Alternatives · Traps
8 Face Pull Alternatives for Dumbbells, Bands and Machines
A face pull needs a cable and a rope, and not every gym or garage has both. These eight swaps cover its three jobs — rear delts, lower traps and turning the arms out — with bands, dumbbells, machines or bodyweight.
The short answer
The Banded Face Pull is the best Face Pull alternative without a cable: the same movement, anchored to anything solid at eye level. In a gym, the Reverse Pec Deck isolates the rear delts when the cable stack is busy. With dumbbells only, the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise covers the rear delts and infraspinatus, and the Prone Y Raise handles the lower traps with no equipment.
The best Face Pull alternative for your situation
| No equipment | Prone Y Raise |
|---|---|
| With a resistance band | Banded Face Pull or Band Pull-Apart |
| With dumbbells | Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise |
| On a cable stack | Cable Rear Delt Fly |
| On a machine | Reverse Pec Deck |
| For beginners | Reverse Snow Angel |
| For heavier loading | Chest Supported Row |
What a Face Pull alternative has to replace
The Face Pull does three things at once. Pulling a rope toward your eyes with the elbows high works the rear delts, drawing the shoulder blades together and down brings in the lower traps, and turning the hands back at the finish loads the infraspinatus. The cable keeps tension even from the first inch to the last, which is why it is usually run light for 12 to 20 reps rather than heavy.
Few single exercises cover all three jobs, so most substitutes keep two and let one go. A fly, whether on a machine or with dumbbells, keeps the rear delts and some infraspinatus but drops most of the lower-trap work. A prone raise keeps the lower traps but carries little load. What matters most is holding the elbows at shoulder height and the load light; swap in something that lets the elbows drop and it becomes a row.
8 Face Pull alternatives, best first
1. Banded Face Pull
The Banded Face Pull is the only swap that keeps every part of the movement: elbows high, hands split past your ears, and the arms turning out at the end. What changes is where the effort sits. The first half of each rep is nearly free, and the last few inches carry almost all of it. It suits home training and gyms without a free cable station.
Swapping it in: Loop the band at eye level, step back until it is taut at arm’s length, and do 3 sets of 20. Hold the finish for two seconds to load the end range.
2. Reverse Pec Deck
The Reverse Pec Deck is the gym option when the cable stack is taken. It keeps the rear delt sweep and adds the rhomboids, with a pad under your chest and a stack you can load in small steps. What it drops is the lower-trap work and the outward turn of the arms at the finish. It suits lifters who mainly used face pulls as rear delt volume.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 12 to 15, holding each rep level with the shoulders for a beat. Follow it with a set of Prone Y Raises to cover the lower traps the machine leaves out.
3. Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
The best face pull alternative with dumbbells. Hinged over, you lift the dumbbells out to the sides with the little finger leading, and that small turn of the hand brings the infraspinatus into the rep the way the rope finish does. The rear delts do the lifting. It loses the lower traps and depends on you holding the hinge, which suits home lifters with very light dumbbells.
Swapping it in: Take 3 sets of 12 to 15, pausing briefly at the top of each rep. On the final rep of every set, hold the top position for a full five seconds.
4. Band Pull-Apart
The Band Pull-Apart keeps the shoulder-blade squeeze and the hardest-at-the-finish feel, but pulls the hands apart at chest height rather than toward the face. The rear delts, rhomboids and lower traps all work, while the outward arm rotation is mostly lost. It needs only a light band and no anchor, which makes it the easiest swap for home, travel or filling time between sets.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 20 with your palms facing up, which turns the arms out slightly and brings back a little of the rotation the Face Pull has.
5. Cable Rear Delt Fly
If the cable station is free but there is no rope attachment, the Cable Rear Delt Fly uses the same stack with nothing but the cable ends in your hands. Tension stays constant just as it does on the rope, but your arms stay straight, so the rear delts do nearly everything and you need a lighter pin. It suits lifters whose face pulls were mostly about rear delt size.
Swapping it in: Set the pulleys at shoulder height and use a pin or two lighter than your face pull weight. Do 3 sets of 12 to 15, turning your palms forward at the end.
6. Prone Y Raise
The Prone Y Raise is the no-equipment way to keep the part most other swaps lose: the lower traps. Lying face down with thumbs up, you raise straight arms into a Y, drawing the shoulder blades down and back. The rear delts help but get less load than on a cable. It suits home training and anyone whose face pulls kept turning into shrugs.
Swapping it in: Run 3 sets of 12, pausing two seconds at the top of each rep. Once bodyweight feels easy, lie on an incline bench and hold the lightest plates you have.
7. Chest Supported Row
For heavier loading of the same muscles, the Chest Supported Row with a wide, elbows-out pull is the nearest option. The rhomboids, lower traps and rear delts all appear in its muscle list, and a bent-arm row accepts a much heavier load than a rope ever will. You give up the end-range arm rotation. It suits intermediate lifters folding upper-back size work into fewer exercises.
Swapping it in: Pull toward the upper chest with the elbows at shoulder height for 3 sets of 10. Keep a lighter band or fly later in the session for the rotation.
8. Reverse Snow Angel
The Reverse Snow Angel is the gentlest option here, and it touches all three face pull muscles in one slow sweep. Face down, arms hovering, you move them from your hips to overhead and back, so the lower traps, rhomboids and rear delts each take a turn. There is no external load, so it suits beginners, warm-ups before rows, and days with no equipment at all.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 8 slow sweeps, five seconds each way, with your arms never touching the floor. Once that is easy, move on to the Prone Y Raise.
Illustrations adapted from Everkinetic via workout-guide, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.
Side by side
| Exercise | Equipment | Where | Level | Muscles shared with the Face Pull |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face Pull (original) | Cable | Gym | Beginner | Infraspinatus, Rear Delts, Lower Traps |
| Banded Face Pull | Resistance Band | Home or gym | Beginner | 3 of 3: Infraspinatus, Rear Delts, Lower Traps |
| Reverse Pec Deck | Machine | Gym | Beginner | 1 of 3: Rear Delts |
| Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 3: Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Band Pull-Apart | Resistance Band | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 3: Rear Delts, Lower Traps |
| Cable Rear Delt Fly | Cable | Gym | Intermediate | 2 of 3: Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Prone Y Raise | Bodyweight | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 3: Lower Traps, Rear Delts |
| Chest Supported Row | Machine | Gym | Beginner | 2 of 3: Lower Traps, Rear Delts |
| Reverse Snow Angel | Bodyweight | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 3: Lower Traps, Rear Delts |
How to choose
Decide which part of the face pull you care about most. If it is the rear delts, the Reverse Pec Deck, Cable Rear Delt Fly or Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise isolates them. If it is the lower traps, the Prone Y Raise does that job better than any fly. If you want all of it, the Banded Face Pull is the only full match.
- No cable, have a band: Banded Face Pull, then Band Pull-Apart for volume.
- Dumbbells only: Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise plus Prone Y Raise.
- Gym, cable taken: Reverse Pec Deck.
- Heavier loading: Chest Supported Row, elbows high.
- Beginner or no equipment: Reverse Snow Angel, then Prone Y Raise.
BackMaxx scores the Traps and Rear Delts zones separately, so you can see which part of the face pull matters more for you.
Full Face Pull guide: form, muscles worked and mistakes →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best face pull alternative with dumbbells?
The Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise is the best dumbbell swap. Hinge over, lead with the little finger, and raise light dumbbells out to the sides until your arms reach the level of your back. That covers the rear delts and infraspinatus. Add a set of Prone Y Raises afterward, holding very light dumbbells if you like, to cover the lower traps the raise misses.
What can I do instead of face pulls at home?
The Banded Face Pull is the direct home replacement: loop a band around a post or railing at eye level and pull exactly as you would on a cable. Without a band, the Prone Y Raise and Reverse Snow Angel train the lower traps and rear delts from the floor. The Band Pull-Apart is the easiest option if your band cannot be anchored.
What is a face pull alternative with no cable in the gym?
The Reverse Pec Deck is the best gym alternative when no cable is free. It isolates the rear delts with your chest against a pad and adds the rhomboids. For heavier work on the same muscles, use the Chest Supported Row with your elbows flared to shoulder height. Pair either one with a Prone Y Raise to keep the lower traps trained.
Is the band pull-apart as good as the face pull?
It is close but not identical. The Band Pull-Apart works the rear delts, rhomboids and lower traps with a similar hardest-at-the-end feel, but your hands move apart at chest height instead of toward your face, so most of the outward arm rotation is lost. It is better as high-rep volume than as a full replacement, and it needs no anchor point.
Which of these does your back actually need?
BackMaxx scores your traps and the five other back zones from one photo, then builds each session around whichever one is furthest behind.
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