Face Pull

An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.

Face Pull — Starting position Starting position
Face Pull — End position End position
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Strength
Equipment Cable Machine
Primary Muscle Shoulders
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Face Pull

  1. Facing a high pulley with a rope or dual handles attached, pull the weight directly towards your face, separating your hands as you do so. Keep your upper arms parallel to the ground.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Face Pull does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Face Pull

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Band Pull Apart

    Band Pull Apart

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a resistance band.

    beginner Resistance Bands
  2. 2 Clean and Press

    Clean and Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  3. 3 Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise

    Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  4. 4 Alternating Kettlebell Press

    Alternating Kettlebell Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.

    intermediate Kettlebell
  5. 5 Arnold Dumbbell Press

    Arnold Dumbbell Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  6. 6 Barbell Shoulder Press

    Barbell Shoulder Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  7. 7 Bench Press

    Bench Press

    The bench press is the most popular upper body exercise for building chest strength and muscle mass. It's a compound movement that also develops the triceps and anterior deltoids.

    intermediate Barbell
  8. 8 Cuban Press

    Cuban Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  9. 9 Double Kettlebell Jerk

    Double Kettlebell Jerk

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.

    intermediate Kettlebell
  10. 10 Double Kettlebell Push Press

    Double Kettlebell Push Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.

    intermediate Kettlebell

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do face pull work?

Face Pull primarily works the shoulders. The upper back assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for face pull?

Face Pull uses cable machine.

Face Pull: is it suitable for beginners?

Face Pull is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.

What can I do instead of face pull?

Band Pull Apart, Clean and Press, Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my face pull reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; face pull can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Face Pull with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.