arms roughly level with your shoulders.
4
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold the end position for a full second.
5
Return under control over two to three seconds, letting your shoulder blades travel forward at the end.
6
Keep your torso upright throughout. Do not lean back as the weight increases.

Common face pull mistakes

Going too heavy

The single most common error. Once the load is beyond what the rear delts and external rotators can handle, the body compensates by dropping the elbows and leaning back, and the exercise becomes a badly executed row.

The fix: Use a weight that lets you complete 15–20 reps with a clean external rotation at the end. This is a precision exercise, not a strength lift.

Pulling to the chest instead of the face

Dropping the elbows so the rope arrives at chest height. This turns the movement into a standard cable row and removes the rear deltoid and external rotation work almost entirely.

The fix: Set the cable at or above shoulder height and consciously keep your elbows level with or above your hands throughout.

Not separating the rope at the end

Pulling the rope towards the face as a single unit with the hands together. The external rotation component, arguably the most valuable part, simply never happens.

The fix: Think about pulling the rope apart as much as pulling it towards you. At the finish your hands should be beside your ears, not in front of your nose.

Leaning back to move the weight

Using bodyweight and a backward lean to shift a heavier stack. It hides the load in your bodyweight and takes the rear delts out of the movement.

The fix: Take a split stance for stability and keep the torso vertical. If you have to lean, drop the weight.

How many sets and reps?

Goal	Sets	Reps	Load	Rest
Shoulder health	3	15–20	Light, strict	45–60 s
Rear delt hypertrophy	3–4	12–15	Light to moderate	60 s
Warm-up primer	2	15–20	Very light	30–45 s

Face pulls are low-fatigue and recover quickly, so two to four sessions a week is entirely reasonable, they work well at the end of upper-body days or as a primer before pressing. A useful rule for anyone doing a lot of bench work is to match or exceed your weekly pressing sets with horizontal pulling sets, and face pulls are the cheapest way to close that gap. Prioritise a clean end position over the number on the stack.

Running the face pull in your next block? Hercules logs every set, shows last session's numbers before you lift, and suggests when to add weight.

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Face Pull variations and alternatives

Band Face Pull

Easier

A resistance band makes the movement possible at home or as a warm-up anywhere, and the increasing tension at the end suits the external rotation finish well.

Seated Face Pull

Harder

Sitting removes the ability to lean back or use the legs, forcing stricter execution at a lighter load.

Face Pull with External Rotation

Harder

Rotating the forearms up into a W position at the end adds a deliberate rotator cuff component beyond the standard finish.

Rear Delt Fly

Alternative

Isolates the posterior deltoid more directly but drops the external rotation and mid-trap work. Good as a complement rather than a swap.

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

Alternative

A heavier vertical pull that trains the upper back with far more load, though it does little for the rear delts or external rotators specifically.

Frequently asked questions

What are face pulls good for?

They train the rear deltoids, mid-traps, rhomboids and external rotators in one movement, precisely the muscles that heavy pressing neglects. Their main value is as a counterweight to bench-heavy programmes, helping maintain balanced shoulder development and healthy scapular position. They also build the rear delts, which are hard to reach with anything else.

How heavy should face pulls be?

Light. If you cannot complete 15 reps with your elbows high, the rope splitting beside your ears and no backward lean, the weight is too heavy. Loading up on face pulls converts them into a mediocre high row and eliminates the reason for doing them in the first place.

How often should I do face pulls?

Two to four times a week is comfortable. They use light loads, involve small muscles and generate very little fatigue, so they recover fast. Adding a couple of sets to the end of every upper-body session is an easy way to accumulate the volume without any real cost.

Where should the cable be set for face pulls?

At roughly upper-chest to eye height. Setting it too low turns the movement into a row; setting it far overhead makes it harder to keep the elbows in the right position. The aim is a pull path that arrives at your face with your upper arms roughly level with your shoulders.

Do face pulls fix rounded shoulders?

They help, but posture is not fixed by one exercise. Face pulls strengthen the muscles that pull the shoulder blades back and rotate the shoulders outward, which addresses one contributing factor. Lasting change usually also requires balancing your pushing and pulling volume overall and paying attention to how you sit during the day.

Hercules tracks every face pull you log, shows you last session's numbers before you lift, and flags when your progress stalls.