Cable Face Pull
oec:cable-face-pull
A cable pulling exercise targeting the rear deltoids, upper back, and rotator cuff through combined horizontal abduction and external rotation.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Face Pull, Facepull, Cable Rope Face Pull
How to do it
Setup
- Attach a dual-handled rope to a cable pulley positioned at upper-chest to eye height.
- Grasp the rope with both hands using a neutral or overhand grip with your thumbs pointing backward.
- Step back a couple of paces to elevate the weight stack and assume a balanced staggered stance with knees slightly unlocked and core braced.
Movement
- Initiate the movement by retracting your shoulder blades and pulling the center of the rope directly toward your face.
- As your hands approach your face, externally rotate your shoulders by pulling the rope ends apart until your hands are alongside your ears.
- Pause briefly at peak contraction, ensuring your elbows are high and wide and shoulder blades fully squeezed.
- Slowly extend your arms forward under control to return the weight stack to the starting position.
Breathing
Inhale as your arms extend forward; exhale as you pull and externally rotate toward your face.
Cues
- Pull the rope apart, not just back
- Lead with your hands and thumbs, not just elbows
- Keep your chest proud and ribs pinned down
Common faults
- Using excessive body English and leaning backward to move the weight.
- Lower the load, brace your core, and keep your torso stationary throughout the set.
- Leading entirely with the elbows without externally rotating the shoulders.
- Ensure your hands finish level with or behind your elbows, resembling a double-biceps pose.
- Shrugging the shoulders upward toward the ears.
- Depress your shoulder girdle and emphasize mid-to-lower trapezius activation rather than upper trap shrugging.
Safety
- Select a light to moderate resistance to maintain strict control and avoid shoulder impingement.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder: Horizontal abduction, External rotation
- Shoulder blade: Retraction, Upward rotation
- Elbow: Flexion
Details
- Movement
- Horizontal pull
- Modality
- Hypertrophy, Strength, Rehabilitation
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- pull
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- Cable machine
- Record
- Repetitions and Load
- Load
- external, weight stack
Related
- progression of Band Face Pull
- substitute for Band Face Pull
- substitute for Dumbbell Bent-Over Face Pull
Sources
- wger: Facepull, by abeworld (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.