Face pulls with resistance bands
This is a great and important exercise for your overall posture and upper body strength. The key area is the rear deltoids. Doing this exercise (correctly) can reduce shoulder injuries, improve your posture and prevent muscle imbalances from too many chest exercises.
The good thing about this exercise is, that you can do it anywhere. At the gym, using a cable machine, which in general is the preferred method. But also you can do it at home with a resistance band.
There are different ways to perform this exercise, but the important point is to make sure that you don’t limit the amount of rotation you can get. That’s why it is not advisable to use a bar. You should do it with a long double rope. The rope should be enough in length, so you get your arms out wide and get into the external rotation we are looking for, in order to maximize the effects of this exercise.
The height of the rope should be from the same level as your eyesight, to slightly above. But never below. Setting up the rope from low to high is basically performing the Upright row, which is not a good exercise for your shoulders.
Your stance, ideally, should be square, shoulder-width apart. You need to load the proper weight, in order to hold that stance. If you load too heavy, you will be pulled forward, which is a good sign that you need to reduce the weight.
You should grip the rope from below, with thumbs pointing toward your head. It is important for your hands to go (pull) further than your elbows and toward your nose.
Perform the exercise slowly and controlled. Squeeze your fists and hold for 1-2 seconds at the end position, making sure that you get a good contraction.
CHOOSE QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. This is valid for almost every exercise.
Perform 2 to 3 sets with 12 to 15 reps with enough weight to challenge you, but also to maintain proper form. You can do and benefit from this exercise every workout, no matter the workout type. Perform it at the end of your workout, as a posture correction exercise, to strengthen the rear deltoids and to recover shoulder dysfunction.
