Banded Face Pull: Gym Shorts (How To)

Banded Face Pull Correct Form

Gym Shorts videos provide short video demonstrations of correct form for various exercises.

Follow these steps

• Set up
  • Grasp bands with thumbs toward face & straight arms
  • Move back so band is taut
  • Thumbs up
  • Can use crossover symmetry or similar as well
  • Bands cross
  • Bands should be set higher than the finish position
• Movement
  • Pull band towards face
  • Hold!
  • Start each rep by squeezing your shoulder blades together
  • 1st scapular retraction
  • 2nd finish with hands next to ears & flared elbows
  • Slow, controlled movement
  • Pronate forearms (palms toward ground) as movement finishes
  • Hands finish roughly at ear level

What Is the Banded Face Pull & Why Do It?

This movement is an upper body pulling exercise that uses a single rubber band & squat stand or power rack (or similar vertical object).

As an upper body pulling exercise, this trains the muscles of the upper back & arms to some degree, including the rear deltoids, rhomboids, infraspinatus, teres minor, biceps brachii, and trapezius.

The face pull (non-banded variety) requires a pulley machine, which fewer lifters have & is more expensive than a single rubber band, so more lifters have the ability to perform the banded variety than the normal machine face pull exercise.

Prehab & rehab of the shoulders serves as this movement typical purpose, often performed at the beginning of the workout to warm up the shoulders.

This movement cannot be precisely loaded, but resistance can be increased by increasing the reps, slowing the tempo, or increasing the thickness of the band.

Programming the Banded Face Pull

Lifters of all advancements use this exercise because of its benefits as a warmup, rehab, or prehab exercise. Lifters with bad shoulders can use this to warm up and get blood flowing to their shoulders before pressing or the squat.

Perform this typically at the beginning of the workout, though it can be done at the end as more of a hypertrophy or muscular endurance exercise.

Execute for 2-5 sets of 8 to 20 reps. These may be done for as many reps as possible (AMRAPs).

Click HERE to learn more about how to use bands and HERE to see our video on the banded triceps push down.