Seated face pull

Also called seated rope face pull.

What is Seated face pull?

A seated face pull uses a rope cable pulled toward the face from a seated position. It trains the rear shoulders and upper back while the bench provides a fixed starting position.

Two rear-oblique anatomical views of a man seated on a bench, reaching toward a rope pulley and pulling the rope ends beside his face, with rear shoulders and upper back shaded red.

How to do Seated face pull

Set up

Attach a rope to a pulley around face height when seated and place a bench facing the machine.
Sit upright with your feet planted, hold both rope ends and begin with the arms reaching toward the pulley.

Execution

Pull the rope toward your face, opening the elbows out and rotating the forearms upward as you separate the rope ends.
Finish with your hands beside your face without leaning backward.
Reach forward again under control while keeping your feet and seat in place.

Common mistakes

Turning it into a low row
Pulling toward the ribs drops the elbows and removes the external-rotation finish that distinguishes a face pull.
Leaning back to move the load
Body movement shortens the working range and makes the cable weight difficult to compare between sets.
Letting the rope ends meet at the finish
The hands need room to separate so the shoulders can rotate as the rope reaches the face.

Where it fits in a session

Usually after heavier presses and rows, or with other shoulder accessory work.

Use a load that allows the rope to reach the face without torso movement or a shortened finish.

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Primary

Secondary

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Variations

Rear delt flyUses dumbbells and a wide arc without the face pull's rope rotation.

Frequently asked questions

Where should the rope go on a face pull?

Pull toward the forehead or upper face, then separate the rope ends beside the head. Pulling to the chest changes the movement into more of a row.

Should seated face pull feel like a row?

They share a pulling action, but a face pull finishes higher and adds shoulder external rotation. Keep the elbows high rather than pulling the rope toward the waist.

Sources

Betts JG et al. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 11.5 Muscles of the pectoral girdle and upper limbs. OpenStax, 2022. https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/11-5-muscles-of-the-pectoral-girdle-and-upper-limbs