Fysiqal

Isolation · Beginner

Face Pull

Isolation isolation exercise using cable.
Face Pull demonstration (no audio).
Movement pattern
Isolation
Difficulty
Beginner
Equipment
Cable
Mechanics
Isolation
Sides
Bilateral
Main plane
Transverse

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How to do the Face Pull

Cues reviewed by Kwabena Osei on

Setup

Rope attachment on a cable set at roughly face height, standing facing the machine, one end of the rope in each hand.

  1. Pull the rope toward your face, splitting your hands apart as they arrive so your elbows finish high and out to the sides.

  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the pull.

  3. Return under control to the starting position.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the rope toward your chest/collarbone instead of your face, which turns this into more of a row and reduces the rear-delt/external-rotation emphasis.

  • Using too much weight to keep the elbows high, causing the hands to drop and the elbows to sink low instead of finishing wide.

Muscles worked

Primary

Secondary

How the knowledge graph models this movement

Each joint action, with the role and emphasis the graph assigns each muscle. These are qualitative anatomical labels, not measured muscle activation.

  • Shoulder horizontal abductionprimary action

    Posterior deltoid (prime mover, high emphasis); Infraspinatus (synergist, moderate emphasis); Teres minor (synergist, moderate emphasis)

  • Shoulder external rotationsecondary action

    Infraspinatus (prime mover, high emphasis); Teres minor (prime mover, high emphasis); Posterior deltoid (synergist, moderate emphasis)

  • Scapula retractionsecondary action

    Rhomboids (synergist, moderate emphasis); Trapezius (synergist, moderate emphasis); Trapezius (synergist, moderate emphasis)

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Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional for individual guidance, especially around injury, pregnancy or medical conditions.