Cable Exercises
The cable exercise collection — lat pulldowns, cable rows, cable flyes, push-downs, woodchoppers, and lateral raises. Cable machines provide constant tension throughout the entire range of motion, making them uniquely effective for hypertrophy. This index covers every cable movement with primary muscles and difficulty ratings.
Training Guide
Cable machines pull through a motor-driven stack, which gives them a property free weights cannot match: tension that stays constant through the entire range of motion. At the top of a dumbbell flye gravity goes easy on you; at the top of a cable flye the stack still pulls. That constant tension, plus adjustable angles from floor to overhead, makes cables the precision tool of the gym.
The library's 81-exercise cable family shows the range: Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown and Face Pull for the back and rear delts, Cable Chest Press for pressing with constant load, Cable Crunch for loaded flexion, Cable Seated Lateral Raise for the side delts, and Cable Preacher Curl for strict arm isolation.
How to train with cables: - Set the pulley height deliberately — it decides which part of the arc loads hardest - Move slowly through both halves of the rep; momentum has nowhere to hide against a stack - Judge effort by proximity to failure, not by the number on the stack - Cables pair well after free-weight compounds: constant tension finishes tired muscles cleanly
All Exercises
81 exercises- Alternating Cable Shoulder PressShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Bent Over Low-Pulley Side LateralShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side BendsCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Cable Chest PressChestBeginnerPrimary: Chest
- Cable CrossoverChestBeginnerPrimary: Chest
- Cable CrunchCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Cable DeadliftsLegsBeginnerPrimary: Quads
- Cable Hammer Curls - Rope AttachmentBicepsBeginnerPrimary: Biceps
- Cable Hip AdductionLegsBeginnerPrimary: Quads
- Cable Incline PushdownBackBeginnerPrimary: Lats
- Cable Incline Triceps ExtensionTricepsBeginnerPrimary: Triceps
- Cable Internal RotationShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Cable Iron CrossChestBeginnerPrimary: Chest
- Cable Judo FlipCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Cable Lying Triceps ExtensionTricepsBeginnerPrimary: Triceps
- Cable One Arm Tricep ExtensionTricepsBeginnerPrimary: Triceps
- Cable Preacher CurlBicepsBeginnerPrimary: Biceps
- Cable Rear Delt FlyShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Cable Reverse CrunchCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Cable Rope Overhead Triceps ExtensionTricepsBeginnerPrimary: Triceps
- Cable Rope Rear-Delt RowsShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Cable Russian TwistsCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Cable Seated CrunchCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Cable Seated Lateral RaiseShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Cable Shoulder PressShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Cable ShrugsBackBeginnerPrimary: Traps
- Cable Wrist CurlBicepsBeginnerPrimary: Forearms
- Close-Grip Front Lat PulldownBackBeginnerPrimary: Lats
- Elevated Cable RowsBackIntermediatePrimary: Lats
- External Rotation with CableShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Face PullShouldersIntermediatePrimary: Shoulders
- Flat Bench Cable FlyesChestIntermediatePrimary: Chest
- Front Cable RaiseShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Full Range-Of-Motion Lat PulldownBackIntermediatePrimary: Lats
- High Cable CurlsBicepsIntermediatePrimary: Biceps
- Incline Cable Chest PressChestBeginnerPrimary: Chest
- Incline Cable FlyeChestIntermediatePrimary: Chest
- Kneeling Cable Crunch With Alternating Oblique TwistsCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Kneeling Cable Triceps ExtensionTricepsIntermediatePrimary: Triceps
- Kneeling High Pulley RowBackBeginnerPrimary: Lats
- Kneeling Single-Arm High Pulley RowBackBeginnerPrimary: Lats
- Low Cable CrossoverChestBeginnerPrimary: Chest
- Low Cable Triceps ExtensionTricepsBeginnerPrimary: Triceps
- Low Pulley Row To NeckShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Lying Cable CurlBicepsIntermediatePrimary: Biceps
- Lying Close-Grip Bar Curl On High PulleyBicepsBeginnerPrimary: Biceps
- One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side BendsCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- One-Legged Cable KickbackLegsIntermediatePrimary: Glutes
- One Arm Lat PulldownBackBeginnerPrimary: Lats
- Overhead Cable CurlBicepsIntermediatePrimary: Biceps
- Pallof PressCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Pallof Press With RotationCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Pull ThroughLegsBeginnerPrimary: Glutes
- Reverse Cable CurlBicepsBeginnerPrimary: Biceps
- Reverse Grip Triceps PushdownTricepsBeginnerPrimary: Triceps
- Rope CrunchCoreBeginnerPrimary: Abs
- Rope Straight-Arm PulldownBackBeginnerPrimary: Lats
- Seated Cable RowsBackBeginnerPrimary: Mid Back
- Seated Cable Shoulder PressShouldersBeginnerPrimary: Shoulders
- Seated One-arm Cable Pulley RowsBackIntermediatePrimary: Mid Back
Cable Exercises by Muscle Group
Other Equipment
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cable exercises effective for building muscle?
Yes — muscle grows from mechanical tension, and cables deliver tension continuously through every degree of the rep, including positions where free weights go slack. Studies comparing cable, machine and free-weight training show comparable hypertrophy at matched effort. Where cables truly shine is isolation and the stretched or contracted end-ranges of movements like flyes, raises and pushdowns.
Cables or free weights — which should I use?
Use both, in a sensible order. Free-weight compounds build the strength base: they load heaviest and train stabilization. Cables then add constant-tension volume, precise angles and joint-friendly isolation — especially valuable for rear delts, arms, and finishing movements. A simple split: free weights first in the session while fresh, cable work second while fatigued but precise.
Why do cable exercises feel lighter than they look?
Because there is no inertia: a dumbbell must be accelerated and decelerated, a stack only needs to be pulled steadily. The number on the stack also sits at a different joint-leverage point than a barbell load. Neither means the cable is easy — judge effort the honest way: how close the last reps came to failure. A cable set ending 1–2 reps shy of failure did exactly its job.
What height should I set the cable pulley?
Match the pulley to the resistance profile you want: high setting pulls downward (lat pulldowns, pushdowns, standing crunches), middle setting pulls horizontally (face pulls, chest flyes, rows), low setting pulls upward (lateral raises, curls, upright rows). Moving the pulley changes which part of the movement is hardest — the same attachment at three heights is three different exercises.
Are cables good for beginners?
Excellent, actually. The fixed path removes the balance demand that makes free weights intimidating, the load adjusts in small increments, and the machine cannot fall on you. Beginners can learn pressing, pulling and raising patterns on cables with honest feedback, then transfer the movement vocabulary to free weights. One caution: do not let cables fully replace loaded carries and hinge patterns — those still need free-weight or bodyweight versions.
What are the best cable back exercises?
The pulldown family leads: Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown for width, Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown for a stronger contraction, and One-Arm Lat Pulldown to fix side imbalances. Face Pull earns its place for rear delts and shoulder health, and seated cable rows fill the horizontal pattern. Rotate two or three of them weekly and the cables will carry a serious share of your back volume.
Workout Programs
Ready-made training programs that match this equipment — from beginner to advanced.
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