5 of the best cable exercises for lower-body strength

There are no excuses for skipping leg day when your home gym has everything you need.

If you’ve been looking for a cable machine to pump up your lower-body strength training at home, look no further.

The Centr 1 Home Gym is a compact and powerful functional trainer packing a 160lb (73kg) weight stack, frictionless pulleys and radial arms. Available from shop.centr.com and select retailers, it comes with a 3-month digital subscription to Centr – and we’ve got your cable machine leg routines covered, too.

Our 9-week Centr 1 Strong muscle-building program is designed specifically for the Centr 1, with expert splits – including cable machine leg workouts – to help you get total-body results.

We’ve chosen 5 powerful cable leg exercises from the program to kickstart your muscle growth.

More focused on arm gains? Try these upper-body cable machine exercises instead.

The best cable exercises for lower-body strength

Although the Centr 1 design is unique, these exercises can be performed on most cable machines with slight adjustments.

SAFETY NOTE: When performing exercises using the Centr 1, make sure you are standing on the front plate at all times.

1. Cable Romanian deadlift

This lift works the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. It improves posture and your functional hip hinge movement by strengthening the posterior chain.

How to do a cable Romanian deadlift:

1. Adjust the cable pulley to the lowest setting.

2. Standing on the front plate with feet hip distance apart, grip the handles with your palms facing down.

3. Hinge forward at the hips, allowing your arms to extend as the handles retract.

4. Keeping your core engaged and back flat, continue hinging until your torso is parallel to the ground.

5. Pause at the bottom of the movement, then slowly raise your torso back up, pulling the handles toward the top of your thighs as you return to the starting position.

2. Cable good mornings

This move works your posterior chain, including your lower back, glutes and hamstrings, to improve posture. It can also help to develop your core strength and stability.

How to do cable good mornings:

1. Set the radial arms at the lowest position and attach D handles to each side.

2. Stand on the front plate with your feet shoulder width apart.

3. Grip the handles above your shoulders, your palms facing upward, cable outside your arms and elbows up and out at a 45 degree angle.

4. Keeping your chest up and knees soft, push your hips back and hinge forward to lower your torso toward the ground.

5. Pause at the bottom of the movement, then slowly lift your torso by pushing your hips forward, squeezing your glutes as you return to the starting position.

3. Cable standing hip abduction

This move works the gluteus medius muscles at the side of your hips to boost hip stability and flexibility. Strong glutes can also improve your overall posture, balance and propulsive power.

How to do a cable standing hip abduction:

1. Set the radial arms at the lowest position, then attach an ankle strap to the cable machine and secure it around your right ankle.

2. Facing to the side, plant your left foot on the front plate and grip the top bar of the machine with your left hand for balance.

3. With an engaged core and stable hips, lift your right leg out to the side, keeping it straight.

4. Pause at the top of the movement for one second, focusing on squeezing your glutes.

5. Lower your leg back down with control.

6. Avoid leaning toward the cable machine to maintain proper balance.

7. After completing a full set of hip abductions on your right side, switch to work your left.

4. Cable alternating forward lunges

With the added resistance of the cable machine, these lunges work the glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves to improve balance, coordination and flexibility. You’ll also be boosting overall leg strength.

How to do cable alternating forward lunges:

1. Set the radial arms at the lowest position and attach D handles to each side.

2. Facing away from the machine, stand on the front plate with a handle in each hand, arms fully extended at your sides.

3. Step forward with your left leg, dropping your rear knee toward the floor.

4. As you lunge forward, keep your torso upright and your front knee in line with your toes.

5. Push through your front foot to drive back up to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.

5. Cable calf raise

This move works the two main calf muscles – the gastrocnemius and soleus. It can also contribute to developing overall lower leg strength and stability, as well as improved ankle mobility.

How to do a cable calf raise:

1. Set the radial arms at the lowest position and attach D handles to each side.

2. Stand on the front plate, facing away from the machine, with feet shoulder width apart, holding the cable handles just above your shoulders.

3. Rise up onto the balls of your feet, squeezing your calves at the top of the movement.

4. With control, lower your heels back down onto the floor.

Why use a cable machine for leg day?

You may be shocked to learn that some muscle builders have very strong opinions when it comes to leg day and free weights versus cable machines. But one isn’t better than the other. We love training with barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells, but cable machines can have big benefits, too.

1. Lock in good form and minimize injury risk

If you’re new to strength training or an older fitness enthusiast, the stability and ease of use offered by cable machines make them a great place to begin your journey.

For starters, they can be a lot less intimidating than free weights. The balance and coordination required on an exercise like a barbell deadlift also means many beginners struggle to hold good form – and this is where the risk of injury creeps in.

The controlled path of a cable provides a stable and predictable resistance, offering a safe space to try out new exercises and learn how your body moves under added weight. This gives your body time to adjust and build a foundation of strength, rather than heading straight for the barbell or dumbbells and putting your knee and ankle joints under immense pressure.

2. Increased range of motion

Compared to training with free weights, a cable machine offers an increased range of motion simply by adjusting the angle of the cable. You can do this by moving around in relation to the machine, or adjusting the cable height.

This helps you get more out of every rep, and really zoom in on muscles you want to target. And while we’re on the subject, cable exercises maintain constant tension on your muscles throughout the entire range of motion, which can lead to greater activation and growth compared to some free-weight exercises.

As cable machines are so easy to adapt to your personal level of fitness, they also make strength training more accessible for anyone with limited mobility or an injury.

3. More efficient training

We just mentioned how easy it is to adjust the angle of the cable when you’re working out. The same goes with adjusting the weight stack on a cable machine – allowing for quick changes in resistance to accommodate different strength levels and types of exercises.

It’s especially quick when compared to loading and unloading plates on a barbell. If you’re regularly changing weights in your workout – for instance, going heavier for a glute exercise and lighter for calf moves – the time saved will add up. And when you only have limited time to work out, every minute counts.

Decided you want to try a new move or stack a few more exercises onto the end of your session? No problems, you can change cable positions and attachments in a flash.

Your cable machine FAQs

Still have questions about training your lower body on a cable machine? We’ve got you covered.

What leg muscles do cable machines work best?

Good news, you can get a comprehensive lower-body workout using only a cable machine. Along with working larger muscle groups like your quads, hamstrings and glutes, you can drill down to work smaller muscles such as your hip flexors and calves.

Compound exercises such as cable deadlifts and squats will also activate your core and back.

Are cable squats effective?

Yes, with a cable squat you’re adding resistance to a classic compound strength move, working your quads, glutes, hamstrings and core, and even engaging your back and biceps.

If you’re new to weight training or don’t have great balance, the cable will act like a counterbalance – helping you to remain upright in the squat position and maintain good form.

If you’ve had trouble with your knee joints, cable squats can help to improve stability by strengthening the muscles around the knees, and strengthening connective tissue within the knee itself.

And if you do want to lift free weights, consider the cable version a gateway exercise: helping you to build up lower-body strength before taking it to the squat rack.

Can you build leg muscles with a cable machine?

Yes you can build strength and add muscle mass by training with a cable machine, but as with free weights, you need to be lifting a weight that challenges you.

Not sure how heavy to go, or whether you should lift the same on a cable machine as you do with a barbell? Jump straight to the next question.

How do you choose weights on a cable machine?

If you’re more used to using free weights, it’s important to know lifting can feel different on a cable machine. So when you’re selecting weight, start by going with how hard the exercises ‘feel’ – you can use the tutorials as a practice run.

For instance, set a weight then do a Romanian deadlift for 8 reps: if you make it through the reps easily with good form, you should increase the weight. If it’s a struggle, drop the weight back.

As you progress, try adding an extra weight plate (or stack) on top of the weight you used the week prior. If you find you can only get through a few reps at this extra weight, do them, then drop your weight back down to last week’s range to complete the set.

Ready to start building total-body strength at home with our exclusive Centr 1 Strong program? The one-of-a-kind Centr 1 Home Gym functional trainer is available at shop.centr.com and select retailers.