​Healthy Shoulders (Face Pulls and Band Pull Aparts)
Having shoulder issues is very common. It's been estimated that 70% of people will have some shoulder pain during their lifetime. Most people who come to me have had some problems in the past, and often they've made it worse in the gym due to poor program design and poor form.
​Healthy Shoulders (Face Pulls and Band Pull Aparts)
How to keep your shoulders pain free.
These aren't all hard rules that everyone needs to follow, but they can be useful for people experience shoulder pain.
Use good form and don't do grindy reps.
This should be obvious, but it's the number one reason people hurt their shoulders in the gym. I watch people lift and it becomes obvious why their shoulders hurt. Most people have unsafe form on the majority of their exercises.
Common examples are bouncing the bar off their chest when benching, the bar hitting too high on their chest, using too much weight and doing slow and grindy reps where their form changes. All these increase the risk of shoulder injuries. You might get away with it for a while, but it's a matter of time before you hurt yourself if you train with bad form.
This should be obvious, but it's the number one reason people hurt their shoulders in the gym. I watch people lift and it becomes obvious why their shoulders hurt. Most people have unsafe form on the majority of their exercises.
Common examples are bouncing the bar off their chest when benching, the bar hitting too high on their chest, using too much weight and doing slow and grindy reps where their form changes. All these increase the risk of shoulder injuries. You might get away with it for a while, but it's a matter of time before you hurt yourself if you train with bad form.
All reps, even at the end of a hard set, should be done with good form. Stop the set if you
It's a good idea to get a coach if you don't know how to perform exercises safely.
It's a good idea to get a coach if you don't know how to perform exercises safely.
Do mobility work.
You don't need to be super flexible to avoid injury, but if you're super tight it shouldn't be a surprise if you end up hurting yourself. Most people slack off on mobility work as it's not particularly exciting. You don't need to spend much time on it. Just 10 minutes a day can make a massive difference and help you stay injury free.
You don't need to be super flexible to avoid injury, but if you're super tight it shouldn't be a surprise if you end up hurting yourself. Most people slack off on mobility work as it's not particularly exciting. You don't need to spend much time on it. Just 10 minutes a day can make a massive difference and help you stay injury free.
Do more pulling exercises than pushing.
It's important to also train your posterior side of the upper body to help keep your shoulders healthy. A lot of people only focus on the mirror muscles and ignore the muscles at the back they can't see. A good rule for people who have shoulder issues is to do more upper body pulling sets than pushing sets. Up to 1.5-2 sets of pulling for every push set.
Face pulls and band pull aparts are possibly one of the most effective accessory exercises for overall shoulder health and stability. They also will help improve your posture by preventing, or correcting rounded shoulders.
I had shoulder problems all through my twenties. I used to have trouble lifting things over my head, and had pain doing everyday stuff. After years of shoulder problems, it only took 3 months of doing face pulls and band pull aparts to fix it. I've been pain free for many years now.
I still do 100-200 reps of these exercises every day, and nearly every client of mine will have them in their routine. They are very easy to learn and don’t affect your recovery much, so they can easily be added to your routine.
Obviously if you have an injury you should seek medical attention.
Three ways I include them in a routine,
The muscles used during the face pulls and band pull aparts
How to do face pulls
You won't need to go very heavy with these. Despite being a simple exercise, it's rare that they are ever done correctly. The most common mistakes are going too heavy, causing them to have to lean back and use momentum to compete the reps. They end up using different muscle to complete the rep and it defeats the point of doing the exercise. Use a weight that you can do the reps slowly, without leaning back and with a pause.
It's important to also train your posterior side of the upper body to help keep your shoulders healthy. A lot of people only focus on the mirror muscles and ignore the muscles at the back they can't see. A good rule for people who have shoulder issues is to do more upper body pulling sets than pushing sets. Up to 1.5-2 sets of pulling for every push set.
Face pulls and band pull aparts are possibly one of the most effective accessory exercises for overall shoulder health and stability. They also will help improve your posture by preventing, or correcting rounded shoulders.
I had shoulder problems all through my twenties. I used to have trouble lifting things over my head, and had pain doing everyday stuff. After years of shoulder problems, it only took 3 months of doing face pulls and band pull aparts to fix it. I've been pain free for many years now.
I still do 100-200 reps of these exercises every day, and nearly every client of mine will have them in their routine. They are very easy to learn and don’t affect your recovery much, so they can easily be added to your routine.
Obviously if you have an injury you should seek medical attention.
Three ways I include them in a routine,
- As part of your warm up. I always do them before I do any pressing exercises.
- Do them between sets of other exercises. This is a good option as you can get the work in without the workout being longer. It's easy to skip them if you do them at the end of the workout.
- As a finisher at the end of the workout.
The muscles used during the face pulls and band pull aparts
- Rear Deltoids
- Rhomboids
- External Rotators (Infraspinatus and Teres Minor)
How to do face pulls
- Set the anchor high above your head. Use the rope attachment for the cable machine.
- Stand with your feet in either a square or staggered stance. Choose a stance where you feel the most balanced. Squeeze your glutes and core.
- Grab the rope with an underhand grip and with the thumb pointing backward.
- Pull the rope to your eye by pulling your hands back and out. You should end up in a double bicep pose. Don't pull your elbows back leaving your hands out in front. Pull your hands back and out with your elbows. Think about squeezing your shoulders back and together while opening your chest.
- Pause for a second, and return back to the start
You won't need to go very heavy with these. Despite being a simple exercise, it's rare that they are ever done correctly. The most common mistakes are going too heavy, causing them to have to lean back and use momentum to compete the reps. They end up using different muscle to complete the rep and it defeats the point of doing the exercise. Use a weight that you can do the reps slowly, without leaning back and with a pause.
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How to do Band Pull Aparts
- Stand with both hands on the band.
- Contract your abs to prevent back extension as it brings your ribs closer to your pelvis.
- Arms, elbows, and wrists are straight and fully extended straight out in front of you. Hand the band with your palms facing down.
- Protract your shoulder blades so they are reaching forward with your arms.
- With your arms parallel to the floor, slowly pull the band apart by extending your arms to either side of your body.
- When the band hits your chest, hold for 1-2 seconds, and return to the start position.
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