The Cable Bar Face Pull is a beginner-friendly cable strength exercise that targets the shoulders. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesShoulders
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentCable
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Cable Bar Face Pull
Set the pulley above head height and attach a straight bar, then grip it overhand at shoulder width.
Step back until the cable has tension and stand with feet hip-width apart and a slight forward lean.
Pull the bar toward your forehead with the elbows flaring wide and high, leading with the back of the upper arms.
Squeeze your rear delts and upper back at the end of the pull, keeping your wrists in line with your forearms.
Slowly let the bar travel back to full arm extension over 2 to 3 seconds, keeping the chest tall.
Repeat for 12 to 20 reps, prioritizing the squeeze and elbow path over loading heavy weight.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds the rear delts and upper-back muscles that balance pressing work.
Reinforces healthy shoulder posture for desk workers and lifters alike.
Strengthens the small stabilizers around the shoulder blade for joint health.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Pulling the bar too low toward the chin or chest, which turns the lift into a row and loses the rear-delt focus.
Letting the elbows drop instead of leading high and wide, swapping rear-delt work for biceps engagement.
Leaning back hard to use bodyweight as a counterweight instead of pulling cleanly with the back.
Loading too heavy and shrugging the traps up, hiding the rear delts under upper-trap dominance.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Cable Bar Face Pull, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
