The face pull is a pulling exercise toward your face with the elbows high. It trains the rear shoulders, the muscles between the shoulder blades and the rotator cuff, the opposite of the reaching forward that desk work and phones demand. With a resistance band it can be done at home or at a desk, which makes it a good fit for short sessions through the week.
How to do a band face pull
- Anchor a light resistance band at about head height: around a post, or shut in a door with an anchor.
- Hold one end in each hand, palms facing down, and step back until the band is slightly tight.
- Pull the band toward your forehead, leading with the elbows, which stay high and wide.
- At the end, turn the hands back slightly so the knuckles point behind you, and squeeze the shoulder blades.
- Pause for a second, then return slowly.
No anchor: band pull-apart
Hold the band in front of you at shoulder height, arms straight. Pull it apart until it touches your chest, squeezing the shoulder blades, then return slowly. It is a simpler cousin of the face pull, and the version used in the five-minute desk routine.
Sets and reps
2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15, two or three times a week. Use a band that makes the last two reps hard but keeps the elbows high. Move to a stronger band when 15 reps are easy.
What the evidence shows
There are no trials of the face pull on its own. It belongs to the family of neck and shoulder strengthening exercises that reduced neck and shoulder pain in office workers, in short sessions as well as long ones.12
Strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles helps desk workers with neck pain; the face pull is one practical way to do it, not a proven exercise in its own right.1
Common mistakes
- Elbows dropping below the hands, which turns it into a row.
- Leaning back to move the band. Stand still and use a lighter band.
- Rushing the return. Control it.
Who should take care
Stop if it pinches at the front of the shoulder, and start with pull-aparts instead. Stop and get advice if an exercise causes sharp pain, pain spreading into an arm, numbness, tingling or dizziness. Mild muscle effort and a gentle stretch are normal.
For the full plan, see rounded shoulders.
Footnotes
General information, not medical advice. Every claim carries its source; where the evidence is thin, the page says so.Editorial policy · How we grade evidence · All sources · Disclaimer