Comparison · Rear Delts
Band Pull-Apart vs Face Pull: Straight Arms or Bent Elbows?
Both spread the hands apart at shoulder height to work the back of the shoulders. The band pull-apart does it with long arms against a band held between your hands; the face pull bends the elbows and draws a rope toward your face.
The verdict
The Band Pull-Apart and the Face Pull both train the rear delts and lower traps, but the pull-apart keeps the arms long and gets harder as the band stretches, while the Face Pull bends the elbows toward the ears under steady cable tension and adds the infraspinatus. Pick the Band Pull-Apart for frequent, low-cost volume at home; pick the Face Pull when a cable is available and you want the rotators trained too.
Illustrations adapted from Everkinetic via workout-guide, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.
At a glance
| Aspect | Band Pull-Apart | Face Pull |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Resistance Band | Cable |
| Where | Home or gym | Gym |
| Level | Beginner | Beginner |
| Back zone it leads | Rear Delts | Traps |
| Muscles | Rear Delts, Rhomboids, Lower Traps | Infraspinatus, Rear Delts, Lower Traps |
| Typical work | 3 × 15–20 | 3 × 12–15 |
| Arm shape | Nearly straight, with a soft elbow | Elbows bend and stay level with the shoulders |
| Source of resistance | The band stretched between your own hands | A pulley anchored at face height |
| Tension through the rep | Climbs as the band stretches; peaks at the chest | Even from the first inch to the ears |
| Finish position | Arms spread in a T, band touching the chest | Hands beside the ears, forearms turned up and back |
| Outward rotation | Barely any; the arms stay in one plane | Built into the finish, where the infraspinatus works |
| How you progress | Thicker band, or hands closer on the band | Next pin on the stack, then a finish hold |
| Best rep range | 15 to 20, several days a week | 12 to 15, after the heavy pulls |
What the Band Pull-Apart and Face Pull have in common
Both are standing horizontal pulls in which the upper arms work around shoulder height and the hands separate as the rep closes. The rear delts drive each one, and the lower traps set the shoulder blades back and down at the end. They even feed the same three zones, Rear Delts, Traps and Upper Back, just in a different order: the pull-apart is filed under Rear Delts, the Face Pull under Traps. Neither is a strength lift. Both are rated beginner, both run high reps, and both get cut short by one habit, the shoulders creeping toward the ears as fatigue builds, which shifts the work to the upper traps.
The differences that matter
Long arms against bent elbows. In a Band Pull-Apart the elbows stay almost locked and the hands travel in a wide horizontal arc, from straight in front of the chest out to the sides. That long lever makes a light band feel heavy and leaves the rear delts doing nearly all the moving. The Face Pull shortens the lever: the elbows bend as the rope comes toward your eyes, the upper arms hold at shoulder height, and the hands split to finish beside the ears.
Where tension peaks. A band resists more the further you stretch it, so the opening of a pull-apart is easy and the last few inches, band against the chest and shoulder blades pinched, are the hardest. That is exactly the range where the rhomboids and lower traps do their work. A cable stack weighs the same at every point, so a face pull is loaded from the moment the rope leaves the pulley.
The twist at the end. A face pull finishes with the forearms rotated up and back, and that turn is why the library credits the infraspinatus alongside the rear delts and lower traps. The pull-apart has no equivalent rotation; the arms stay in one flat plane, and the rhomboids take the third slot instead.
Setup and loading. A band fits in a pocket and needs no anchor, because each hand pulls against the other. That makes it easy to do anywhere and often, but loading is coarse: you switch to a thicker band or grip it with the hands closer together. The face pull needs a cable station set at face height and a rope attachment, and in return it gives small, repeatable jumps on the stack.
When to pick the Band Pull-Apart
Choose the Band Pull-Apart when you train at home, travel, or want rear delt work you can repeat on most days without it cutting into recovery. It suits beginners who struggle to feel the back of the shoulder, since the straight-arm arc leaves little else to take over, and the band’s peak tension lands right where the shoulder blades meet. It is also the easiest way to add volume between sets of rows or presses: keep a band by the bench and do 15 to 20 while you rest. When a band gets easy, choke up on it before buying a thicker one.
How to do the Band Pull-Apart →
When to pick the Face Pull
Choose the Face Pull when you have a cable stack and want one movement that covers the rear delts, the lower traps and the outward turn of the upper arm that rows leave out. It is the better pick if you like tracking progress in numbers, since every session has a pin position to beat. Set the pulley at face height, use a rope, and keep the elbows level with your shoulders all the way back. When the cables are busy, the library’s Banded Face Pull copies the same path with a band anchored to a door or post.
Can you do both?
They pair easily, since neither costs much recovery. On a gym pulling day, finish with 3 sets of 12 to 15 Face Pulls, holding each rep for a second beside the ears. Keep the Band Pull-Apart for the other days: 2 or 3 sets of 15 to 20 as a warm-up before pressing, or slotted between bench press sets as filler. Across a week that gives the rear delts steady cable work plus frequent band work that peaks at the squeeze. BackMaxx rates Rear Delts and Traps as separate zones, so a weekly re-scan shows which of the two is still trailing.
Frequently asked questions
Are band pull-aparts as good as face pulls?
For the rear delts, rhomboids and lower traps, yes: band pull-aparts load them hard, especially at the squeeze where the band is stretched furthest. What they miss is the outward rotation at the end of a face pull, which is where the infraspinatus works. If a band is your only equipment, pair pull-aparts with the Banded Face Pull and you cover both jobs.
Do band pull-aparts train external rotation?
Very little. The arms open in a flat arc with no twist, so the work lands on the rear delts, rhomboids and lower traps. The face pull finishes with the forearms turned up and back, and that rotation is what brings in the infraspinatus. To get it with a band, anchor the band at face height and do a Banded Face Pull instead of, or after, your pull-aparts.
How often can you do band pull-aparts?
Most people can do them on most days of the week. The band is light, the muscles involved recover quickly, and nothing about the movement tires the rest of the body. Keep the everyday sets a few reps short of failure, 2 or 3 sets of 15 to 20, and save the hardest sets for two sessions a week. Face pulls need a cable, so they usually stay on gym days.
Which is better for beginners, band pull-aparts or face pulls?
Both are beginner movements, but the Band Pull-Apart asks less of you: grip the band, keep the arms long, and pull until it touches your chest. The Face Pull has more to track, from pulley height to elbow position to the turn at the finish, and a stack set too heavy drags the elbows down into a row. Start with pull-aparts if the back of the shoulder is hard to feel.
Let your back decide
BackMaxx scores six back zones and eight muscles from one photo. If your rear delts is what is behind, it builds the week around it — and picks between movements like these for you.
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