Cable Seated Rope Face Pull

How to do it

1. Set the pulley above head height and attach a rope, then sit on a bench facing the cable stack.
2. Grip the rope with palms facing each other and arms extended forward at eye level with cable tension.
3. Sit tall with feet planted, brace your core, and start with no slack in the cable.
4. Pull the rope toward your forehead with elbows flaring wide and high, leading with the upper arms.
5. Separate the rope ends and squeeze the rear delts and upper back hard at the end of the pull.
6. Slowly let the rope travel back to the start over 2 seconds and repeat for 12 to 20 reps.

Common mistakes

• Pulling the rope toward the chin or chest, which turns the lift into a row.
• Letting the elbows drop, swapping rear-delt work for biceps engagement.
• Rounding the upper back as you pull, hiding the mid-back contraction.
• Loading too heavy and shrugging the traps up, hiding the rear delts under upper-trap dominance.