Popular bodybuilder and social media star Jesse James West has an impressive physique, but when it comes to certain exercises like the cable face pull, West had waived his opportunity to get his reps in. Fortunately, Dr Mike Israetel hooked him up with a superior cable technique. Here’s how to try it for yourself.
Dr. Mike Israetel is a competitive bodybuilder, BJJ black belt, and has a PhD in sports science, so when he got in the gym with Jesse James West, he wasted no time in correcting the young upstart’s opinion on a popular exercise. Not one to hold back with his words, West had explained that his opinion of cable face pulls is that they are “trash.”
The RP Strength team member went on to explain that his mixture of actual science and “bro” science had led him to believe that since there was not much of a stretch involved in the execution of the cable face pull, they had little value. But while social media is awash with the significance of the stretch these days, the truth is that there are other elements for hypertrophy. “Yeah, it’s not a great stretch exercise,” concurred Dr Mike. “But it’s an awesome contraction exercise,” he explained, subsequently showing how to increase both the stretch and the effectiveness of the move.
First up, West demonstrated his own cable face pull technique by standing in front of the machine and leaning back at a slight angle before pulling the cable towards his forehead, letting the cable travel back, and then repeating. “See, I do this, I feel nothing. I’m shameful of myself. I cry at night, and I like watching the notebook,” overshared West in his embarrassment. Still, “that was actually really good,” commented Dr Mike of West’s technique. The expert then showed his gym partner how to execute this exercise more effectively.
How To Fix Your Cable Face Pulls
Dr Mike demonstrated how you can try this out for yourself by dropping the cable position to around hip height rather than being more towards chest level. He then advised backing up further from the station “to generate some tension.” This tweak has the effect of adding a greater stretch from the outset. “I want you to take your elbows and I want you to drive them up and back to beyond your ears,” coached Dr Mike. “You’re gonna pause at the top.”
As West crunched at the top of the lift, he felt the added tension on his side delts straight away. “I did not know you could do this back delt crunch,” says West. By switching up your position with these simple hacks, you can get a greater stretch and contraction from your cable face pull, building boulder shoulders and blasting the back at the same time. To get the best possible contraction, concentrate on the lengthening and shortening of the muscles and make a slow and controlled movement to increase that time under tension. Not so trash after all, then!
This terrific tip was part of Jesse James West’s recent YouTube collaboration, where they discuss Dr Mike’s top three exercises for every muscle.
You can watch the entire video below.