If you want to build strong, healthy shoulders and improve your posture, learning how to do face pulls with dumbbells is a great move to add. This exercise targets the often-neglected muscles in your upper back and rear deltoids.
While often done with a cable machine, the dumbbell version is perfect for home gyms or when your gym is busy. It’s simpler than it looks and offers fantastic benefits for shoulder health and posture.
How To Do Face Pulls With Dumbbells
The classic dumbbell face pull is performed lying face down on an incline bench. This position helps isolate the correct muscles and prevents you from using momentum.
You’ll need an adjustable bench and a light to moderate pair of dumbbells. Starting light is key to mastering the form.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set an incline bench to a 30-45 degree angle. Grab two light dumbbells and lie chest-down on the bench. Let your arms hang straight down toward the floor, palms facing each other. This is your starting position.
- Engage your core and keep your head in a neutral line with your spine. Don’t let it sag.
- Initiate the movement by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Then, bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells up and back toward your temples. Your elbows should go high and wide.
- At the top of the movement, your thumbs should be near your ears. Focus on squeezing your rear delts and upper back muscles hard for a second.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position with control. That’s one rep.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with a simple exercise, it’s easy to make errors. Watch out for these common issues.
- Using Too Much Weight: This is the biggest mistake. Heavy weight leads to poor form and turns the exercise into a row. You want a light weight for high reps.
- Shrugging Your Shoulders: Keep your shoulders down away from your ears throughout the entire movement. Think “long neck.”
- Pulling to Your Chest: You are not rowing. The path is up and back toward your face, not into your ribcage.
- Using Momentum: Avoid yanking the weights up. The movement should be slow and controlled, driven entirely by your back and shoulder muscles.
Why This Exercise Is So Valuable
Most people focus too much on the “mirror muscles” like the chest and front delts. This can create muscle imbalances.
Face pulls correct this by strengthening the opposing muscles. Here are the main benefits you’ll get.
- Improved Posture: They directly combat the hunched-forward “desk posture” by strengthening the upper back.
- Shoulder Health and Injury Prevention: Strong rear delts and rotator cuff muscles stabilize the shoulder joint, reducing pain and injury risk.
- Balanced Shoulder Development: They build the back of your shoulders, giving them a fuller, more 3D look.
- Enhanced Mind-Muscle Connection: This exercise teaches you how to activate your upper back muscles effectively.
Muscles Worked
Understanding which muscles your working helps you perform the exercise better. The primary movers are:
- Rear Deltoids: The main muscle on the back of your shoulder.
- Rhomboids: Located between your shoulder blades, they pull your scapulae together.
- Infraspinatus and Teres Minor: These are rotator cuff muscles critical for shoulder stability.
- Mid Trapezius: The middle part of your traps also gets a good workout.
Programming and Sets/Reps
Face pulls are not a powerlifting move. They are a corrective and prehab exercise. Your programming should reflect that.
Add them to the end of your upper body or push workouts. A typical recommendation is 3 sets of 12-20 reps. Use a weight that allows you to complete all reps with perfect form. If your form breaks down, the weight is to heavy.
Variations to Try
Once you’ve mastered the basic version, you can try these variations to keep things challenging.
- Seated Dumbbell Face Pulls: Sit upright on a bench. Lean forward slightly at the hips. Pull the dumbbells to your face same as before. This requires more core stability.
- Standing Bent-Over Face Pulls: Stand with a slight bend in your knees, hinge at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Perform the face pull from here. Great if you don’t have an incline bench.
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Face Pull: Perform the exercise one arm at a time. This can help identify and correct strength imbalances between sides.
Tips for Maximum Effectiveness
To get the most out of every set, keep these tips in mind during your workout.
- Warm Up Your Shoulders: Do some arm circles and band pull-aparts before you start.
- Focus on the Squeeze: The contraction at the top is more important than the weight on the dumbbell.
- Control the Negative: Take 2-3 seconds to lower the weight back down. This increases time under tension.
- Pair with Push Exercises: A great strategy is to superset face pulls with push-ups or bench press. This balances the stress on the shoulder joint immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are answers to some common questions about the dumbbell face pull.
Can I do face pulls with dumbbells instead of a cable?
Absolutely. Dumbbells are a perfectly effective tool for face pulls. The cable offers constant tension, but dumbbells are more accessible for most people at home.
How heavy should the dumbbells be?
Start very light. Many people begin with 5, 8, or 10-pound dumbbells. It’s not an exercise for ego lifting. Proper form with a light weight is far more beneficial.
How often should I do face pulls?
You can perform them 2-3 times per week. Since they use light weight and promote shoulder health, they can be done frequenly. Just listen to your body.
Why do I feel it in my biceps or neck?
Feeling it in your biceps means your probably pulling with your arms instead of initiating with your back. A neck ache means your shrugging. Reduce the weight and focus on form.
Are dumbbell face pulls as good as cable face pulls?
They are highly effective and target the same muscles. The cable might allow for a slightly better contraction at the top for some, but dumbbells are an excellent substitute that still delivers great results.
Adding face pulls to your routine is a smart move for long-term fitness. They might seem small, but their impact on your shoulder health and posture is huge. Remember, the key is consistency and light weight with perfect form. Give them a try for a few weeks and you’ll likely notice a difference in how your shoulders look and feel.