Dumbbell Face Pull

Technique

How to perform Dumbbell Face Pull

1. Stand with your feet hip‑width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand using a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Hinge at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, knees softly bent, and let the dumbbells hang straight down beneath your shoulders.
2. Engage your core and pull your shoulder blades slightly back to set your upper back. This is your starting position.
3. Exhale as you pull the dumbbells toward your face, flaring your elbows out to about 90 degrees and externally rotating your shoulders so your thumbs point behind you at the top. Focus on squeezing your rear delts while keeping your wrists neutral.
4. Pause briefly when the dumbbells are level with the sides of your head, maintaining a flat back and avoiding any torso movement.
5. Inhale as you lower the dumbbells under control to the starting position, fully extending your arms without letting the weights swing.
6. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions, keeping the movement smooth and your torso angle fixed throughout.

Programming relevance

Muscles involved

Primary targets: Posterior Deltoid, Infraspinatus, Rhomboid Major, Teres Minor, Trapezius.