Transfer.: How directly it builds the strength, speed and positions your sport needs.
Injury protection.: How well it guards against the injuries that are common in your sport.
Practicality.: How easy it is to learn and to fit around your sport practice.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose face pull

Staying injury-free is the priority

Good reasons to choose straight-arm pulldown

You want the most direct carry-over to swimming
You want something quick to learn and easy to fit in

Face Pull

Straight-Arm Pulldown

You need

Cable station

Skill

Easy to learn

Type

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Straight-Arm Pulldown. Close to the catch-and-pull motion of freestyle.

Questions

Which is better for swimming, face pull or straight-arm pulldown?

For swimming, straight-arm pulldown rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to swimming, easier to learn and fit in. Face pull does more to prevent injuries. Both are good choices that build different things for swimming, so a plan can use both.

Is face pull or straight-arm pulldown easier to learn?

About the same: both are easy to learn.

Can you do face pull or straight-arm pulldown at home?

Face pull needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Straight-arm pulldown needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.

Which does more to prevent swimming injuries, face pull or straight-arm pulldown?

Face pull: it rates Strong for injury protection in our research rubric, against Good for straight-arm pulldown.

More comparisons

Face Pull Straight-Arm Pulldown Best for swimming

Face Pull vs Straight-Arm Pulldown

For swimming, straight-arm pulldown rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to swimming, easier to learn and fit in.

Face pull does more to prevent injuries.

Both are good choices that build different things for swimming, so a plan can use both.

What these mean

Transfer.: How directly it builds the strength, speed and positions your sport needs.
Injury protection.: How well it guards against the injuries that are common in your sport.
Practicality.: How easy it is to learn and to fit around your sport practice.