![]() Or you may split your stance and sit into a rotational moment at the hips and spine, negating the “pain-free-ness.” As the weights get heavy, two key mistakes usually happen.įirst, you may lean back and alter the mechanics of the movement. But if you do it standing, you’ll quickly hit a ceiling on the loads you can stabilize without compensating at the torso, hips, or lower body. You can load the face pull for strength and hypertrophy as well. Use the 6-12 rep range with total control and stability, and the activation benefits will become apparent fast. This variation requires lighter loads and slower, more controlled movements to avoid flaring up the shoulders or placing undue stress over the rotator cuff or other acute muscles being loaded. It also helps you learn to stabilize the thoracic spine and shoulder blades during dynamic rotational movements at the shoulder joint itself. Using the thumbs-up grip on a band or cable taps into more corrective-based ranges of motion for the shoulder and upper back. So for this version, follow the same steps, but lighten the load, move at a slower pace, and pay attention to the musculature you’re trying to activate. You’d use the underhand grip for a different goal than the overhand grip: activation and corrective movement. This is due to the varying degree of external rotation range of motion involved on the backside of the movement pattern. I program the overhand (pronated) grip more often than the underhand or thumbs-up grip. This detail is a game-changer for upper back activation, so focus on peaking the contraction as hard as you can, driving the elbows back, and pulling the band apart for a split second before controlling the band back into the starting position. Why? It’s all about the “face-pull-apart” when we’re talking about maximal activation and trainability. Those tubular bands with handles on each end aren’t going to cut it. But we need to be a little more selective with the kinds of bands we use for the face pull. ![]() Many athletes don’t have access to cable stacks or machines, so using a band is practical. The further the band gets from where it’s anchored, the more resistance you’ll feel.Bring the band to your face and drive your hands apart.Drive your elbows back with arms staying around shoulder height.Attach the band to something stable like a squat rack at about head height.The banded face pull is one of the most effective tools for building a thick and functional upper back to support shoulder dynamics. Here are five ways to improve the exercise, plus a few game-changing variations for upper back strength and shoulder longevity. And a strong back doesn’t help performance if you’re battling shoulder pain. Healthy shoulders are not a given you have to work for them. ![]() Get your shoulders healthy and your back strong with these tips and variations. The face pull belongs in your training, no matter your goal. ![]()
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