Face pulls are one of the most underrated upper body exercises. We seem to forget that they not only lead to size gains but also strengthen your rhomboids, traps, and external rotators.
This exercise also acts as a corrective movement to fix issues caused by “bad benching” (bench pressing) and bad posture due to the long hours spent working seated at a desk.
Face Pull With a Pause (variation):
Holding the peak contraction will “teach” the low and mid-trap fibers to stabilize the scapula (shoulder blades). Pull to the forehead to target a slightly different area of your upper back (compared to pulling to the neck).
You can perform this exercise seated or standing. You can also change grip to overhand grip or neutral grip.
In the video Miranda is performing high face pull to the neck:
- Stand facing the cable machine and grab the rope with an overhand grip
- Pull through the elbows, moving the middle of the rope in a straight line towards the neck.
- Make sure you fully retract the shoulder blades at the midpoint, squeeze, and then return to the starting position
Inspired by Miranda 