EstimatedEst. Read Time: 21 minutes
Why face pulls are the best correctional exercise
It’s something I have been repeating for a while now. It’s true that you must do face pulls!
It’s almost like eating your vegetables.
It is just one of the key things you SHOULD do.
Face pulling helps strengthen chronically weak muscles that are found in the upper body. These muscles get stretched all day long as we sit at our computers or drive our cars.
Face pulling is a great exercise to correct poor posture and shoulder dysfunction. They strengthen the muscles of the upper body, which are often weak from sitting in a slumped posture at work or while driving.
Worse, most people at the gym do a lot more pushing than pulling (unless they are using an ATHLEANX program).
You are inadvertently causing a back to front imbalance by training your chest, triceps and shoulders or your abs. This is not only a cost to your muscle symmetry, but also to your ability to maintain healthy joints.
Face pulling is a great exercise that strengthens the upper back, shoulders, and lower traps. It will also help offset any pulling you do in your other workouts. The extra rotator-cuff work involved in the face pull will help support the shoulder joint.
Although the face pull is an easy exercise, most people do it wrong.
I will first show you how to do the traditional cable Face Pull. Then, I’ll show what my preference is for adding a trap raise.
Next, I will do a detailed breakdown of the Face Pull exercise and show you how to do it the best.
1. Equipment and Adjustment
2. Stance
3. Grip
4. Travel
5. Modifications
6. Programming and Weight Selection
This is basically all you need to know, including the correct face pull form details to make sure you reap the benefits of the powerful face pulling exercise.
You can do more harm than good if you make one mistake during your face pull exercise.
This graphic shows which muscle groups we should target for the face pull. This is even more obvious when you consider how to NOT perform this exercise.
What muscles are used to pull the face?
1. Posterior deltoid (rear delts)
2. Mid Traps
3. Lower traps
4. Infraspinatus
5. Teres Major
FACE PULL MISTAKES YOU MUST AVOID
There are many wrong ways to perform a face-pull, and most people don’t do it correctly.
They aren’t the only ones to blame. There are millions of YouTube tutorial videos that show you how to perform the exercise incorrectly and the fastest way to harm yourself.
This is not what we want.
You won’t get the best out of this exercise if your height is not adjusted correctly, your hand grip, or stance aren’t correct.
If you do not have access to rope attachments or cables and are required to perform face pulls at your home, there are some things to consider.
This exercise will not be effective if you do not adjust your height, travel to the right area of the face, or use the correct hand grip and stance.
This is why I am here to assist you!
This exercise has become somewhat synonymous with me, and that’s a good thing.
Because I believe this to be an extremely important exercise, I will proudly wear the badge. This is not only to strengthen your stability for larger lifts but also to improve your posture and overall health.
We must do it.
Let’s start by looking at how to perform a face-pull with a trap lift. We’ll then break it down step-by-step to show you all the important considerations so that you can get started doing your face pull right away.
HOW TO DO A FACE PULL
Cable Face Pulls will require you to either attach a rope attachment to a cable at a high point or anchor a band to something higher if you are training at home.
With your thumbs pointed backwards, grab the ends of the rope attachment.
Keep your elbows below your shoulders. They shouldn’t be raised above your shoulder.
Next, turn your hands slightly and pull. You can rotate your shoulders outward by turning your hands and pulling. This will allow the shoulder’s external rotation to reach the rotator wrist, which is not a part of most training programs.
Notes for exercise: Stand with one cable attachment in each of your hands, palms facing the other, and your thumbs pointed towards your face. Pull the rope backwards, keeping your elbows in front. Keep your shoulders down and squeeze the shoulders blades until you reach the end. Reverse the motion and go back to the beginning position.
How to perform face pulling at home
There are important differences and considerations when doing cable rope face pulls at home or banded face pulling at home.
First, make sure you have access the cable machine at your gym.
The resistance band version is great for home face pulling. However, there are some things you should know about doing it with the band.
The resistance band face pull is more powerful than the one you will encounter on a cable pulley. It becomes more and harder to stretch the band farther out.
When using bands, the strength curve for the face pull is slightly different. You can stretch the band further, but it is more challenging. This makes full range of motion difficult.
The end is the most difficult part of this exercise. If I tried to perform the full range of motion, where my arms are extended in front of me, getting some scapular protraction, then I pull back into the face pull, it was difficult. This band was too difficult for me.
You can see that I hit a wall towards the end of the face pull, when I tried to do my full range of motion with band members.
Either I would have to compromise and use lighter bands, or I would have to stand closer to the middle of the exercise to get to the right place at the end. This is something that you should be aware of when you train at home.
You can choose to use a lighter or closer band if you don’t have any other options.
BEST ATTACHMENT TO THE CABLE FACE PULL
Face pulls are easier if you have access to a cable machine. What kind of attachment do you want?
This is why you wouldn’t attach a bar to it. It will limit how much rotation you can do through your shoulders which is an important component of the exercise.
A rope attachment is what you would want. However, a single rope is not long enough to reach as far as your arms can go. It must be long enough to allow for external rotation. A single rope is not sufficient.
If you have a sled, it’s best to use it. Or simply grab two rope attachments from the gym and attach them together.
Two rope attachments can be used together to get the right length for face pulls using a cable.
EQUIPMENT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
The incorrect placement of the cable or band anchor point is one of the biggest mistakes in face pulling.
Some people choose to use a lower anchor point for the face pull. However, this sets up the wrong mechanism.
You are basically doing a face pull instead of an upright row.
It’s unsafe for your shoulders to set a low anchor for the face pull.
If you resist from low-to-high, it is asking for an eccentric contraction in the external rotators to the shoulder to counteract the pulling down and forward. Your back will also get rounded if your arm is being pulled forward. Your thoracic extension is lost and external rotation of the shoulders can only be done up to a point.
The back is also being forced to turn when the arm is pulled forward and down.
People will sometimes pull at chin height or worse, at chest height. This position places too much emphasis on the muscles in the upper back and nearly eliminates the rotator wrist from the movement.
You must ensure that your anchor point for the face pulling is above your head in order to properly target your rotator wrist.
To properly target your rotator wrist and not make it a sloppy row or shrug, ensure that your anchor point is above your head. As you can see, I now have an additional 20 degrees of rotation when I stand up in full extension.
It is easy to see the difference in how much external rotation I get if I am rounded forward or standing in full extension.
Instead, I use a higher anchor point to do this exercise. When I pull back, I am concentrating on pulling into external rotation.
External rotation is easier when we use a higher anchor in the face pull.
We strengthen the muscles that we are trying to work with in this exercise by getting in the right position for external rotation pulling from low to high.
BEST FACE PULL STANDARD
The most athletic stance for face pulling is the best. But which one?
People often tell me that they aren’t sure if they’re supposed to stand straight, or if they’re supposed to stand with their legs up, or if they’re supposed to place their leg on something.
Many people are confused about the best position for face pulling.
A square stance is the best and most athletic for face pulling.
For performing the face-pull, a square stance is best.
Square stance limits the weight you can use. It makes it difficult to overload it so much that it affects your form during the exercise. You can’t go too heavy if you feel like you’re being pulled forward.
You can balance if you aren’t in a good position. However, you should still keep your hips straight and maintain that position throughout the exercise.
CORRECT GRIP FACE PULL
When it comes to face pulling, grip is crucial.
Many people, even those who are able to correctly anchor their high-to-low anchoring, make a mistake when they use an overhand grip. This encourages internal rotation of your shoulder and elevates your arms overhead.
Overhand grips on the face pull can cause internal rotation, which can be detrimental to the health of your shoulders.
This is something you don’t want, especially if your face pulls are as frequent as I recommend. This would lead to a lot more repetitions of an internally rotated shoulder position with elevation. This is a bad idea.
Instead, grasp it with your thumbs inward and hold it underhand. This will allow you to achieve the external rotation of your shoulder with elevation, which is exactly what we want.
To achieve external rotation of your shoulder, the correct grip is to hold the face pull underhand.
TRAVEL: DO NOT FORGET, IT IS A FACE PULL
Travel is where your elbows and hands pull the cable or rope. Here are two things to be aware of.
First, where are you going? Where is the destination?
It should be simple, but it can get a lot more complicated!
This is a FACE draw.
That means that you are pulling towards your face. Right around your nose. I like to target my big nose.
The face pull is true to its name. Its destination? Your face. Your clavicle, chest, or above your head are not the destinations of the face pull.
It is not a clavicle pulling.
It is not a chest pull.
It is not an overhead pull.
It’s like a pull! You want to ensure that this is your destination.
Another important aspect to be aware of is your elbows and hands at the end of the movement.
Which one wins the race to the finish line? Your elbows or your fingers?
Your hands are the answer.
This is a common mistake made by people all the time. This is how they let their elbows win.
The elbows should not beat the hands when it comes to the final point of the face-pull.
Your elbow should not be beaten against your hand as it can cause internal rotation and elevation of your shoulders.
Instead, the elbows should be beat by the hands in a race to their back.
To achieve the desired external rotation and elevation of the shoulders the hands should beat the elbows until the end of the face pull.
We want to open the chest and close the back. Externally rotate the shoulders, squeeze the shoulder blades and let the rotator wrists do the rest.
This exercise has many benefits.
There are a few modifications you can make to help you strengthen it if you have difficulty doing this.
MODIFICATIONS FOR FACE PULL
Two great modifications to the face pull can help you get more from this wonderful exercise.
This will reinforce your rotator cuff, which is the driver of the exercise.
You’ll notice that your hands won’t touch the ground if you are able to get down to do the exercise. You should make sure that your hands, or at most the nubs of rope, contact the ground with your elbows elevated.
Give it a few seconds, then let go. Do not let your hands wander. Make sure they are in contact with the ground.
The face pull can be done positioned on the ground. This reinforces the idea that you must lead with your hands.
This is a great way not only to get the right position for the face pull but also to do the exercise.
The second variation, which I will show you, improves on the face-pull by adding the lower traps to the exercise.
This is done by raising your arms at the end of the movement.
Lower traps are important in stabilizing the scapula when we raise our arms above our heads. This extra arm raise allows us to give them the attention they deserve by performing the face pull.
This modification requires a bit more strength but is worth it.
This exercise incorporates the lower traps by adding an arm raise to the end of the face pull.
WEIGHT SELECTION & PROGRAMMING
Many people want to know how heavy and often they should perform face pulls.
Let’s start with weight selection. The ideal weight is one that doesn’t pull you forward but also not too light that it makes the exercise seem absurd.
This is not a corrective exercise, so don’t be hesitant to use the cable.
You don’t want it to be too heavy that it requires extra momentum or backward lean to lift the weight. This is not a way to show your strength or power.
It is important to only load the muscle enough to cause meaningful contractions in the targeted muscles. This is a way to strengthen weak muscles which are being affected by the anterior chain muscles.
What about sets? Let’s say this: You should do 12 repetitions of this. Make sure you have 12 sets.
This is the mentality.
Each one must be a solid, good contraction.
Hold, squeeze, hold, lift up if necessary, then rest. Start your next rep.
Face pulling is best done with a weight that is sufficient to challenge the muscles being pulled without making you pull forward.
Let’s now talk about frequency.
You’ve probably been following me on YouTube for a while, so I don’t have to tell you when this exercise is.
The simple answer is yes.
Every day!
That’s correct. You can do the face pull every day. It is so important because it focuses attention on so many important, but underused muscles.
Face pulling is so important because it focuses attention on so many important, but often neglected muscles. You can do it every day.
These are not exercises to be over-trained. Face pulls are a way to address a weakness and counteract the negative effects on your posture.
FAQS FACE PULLS
1. What muscles are used to pull the face?
Face pulling works the posterior deltoid and mid traps as well as lower traps, infraspinatus, and teres minor.
2. Are face-pulling exercises good for building muscle?
Face pulling is a great exercise to correct chronically weak upper muscles. They can be used to strengthen weaker muscles when we are sitting for prolonged periods of time. They can correct poor posture and shoulder dysfunction.
3. How do you do face pulls?
Face pulls can be done by taking a square position with your feet in front of the cable machine. Adjust the arm of the cable machine so that it is slightly higher than your head. With your thumbs pointed backwards, take an underhand grip on any rope attachment. The rope attachment(s), if any, should be pulled toward your face. The end should be reached by your hands before your elbows.
4. Face pulls are so important.
Face pulling corrects poor posture and shoulder dysfunction. They can also be used to correct the imbalance between front and back that occurs when we train our chest, triceps and shoulders. They also support the shoulder joint due to the rotator-cuff work.
5. Are rounded shoulders fixed by face pulling?
Face pulls can correct rounded shoulders and poor posture that results from sitting or driving for long periods. Face pulls can also be used to correct the imbalance between front and back when you train your chest, triceps, and shoulders.
6. What should the weight of face pulls be?
Face pulls should not be so heavy that you feel it pulling you forward, but not too light that it makes the exercise useless. You need to load it enough that the muscle being contracted is activated. However, you shouldn’t load it too heavy or it will cause you to lose momentum.
7. Are face pulls a trap?
Yes, face pulling works for both the lower and mid traps.
Although there are no miracle cures for fitness or athleticism, the face pulling is close. Properly performing the movement has been shown to improve posture, reduce neck, back, and shoulder pain, as well as reducing chronic headaches. No matter what your training goals are, it is important to maintain healthy postural muscles. Face pulls can be added at the end of any workout.
It’s not about what exercises you do, but how you do them. Step-by-step ATHLEANX programs based on your goals will help you to achieve maximum benefits without causing injury. This means that you get all the benefits with no pain.
Choose the right program for you
AX1 ==>Train at home with dumbbells and minimal equipment
XERO ==>Train at home with no equipment
STOP DOING FACE PULLS LIKE THIS
1. Face pulling improves posture and strengthens chronically weak muscles in the shoulders and back. Most people do face pulls wrongly.
2. You must set a high anchor point to perform the face pull correctly. Also, you should perform the exercise in a high-to-low position. External rotation and elevation of your shoulder are important. Avoid internal rotation with elevation as it can be dangerous for your shoulder.
3. Because it is difficult to overdo the face pull, a square stance is the most athletic and effective. It forces you to balance and use your strength.
4. For face pulling, the best grip position is underhand. Make sure the rope or band travels towards your face and not elsewhere.
5. Two modifications to the face pull can be made that will allow you to get more from the exercise. You can perform it on the ground to ensure that your elbows are in line with the ends of the movement. The lower traps can be involved by performing an additional arm raise at each end of the movement.
6. It is important to not overload the face pull when choosing a weight. You should choose a weight that challenges your muscles.
7. Face pulls are a great way to correct chronic weaknesses in your body caused by the forward-rounded positions we take at work or while driving our cars.
You can watch the YouTube version.
Jeff Cavaliere MSPT CSCS Face pulling is a great corrective exercise to improve posture and relieve shoulder dysfunction. They strengthen chronically weak people. We are now going to show you an alternative way of measuring body fat percentage.
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