For swimming
For swimming, cable external rotation rates well ahead on our research criteria: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in.
Both are good choices that work the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Cable External Rotation. Shoulder pain is the most common complaint in competitive swimming.
For functional fitness, cable external rotation and face pull score the same on every criterion, so use whichever is free, or both.
For racket sports, cable external rotation rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to racket sports, more injury protection.
For climbing, cable external rotation rates well ahead on our research criteria: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in.
For swimming, cable external rotation rates well ahead on our research criteria: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in. Both are good choices that work the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Cable external rotation needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Face pull needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Cable external rotation: it rates Excellent for injury protection in our research rubric, against Strong for face pull.