Face Pulls Everyday Reddit

Why Doing Face Pulls Every Day Actually Works (If You Do It Right)

The idea of doing face pulls everyday, a topic you've likely seen debated on Reddit, is popular for a reason: it can work wonders for your posture and shoulder health. But the secret isn't volume; it's precision. You should perform just 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps with very light weight, treating it as daily maintenance, not a heavy muscle-builder. If you're doing this because your shoulders ache after bench pressing or you're fighting relentless "desk posture," you've found the right exercise. But you've probably also seen people in the gym loading up the stack and yanking the weight with their entire body. That is the exact opposite of what you want to do. The goal here isn't to build massive rear delts. The goal is to wake up the small, neglected external rotators and upper back muscles that have been stretched and weakened from hours of sitting, driving, and pressing. Think of it less like a workout and more like physical therapy you're prescribing for yourself. It's about teaching your shoulders to sit back in their sockets correctly, not about lifting the heaviest weight possible. Doing it every day with heavy weight is a recipe for tendonitis, but doing it every day with light weight and perfect form is one of the best things you can do for your upper body longevity.

The Recovery Math: Why These Muscles Can Handle Daily Work

Your body isn't a single machine; it's a collection of different systems. Trying to squat heavy every day would destroy your joints and central nervous system because you're using large, powerful, fast-twitch muscle fibers that require 48-72 hours to recover. The muscles targeted by a proper face pull-the infraspinatus, teres minor, and posterior deltoids-are different. They contain a higher ratio of slow-twitch, endurance-based fibers. Their job is to stabilize your shoulder joint all day long. They are built for frequent, low-intensity work. This is why they can handle, and even benefit from, daily activation. The number one mistake people make is turning this into a heavy back exercise. When you use too much weight, your larger, stronger muscles (like your traps, rhomboids, and biceps) take over to move the load. This completely defeats the purpose. You end up strengthening the muscles that are already overactive and neglect the small stabilizers you were trying to target in the first place. The key is using a weight so light it feels almost pointless-maybe 15-25 pounds on a cable stack for most men, or 10-15 pounds for most women. The stimulus comes from the perfect execution of the movement and the peak contraction, not from the load itself. It's the difference between brushing your teeth and trying to chew a rock. Both involve your jaw, but only one is sustainable daily maintenance.

Tired of guessing? Track it.

Mofilo tracks food, workouts, and your purpose. Download today.

The 4-Week Protocol to Fix Your "Desk Shoulders"

This isn't about getting a massive pump. This is a deliberate, four-week plan to retrain your posture and bulletproof your shoulders. Stick to the plan, especially the light weights, and you will see a significant change in how you stand, feel, and lift. Forget your ego; this is about mechanics.

Step 1: Find Your "Activation" Weight

Walk over to the cable machine and set the pin to the lightest or second-lightest weight. This will likely be between 10 and 25 pounds. Grab the rope attachment with an overhand grip. Perform a single rep. Did you feel it exclusively in the back of your shoulders? Or did you feel your biceps and traps engage? If you felt anything other than your rear delts and upper back, the weight is too heavy. The goal is to find a load you can pull for 20 reps without your form breaking down for even a second. This weight will feel insultingly light. That is the correct weight. This is the single most important step. Get this wrong, and the entire exercise is a waste of time.

Step 2: Master the 3-Part Form (Pull, Rotate, Squeeze)

Correct face pull form is a three-part movement. Most people only do the first part.

1. Pull: Start the movement by pulling the rope towards your face. Aim the center of the rope towards your nose or forehead. As you pull, think about pulling the handles apart to widen your grip.
2. Rotate: This is the part almost everyone misses. As the rope approaches your face, actively rotate your shoulders so that your knuckles are pointing towards the ceiling or slightly behind you. At the peak of the movement, your hands should be higher than your elbows, and you should look like you're making a double-bicep pose from the back. This external rotation is what targets the rotator cuff stabilizers.
3. Squeeze: At the end position, hold it for a full 2-second count. Actively squeeze your shoulder blades together as if you're trying to pinch a pencil between them. Control the weight on the way back to the starting position; don't just let the stack drop. This slow, controlled eccentric phase is just as important as the pull itself.

Step 3: The Daily 5-Minute Routine

Here is your exact prescription. It will take less than 5 minutes.

• Frequency: 5 to 7 days per week. It's not a big deal if you miss a day, but consistency is key.
• Sets: 2-3 sets.
• Reps: 15-20 reps per set.
• Rest: 45-60 seconds between sets.
• When to do it: On lifting days, perform this routine as part of your warm-up before any upper-body pressing movements. On your off days, do it whenever you have a spare 5 minutes. It's a perfect "movement snack" to break up long periods of sitting.

Step 4: Progression (It's Not About the Weight)

For the first 2-4 weeks, do not add weight. Your progression is measured by feel, not by the number on the weight stack. You progress by improving your mind-muscle connection, achieving a stronger peak contraction, and slowing down the eccentric (return) portion of the rep. After a month of perfect form, you can consider moving up by the smallest increment possible-usually 2.5 or 5 pounds. If your form degrades at all with the new weight, you went too heavy. The real sign of progress isn't lifting 50 pounds; it's the absence of shoulder pain during your bench press and the moment you catch your reflection and notice you're standing taller without even trying.

Week 1 Will Feel Pointless. Here's What's Really Happening.

If you follow the protocol correctly, the first week will feel strange and unproductive. The weight will feel so light that you'll question if it's doing anything at all. This is the most critical phase, where you must trust the process. Here is what you should realistically expect.

• Week 1: You will feel almost nothing during the exercise besides a slight engagement in your upper back. You won't get a pump. You won't be sore. This is normal. What's happening is neurological. Your brain is building a stronger, clearer pathway to those dormant postural muscles. You are teaching your body how to fire the right muscles in the right sequence. By the end of the week, your shoulders might feel a little less "crunchy" or stiff in the morning.
• Weeks 2-3: The mind-muscle connection will click. You'll start to feel a distinct sensation in your rear delts and the space between your shoulder blades. The movement will feel more natural. You'll also start to notice a subconscious change in your posture. You'll find yourself sitting and standing more upright without consciously forcing it. This is the first tangible sign that the neuromuscular re-education is working.
• Month 1 and Beyond: This is where the benefits become undeniable. That nagging pinch in the front of your shoulder when you bench press may start to fade. Your upper back will feel more stable and "locked in" during heavy lifts. When you look at yourself from the side in the mirror, you will see a visible improvement in your shoulder position. At this point, the 5-minute routine is no longer a chore; it's a non-negotiable part of your day because you can feel the difference when you skip it.

You read this far. You're serious.

Track food, workouts, and your purpose with Mofilo. Download today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cable Machine vs. Resistance Bands

A cable machine is superior because it provides consistent tension throughout the entire range of motion. However, a resistance band is an excellent alternative, especially for home workouts or travel. With a band, the tension increases as you stretch it. Anchor the band to a sturdy object at face height and focus on the same form cues: pull, rotate, and squeeze.

The Correct Grip and Rope Attachment

Always use a rope attachment. A straight bar limits your ability to pull the handles apart and externally rotate your shoulders, which is the most important part of the movement. Grip the rope with your palms facing each other (neutral grip) or palms facing down (overhand grip). Both work well. The key is to pull the ends of the rope apart as you pull towards your face.

Face Pulls Before or After a Workout

This exercise is best used in one of two ways: as a low-intensity activation drill during your warm-up on upper body days, or as a restorative finisher at the end of your workout. Doing 2-3 light sets before you bench press can help "wake up" your stabilizers. Doing them on off-days is also highly effective for recovery and postural work.

How Much Weight Is Too Much

The weight is too much if your form breaks down in any way. If you have to jerk the weight with your hips, if your shoulders shrug up towards your ears, or if you feel the exercise more in your biceps and traps than behind your shoulders, you need to lower the weight. For most people, anything over 40-50 pounds turns this from a corrective exercise into a bad ego lift.

Alternatives If You Don't Have a Cable Machine

If you don't have access to a cable or bands, you can get similar benefits from two exercises. First, Band Pull-Aparts, which focus on horizontal abduction and scapular retraction. Second, Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Flyes with light dumbbells (5-15 pounds). With these, focus on keeping your palms facing neutral and squeezing your shoulder blades at the top.