6 essential cable exercises for your upper-body workout

When every bench, rack and dumbbell at the gym is taken, you might be wondering if you can use a cable machine to get a great upper body workout.

Good news: you can use a cable machine to build your arms, chest, back and shoulders. Cable machine workouts are great for both compound and isolation movements, giving you plenty of variation and control when it comes to effective exercise and targeting specific muscles.

And it’s not just the upper body that can benefit from cable machines. With a large number of attachments and pulleys, cable machines are just as effective on leg day or for working your core as they are on chest day. How’s that for convenience?

Below, we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite upper-body cable machine exercises to build the tricep, bicep, chest, shoulder and back muscles.

How to do a cable row:

1. Set the radial arms at the highest position.

2. Stand on the front plate facing the machine, and grasp the handles in each hand with an overhand grip.

3. Keep one foot on the plate, then step the other foot behind you for balance as you lean back so your arms are fully extended. (You can step either foot back – whichever feels most comfortable and steady.)

4. Keeping your back straight, slowly pull the handles toward your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you pull back.

5. Pause for a moment, then slowly extend your arms back to the starting position.

2. Cable straight-arm lat pulldown

Your latissimus dorsi are the biggest muscles in your upper body. This pulldown will strengthen and sculpt those big muscles, as well as your shoulders, triceps and core muscles. It’s also a great move to improve shoulder stability and posture, while enhancing your upper-body coordination.

How to do a cable straight-arm lat pulldown:

1. Set the radial arms in a high position.

2. Stand on the front plate facing the machine, and grasp the handles in each hand with an overhand grip.

3. Keep one foot on the plate, with a slight bend in your knee, and step the other foot back for balance. Lean slightly forward at the hips and engage your core.

4. Keeping your arms straight, pull the cables from head height down toward your sides by contracting your lat muscles.

5. Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement, then slowly extend your arms upward to return to the starting position.

3. Cable chest press

The classic chest press targets your pectoralis major and minor, as well as your triceps and anterior deltoids, to develop size, strength and definition. It will also give your upper-body pushing power a lift and enhance shoulder stability.

How to do a cable chest press:

1. Set the cable pulleys just below shoulder height.

2. Facing away from the machine, keep one foot on the plate with a slight bend in the knee and step the other leg straight back – as if you were about to perform a lunge. Make sure your feet are planted solidly.

3. Grab the handles with an overhand grip and bring your elbows to a 90 degree angle, level with your shoulders.

4. Press the handles forward, extending your arms fully, bringing your fists together in front of your chest.

5. Squeeze your chest muscles at the top of the movement.

6. Slowly reverse the motion, bringing your hands back to the starting position with control.

4. Cable bicep curl

With good form, you can get the same pump for your biceps and forearm muscles from the cable machine as you would a set of dumbbells. As well as building your biceps, the curl increases grip strength and will help you nail everyday activities that involve pulling.

How to do a cable bicep curl:

1. Set the radial arms at a low position, at around a 45 degree angle from the frame.

2. Stand up tall, facing away from the machine, with one foot on the front plate and the other stepped slightly back for balance.

3. Grab the handles, with your arms fully extended and palms facing forward.

4. Keeping your upper arms stationary and elbows tucked in beside your ribs, slowly curl the handles toward your shoulders.

5. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the curl, then gradually lower the handles back to the starting position with control.

5. Cable tricep pushdown

This exercise targets the triceps at the back of your upper arm to strengthen and tone. As well as pumping up your arm definition, it improves pushing and throwing power to give your sporting performance a lift.

How to do a cable tricep pushdown:

1. Set the radial arms at a high position and attach two D handles (or a rope handle) to one side.

2. Stand on the front plate, your feet around shoulder width apart, facing the cable with the two handles.

3. Take a handle in each fist, arms bent at 90 degrees and elbows tucked in by your sides.

4. Engage your core, then, keeping your upper arms stationary, press the handles down toward your thighs until your arms are fully extended.

5. Pause briefly at the bottom, focusing on feeling the squeeze in your triceps.

6. Slowly return to the starting position with control.

6. Cable chest fly

The tried and tested chest fly primarily targets your pectoralis major and minor, along with your shoulders and triceps. Every rep will be strengthening and shaping your chest, as well as increasing your pressing power.

How to do a cable chest fly:

1. Set the cable pulleys just below shoulder height.

2. Facing away from the machine, keep one foot on the plate with a slight bend in the knee and step the other leg straight back – as if you were about to perform a lunge. Your torso should be leaning forward slightly.

3. Grab the handles with an overhand grip, bringing your arms out to the sides at just below shoulder height.

4. Core engaged and keeping a slight bend in your elbows, slowly bring your hands forward in a bear hug motion – until your fists meet together in front of your chest.

5. Feel the contraction in your chest muscles, then reverse the motion with control to return to the starting position.

Answering your cable machine questions

What workouts can you do on cable machines?
Cable machine workouts are best for strength and muscle building. You really can work your full body using a cable machine – it’s one of the most versatile pieces of workout equipment out there.

How effective are cable exercises?
Cable exercises can be very effective. But like any exercise, your form and choice of weight will determine exactly how effective they are. To build strength and muscle, you need to keep increasing your weight over time. Remember: form is everything.

Can you build muscle with just cables?
You sure can. We’ve even built an entire program – Centr 1 Strong – around cable machine exercises. Remember that you need progressive overload for muscle growth, which means you’ll need to add more weight over time to keep challenging your muscles and clocking gains. As long as you’re sure to increase the weight you’re lifting on the cable machine, you’ll come out on top.

The best cable machines from Centr

Looking for a cable machine that can be used for the entire range of cable exercises? Check out a few great options below, all of which come with a three-month digital subscription to Centr.

The Centr 1 Home Gym Functional Trainer: This powerful, compact functional trainer packs a 160lb (73kg) weight stack, frictionless pulleys and unique radial arms. Whether you’re looking to build, tone, or strengthen, you can perform hundreds of different exercises and access customized workout programs on the Centr app. The setup includes two D-handles, phone/tablet and water-bottle holders and hooks for accessories.