FITBODY Exercise Library · Back
Cable and Banded Face Pulls
Face pulls are one of the most underrated exercises for better posture, a stronger upper back, and healthier shoulders. You can do them with a cable or a resistance band, which makes them a favorite for women over 40 training at the gym or at home.
What Are Face Pulls?
Face pulls are a pulling exercise that targets the muscles in your upper back, rear shoulders, and rotator cuff. These are the muscles that often get overlooked but are essential for good posture, balanced strength, and injury prevention. You can perform face pulls with a cable machine or resistance bands, which makes them adaptable to any workout setting, whether you train in a gym or at home.
How to Do Cable Face Pulls
Go lighter than you think and lead with your shoulder blades. With the women I coach, face pulls only work when the rear delts and mid back do the pulling, not the upper traps or momentum. Keep your core braced, your neck relaxed, and think about pulling the rope apart as it reaches your face.
How to Do Banded Face Pulls
No cable machine? Banded face pulls give you the same movement anywhere.
Advantages of the band: it is portable, which makes it perfect for home workouts or travel, and the resistance increases as you pull, giving a different challenge than the cable.
What Muscles Do Face Pulls Work?
Face pulls train the often overlooked muscles of the upper back, rear shoulders, and rotator cuff, the group that holds your shoulders back and keeps them healthy. For a closer look at how the shoulder blade moves, see this scapular anatomy overview. Strengthening these muscles fits naturally into a broader strength training plan for women over 40.
See the full muscle breakdown
- Rear deltoids: the back of the shoulder, a prime mover pulling the arms back and out.
- Middle and lower trapezius: retract and set the shoulder blades down and back.
- Rhomboids: pull the shoulder blades in toward the spine.
- Rotator cuff: externally rotates and stabilizes the shoulder, especially in the external rotation variation.
Why Face Pulls Are So Important
- Healthier shoulders. Face pulls strengthen the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder, which helps prevent injuries and improve function, especially for anyone with stiffness from years of desk work.
- Better posture. They counteract the forward shoulder roll that comes from sitting and looking down at a phone, which makes them one of my go to posture exercises.
- Upper back strength. Building the traps, rhomboids, and rear delts creates balance, stabilizes the shoulders, and improves your bigger compound lifts.
- Rehab and injury prevention. Because they strengthen often neglected muscles that support the shoulder, face pulls are a great prehab and rehab tool.
Sets and Reps
Face pulls are a control and quality move, so keep the load light and the reps a little higher, and focus on feeling the rear delts and mid back.
| Goal | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Posture and shoulder health | 2 to 3 | 12 to 20 |
| Upper back strength | 3 | 12 to 15 |
| Warm up or prehab | 1 to 2 | 15 to 20 |
Rest 30 to 60 seconds between sets. Do face pulls two to three times a week on upper body days, as posture work, or in a warm up. Keep the weight light enough to feel the rear delts and mid back, not the upper traps.
Variations and Modifications
Seated Cable Face Pulls
Sitting reduces lower body involvement so you can focus entirely on your upper back and shoulders.
Single Arm Face Pulls
Working one side at a time helps address strength imbalances and allows a greater range of motion on each side.
Kneeling Banded Face Pulls
Kneeling increases core engagement, which helps with overall stability and alignment.
Face Pulls with External Rotation
Adding a rotation at the end of the pull further activates the rotator cuff, a great way to build shoulder stability and control.
Face pulls sit well alongside the other back and posture work in my exercise library, including the rear delt fly and the scapular retraction exercise.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Arching the back. Keep your core braced and your ribs down so you are not compensating through the spine.
- Overusing the upper traps. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and let the mid back and rear delts do the work.
- Going too heavy. Heavy load turns this into a sloppy row. Lighten up so you can pause and squeeze.
- Rushing the reps. Move smoothly and control the return, since quality of engagement matters more than how hard you pull.
Face Pull FAQs
How often should I do face pulls?
I recommend doing face pulls two to three times a week, which is plenty to build the upper back and support your posture. They fit well on upper body days or as part of a posture focused session. If you are dealing with shoulder stiffness, you can also add a light set into your warm up. Because they use light resistance, you do not need long recovery between sessions. Consistency across the week matters more than doing a lot in any one session.
Are face pulls good for building muscle?
Face pulls are not a primary mass builder, but they do build and define the smaller muscles that are often neglected, like the rear delts and mid traps. That added strength and definition creates better balance across the shoulders and upper back. It also supports your bigger lifts, since stronger pulling muscles help stabilize the shoulders during rows and presses. So while you would not rely on them for size, they earn their place for balance and shoulder health. I include them in almost every upper body plan I write.
Can beginners do face pulls?
Yes, face pulls are very beginner friendly, as long as you start with light resistance and focus on form. If cables feel intimidating, a resistance band is a great, approachable way to learn the movement at home. Begin light, pull the rope or band toward your face with your elbows high, and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keep the reps slow and controlled so you learn to feel the right muscles. The movement scales up naturally as you get stronger and more confident.
Should I do face pulls every day?
While face pulls are gentle, it is still best to give the muscles time to recover, so two to three sessions a week is ideal. Daily work is usually unnecessary and can lead to overusing the upper traps. If you want to include them more often, keep the extra sessions very light and treat them as posture practice rather than hard training. The muscles improve with consistent, quality work, not with maximum volume. Space them out and let each session count.
Are face pulls safe if I have had a shoulder injury?
Face pulls are often recommended for shoulder rehabilitation because they strengthen the stabilizing muscles around the joint. That said, if you are recovering from an injury, use very light resistance and keep your form precise. Stop if you feel pain rather than the normal work of the muscles. It is always wise to check with a physical therapist or coach so you are performing them correctly for your situation. Done right, they can be a helpful part of getting your shoulders healthy again.
Why do my traps feel sore after face pulls?
The traps, especially the mid and lower portions, are highly engaged during face pulls, so some soreness there is normal and a sign you are hitting the right muscles. If the soreness is mostly in your upper traps or near your neck, that usually means those muscles are taking over. The fix is to keep your shoulders down away from your ears and lead the pull with your shoulder blades. Lightening the load and slowing the reps also helps shift the work to the mid back and rear delts. If soreness lingers or feels sharp, check your form or ease back on the resistance.
References
- Escamilla, Rafael F., et al. “Shoulder Muscle Activity and Function in Common Shoulder Rehabilitation Exercises.” Sports Medicine, vol. 39, no. 8, 2009, pp. 663-685, doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939080-00004.
- Nitayarak, Haifah, and Pornpimol Charntaraviroj. “Effects of Scapular Stabilization Exercises on Posture and Muscle Imbalances in Women with Upper Crossed Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, vol. 34, no. 6, 2021, pp. 1031-1040, doi.org/10.3233/BMR-200088.
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I’m Julie Lohre, an IFBB Fitness Pro and certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist. For more than 20 years I have helped women over 40 get stronger, leaner, and more confident through personalized online coaching built around their real lives.