Face Pull

What it is

This cable-based compound movement effectively targets your posterior deltoids, which are the rear muscles of your shoulders, alongside the muscles of your middle back. You perform it by pulling a rope attachment towards your face, actively separating your hands as you draw it in. It is excellent for improving posture and overall shoulder health.

Technique tips

• Pull the rope or handles directly towards your face.
• Actively separate your hands as you pull the weight.
• Keep your elbows high and parallel to the ground.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the peak.
• Control the weight slowly during the eccentric phase.
• Breathe out as you pull the resistance in.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.