Muscles worked
The band face pull mainly works your rear delts and the muscles around your shoulder blades. The rear deltoid does the heavy lifting together with the middle and lower trapezius and the rhomboids, which draw your shoulder blades together. As your hands move out beside your head at the end of the pull, the small external rotators of the rotator cuff join in. A band suits the exercise well, as its tension peaks in the rear end position, exactly where these muscles should work hardest.
Common mistakes
- A loose anchor. Fit the door anchor into a shut door, locked if possible, and stand on the side where the door opens away from you, so every pull presses it harder into the frame. If you loop the band round a post, make sure it cannot slide.
- Standing too close to the anchor. A slack band makes the first half of the pull free. Step back until the band pulls slightly on your hands with your arms straight.
- Rushing past the end position. The rear position, with your hands beside your ears, is where the exercise pays off. Pause there for a second or two before your arms travel forwards again.
Variations and alternatives
- The face pull uses a cable and rope, the obvious choice in a gym.
- The band rear delt fly trains the rear delts with the band between your hands, when there is nowhere to anchor it.
- Prone YTW raises are done face down on the floor and train the same area in three arm positions, with no equipment at all.
Sets and reps
Band face pulls use a light band and high reps, often 15 to 25 over two to three sets. With such a low load, many people add them to several sessions a week, for example before they press, as part of the warm-up. The guide to sets and reps goes through sets, reps and rest.
Make it harder by stepping half a pace back, holding the end position longer or using a stiffer band. Move on only when you reach all the way back with control in every set, so progressive overload never costs you your technique.