Band face pulls and external rotation

Who it's for

Shoulder health for climbers who pull a lot and push almost never. It takes about ten minutes, it's low risk, and it's easy to fit into any week.

That covers nearly every climber, beginners included. If you're newer to climbing, it's a good habit to start before your pulling volume goes up. If a shoulder already hurts, get a physio to look at it before you add anything.

Common mistakes

• Too heavy a band. Light enough that every rep is slow and precise. Heavy bands turn it into a shrug.
• Elbows dropping on the face pulls. Elbows high and wide. Low elbows make it a row.
• Rushing the rotations. Elbow stays pinned at your side, forearm rotates out slowly.
• Doing it once a fortnight. Twice a week, every week, or it does nothing.
• Leaning back. Using your body weight to move the band takes the work off the shoulders. Stand tall and let only the arms move.
• Shoulders creeping up. Keep them down, away from your ears, through every rep of all three exercises.

How to progress

Add a round rather than band strength, then slow the tempo. If you want to load it properly, cable or dumbbell versions of the same movements are the next step, but only once the pattern is clean.

How to make it easier

Use a lighter band, or stand closer to the anchor so there's less tension at the start of each rep. If the rotations feel awkward, do them first with a rolled towel between your elbow and your side to keep the elbow in place. You can also split the three exercises up and practise one at a time until each feels clean.

Where it fits in your week

It fits every training period, light weeks included, because the load is low. Do it as part of your warm-up before climbing, after a session, or on a rest day. Two sessions a week is a sensible minimum.

Questions

How do you do banded face pulls with external rotation?

Attach a light band at face height and pull it toward your face with your elbows high and wide. Then, with your elbow bent 90 degrees at your side, rotate your forearm outward for external rotations. Finish with band pull-aparts at chest height. Do 3 rounds of 12 face pulls, 12 rotations per side and 15 pull-aparts, resting a minute between rounds.

What muscles do banded face pulls with external rotation work?

Banded face pulls with external rotation work the back of the shoulders, the upper back between the shoulder blades and the rotator cuff. Those muscles hold the shoulder in place and turn the arm outward. Climbing trains the opposite direction all the time, pulling down and turning the arms in, so this work helps keep the shoulders balanced.

How often should climbers do face pulls?

Climbers should do face pulls at least twice a week, every week. The band is light, so they don't need much recovery and fit easily around climbing days. What matters most is doing them regularly over months. Three rounds take about ten minutes, so it's easy to add to a warm-up or a rest day.

Should you do face pulls before or after climbing?

You can do face pulls before or after climbing. Before, they work well as part of a warm-up because the band is light and they get the shoulders moving. After, they're a quick way to finish a session. On a rest day they work well on their own. Pick whichever you'll actually stick to.