Equipment
Cable machines give you smooth, adjustable resistance from almost any angle, which makes them ideal for isolation work on the chest, arms, shoulders and core.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
01
A cable machine runs a weight stack through pulleys to a handle, rope or bar. Most let you move the pulley from high to low. Unlike a free weight, which pulls straight down, a cable pulls along its line, so the tension stays on the muscle across more of the movement.
02
Set the pulley so the cable lines up with the direction the muscle works: high for pushdowns and crossovers, low for curls and upward crossovers, mid-height for rows and woodchops. Stand in a stable stance and let the weight stack settle gently between reps. Because loading is quick to change, cables are well suited to drop sets and to finishing a workout after heavier free-weight lifts.
03
Use cables to add angles you can't get from free weights: crossovers for the chest, rope pushdowns for the triceps, rear-delt flyes and cable crunches. Try different attachments to find what feels best on your joints.
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the lats, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the traps.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the triceps.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the lats, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the triceps.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the lats, also working the forearms and biceps.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the abs.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the shoulders, also working the traps and middle back.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the triceps.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the obliques, also working the abs.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the triceps.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the obliques, also working the abs.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the obliques, also working the abs.
Free GymStreak calculators that go with cable machine training.
GymStreak's AI personal trainer builds a workout plan from your goal, schedule and equipment, shows every exercise with an animated demo and logs your sets.
