Face Pull
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
Pull to the eyes, rotate the knuckles back — light, high-rep, every week.
Coaching profile
shoulder-complex accessory. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeHow to do it
Setup
- Rope on a high-ish cable, step back into tension, arms extended at eye level.
Execution
- Pull the rope toward the eyes/forehead, hands spreading apart, externally rotate so the knuckles end facing back; squeeze, control out.
Common Errors
- Going too heavy to externally rotate
- Pulling to the chest instead of the eyes/forehead
- Shrugging the traps
- No pause in the rotated end position
Cues That Work
- Pull toward the eyebrows; spread the rope; finish with the thumbs behind you
No-Fly Zone
under 10 reps (heavy kills the external-rotation benefit and the rear-delt focus)
Programming
Sequence priority
Late
Low fatigue, high-rep — a finisher, or first as a shoulder warm-up/prehab primer.
Progression
Model — Triple
Fallback model — Double
Triple progression: add reps toward ~25, then a pin/micro-plate. Keep it light enough to externally rotate.
Best program fit
Pull, Push, Upper
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Cable height (eye vs above head); rope vs dual handles; stance.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Pause in the externally-rotated end position; slow eccentric.
Step 3
Implement swap
Reverse pec deck, band pull-apart, or rear-delt cable fly.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Reverse pec deck, band pull-apart, or rear-delt cable fly.
Compare all shoulders optionsThe Evidence
Builds rear delts and shoulder health. Does NOT build pressing strength or the other delt heads.
SFR — 4.5
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