← EXERCISE LIBRARYStrength
Face Pull
The single best antidote to rounded shoulders — trains the rear delts and external rotators most people never load.
- 01Set a rope or band at roughly forehead height.
- 02Take an overhand grip and step back until there's tension with the arms straight.
- 03Pull the rope towards your forehead, splitting your hands apart as it arrives.
- 04Finish with the knuckles facing back and the elbows level with the shoulders.
- 05Return under control — don't let it snap your arms forward.
- 01Pull to your forehead, not your chin.
- 02Externally rotate at the end — that's the whole point of the exercise.
- 03Light weight, high quality. This is not a strength lift.
- 01Loading it so heavy the movement becomes a row.
- 02Shrugging the upper traps up and doing nothing for the rear delts.
- 03Stopping the pull before any external rotation happens.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.