WhatWorksWhat.
Rear delts

Face Pull

Burn across the back of the shoulders + a release across the upper chest.

Complexity · Lowstabilitybeginner+Cable machine
  • Rear delts
  • Rear delts - Rear delts
  • Rhomboids
  • Traps
  • Rear delts

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Rear delts

    Hit

    Pulls arm back/horizontal abduction.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

0:26· National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

How to do a Face Pull | Proper Form & Technique | NASM

Hands together

Open and squeezed

Rope at face height. Pull rope to forehead, hands ending up beside the ears, externally rotated. Pause hard.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling to the chest - turns into a row.
  • Letting the elbows drop below the shoulders.

Where you should feel it

Burn across the back of the shoulders + a release across the upper chest.

Injury risk · 1/10

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains rear delts. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Band pull-apart

    Standing band, arms extended.

    80% on target

    On target

    Mid-back + rear delt blend.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

  • Lat Hang

    Dead hang from a bar, fully relaxed shoulders. 30–60s. Decompresses everything pulling-related.

    LatsRhomboids

  • Child's Pose

    Knees wide, big toes together. Sit hips back to the heels, arms long overhead, forehead to the floor. 60s. Walk the hands one direction to bias one side.

    LatsLower backRhomboids

  • Cross-body Shoulder Stretch

    Pull one arm across the body with the opposite hand at the elbow. Shoulder stays down - don't let it shrug. 30s per side.

    Rear deltsSide delts