Tip The Heavy Seated Face Pull Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness TrainingVideos Tip The Heavy Seated Face Pull For heavier face pulls do them seated from a stable position to really build your upper back Shoot for 6-10 reps by Dr John Rusin July 5, 2017May 13, 2022 Tags Exercise Coaching, Shoulders, Tips Sit Down and Go Heavy The face pull can be loaded in the upper strength and hypertrophy rep ranges. But as you start climbing your way up the weight stack from a standing position, you'll quickly hit a ceiling on the loads you can stabilize without compensating at the torso, hips or lower body. As the weights get heavy, two key mistakes usually happen. First, the lifter leans back and alters the mechanics of the movement. Second, many will split their stance and sit into a rotational moment at the hips and spine, which loads the exercise in a symmetrical way, negating the "pain-free-ness." Sure, some coaches will preach that you should only train loads that you can control from a symmetrical standing position, but why not alter the setup to reap the best of both worlds? This is where the seated face pull comes in. By sitting on a bench or box, you can create better contact points with the ground, mainly from your ass on the bench and your feet on the floor. From this position, you can better stabilize the torso and spine while dialing in the ideal angle of pull that's stable and actively supported by the musculature of the pillar. This position also can create a higher angle to face pull from, which is great for ensuring that the prime movers (scapular muscles) are targeted and the upper traps and neck don't take over. From the seated position, you need to remain highly active by contracting the glutes, adductors, core and shoulders to achieve a perfect position first before you initiate a heavy face pull. From that base, loading into the 6-10 rep range will become a staple upper back builder that's not only effective, but easy on the shoulders too. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Periodization That Works If you're a true musclehead like I am, you've probably read (or heard) a lot about periodization, either from classic textbooks by East-European sports training and weightlifting authorities (including the classic texts by Tudor Bompa), or by researching the subject online. Training Charles Staley May 2 Training The Lost Art of Overhead Pressing Build your shoulders and damn near everything else with these “forgotten” exercises. Here’s how. Bodybuilding, Overhead Press, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Charles Poliquin February 9 Training The 1-6 Principle Like training hard and heavy? You’ll love this classic training plan that uses heavy loads to potentiate the nervous system for great hypertrophy. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Charles Poliquin June 25 Training Tip Machines Have Their Place Sure, free weights are usually best, but don't scoff at machine exercises. Here's why. Bodybuilding, Tips, Training Paul Carter August 28