Cable Face Pull
The cable face pull is a rope pull from a high pulley toward your face with the elbows high and the hands rotating out. It trains the rear shoulders, with the traps and upper back assisting. It balances heavy pressing work, so put it in most programs as a staple for shoulder health and posture.
Muscles worked
The cable face pull trains the shoulders, with traps, back helping.
Weekly sets for shoulders
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for shoulders, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the cable face pull
- 01Set the pulley at about forehead height and attach a rope with the knots facing you.
- 02Grab the rope with palms facing down or toward each other and step back until your arms are straight.
- 03Stand tall with a staggered stance and a light brace through your midsection.
- 04Pull the rope toward your face, splitting the ends apart and driving your elbows high and wide.
- 05Finish with your hands beside your ears and knuckles turned back, then return the rope slowly.
Coaching cues
- Pull the rope apart, not just back
- Elbows high, hands finish by your ears
- Show your biceps like a double front pose
Common mistakes
- Setting the pulley too low turns it into a row, so place it at forehead height or slightly above.
- Leaning back to move heavy weight hides weak rear delts, so stand upright and use a load you can pause with.
- Keeping the hands together at the finish skips the external rotation, so actively spread the rope ends past your ears.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Hit the top of the range on every set and the next session adds the smallest real jump in weight, rounded to the plates, dumbbells or stack you actually have.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Cable Face Pull alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
Free programs that use it
Ready-made splits from the Swole.fit library. Pick one and the app runs the progression.
- Arm Blaster3 days a week, biceps, triceps, shoulders
- Leg Destroyer3 days a week, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes
- Pump & Circumstance3 days a week, chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps
- Push Power3 days a week, chest, triceps
- Push Pull Legs3 days a week, chest, back, shoulders, quadriceps
- Upper Body Classic3 days a week, chest, back, shoulders
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your cable face pull free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.