The ring face pull is a bodyweight rear delt exercise performed leaning back from gymnastic rings, pulling the rings to the face with high elbows to train the rear deltoids and upper back. Unlike the cable face pull, the load is your own body weight and you set it by foot position: the further your feet walk forward under the anchor, the more the rear shoulders lift. The free-swinging rings also let the hands rotate outward at the top, so the rotator cuff finishes every rep. Lifters program it as an upper-back accessory after pressing.
What Muscles Does the Ring Face Pull Work?
- Primary: Posterior deltoid (rear shoulder)
- Secondary: Rhomboids, middle trapezius, infraspinatus, teres minor
- Tertiary: Biceps brachii, forearm flexors, rectus abdominis
How Do You Set Up for the Ring Face Pull?
Set the rings at chest height with the straps even. Grip the rings with your palms facing down, step your feet forward under the anchor and lean back until your arms are straight and your body forms a rigid line from heels to head. Set your feet hip-width apart, squeeze your glutes, tuck your ribs and pull your shoulders down away from your ears. Tension starts when the straps are taut.
How Do You Perform the Ring Face Pull?
- Lock your body in a line from heels to head, arms straight, rings level with your shoulders.
- Pull the rings toward your face by driving your elbows out and back at shoulder height, not down toward your ribs.
- Finish with the rings beside your ears, elbows in line with your shoulders and knuckles pointing at the ceiling, which shows your forearms have rotated outward.
- Hold for one count, squeezing your shoulder blades together and down.
- Lower over two counts, letting your arms straighten and your shoulder blades slide apart while your hips stay locked.
- Reach the straight-arm hang with the straps taut and your body still rigid, ready for the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Elbows high and wide: keep your upper arms level with your shoulders through the pull so the rear delt, not the lat, moves you.
- Turn your thumbs back: rotate your hands outward as the rings pass your chin so the rotator cuff finishes the rep.
- Think of pulling your face between the rings rather than the rings to your face.
- Keep your glutes tight so your hips arrive at the top together with your shoulders.
- Let the shoulder blades open fully at the bottom before you pull again.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Standing too upright: your body weight barely loads the rear shoulder and the reps become arm swings; walk your feet forward until the last two reps are hard.
- Dropping the elbows to the ribs: the pull turns into a ring row and the lats take over from the rear delts; keep the elbows at shoulder height.
- Sagging the hips on the way up: the trunk hinges and shortens the range; squeeze the glutes and move as one plank.
- Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears: the upper traps replace the rhomboids and the neck tenses; pull the shoulder blades down as they come together.
- Letting the rings swing wide at the top with the arms nearly straight: the shoulder loads in end-range external rotation against gravity, which strains the cuff; keep the elbows bent and the rings close to the head.
What Are the Best Ring Face Pull Variations?
- Feet-back ring face pull: a more upright body angle lowers the load, for lifters new to rings.
- Feet-elevated ring face pull: feet on a box bring the body horizontal and raise the load.
- Ring face pull to Y: the arms finish overhead in a Y, shifting work to the lower trapezius.
- Single-arm ring face pull: one ring, the free hand on the hip, for a heavy anti-rotation demand.
- Face pull: the cable version, with the load set on the stack instead of by body angle.
How Do You Progress the Ring Face Pull?
- Walk your feet one foot length forward under the anchor once you complete all sets with the rings reaching your ears.
- Build from 8 to 15 reps per set at a fixed foot position before moving your feet.
- Add a fourth set once three sets no longer leave the rear shoulders fatigued.
- Pause two counts at the top, or slow the lowering to three counts, when a lower angle is not available.
How Should You Program the Ring Face Pull?
Place the ring face pull after your pressing or pull-up work as an upper-back accessory, or use it at an upright angle as a shoulder warm-up. Train it two to three times a week for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps with 60 to 90 seconds of rest. Pair it with ashoulderpress so the rear and front of the shoulder get equal work.
