13 Best Exercises You Can Do With a Cable Trainer
Interested in learning about these cable machines for your gym? Just as I showed you some of the best exercises for beginners with kettlebells and TRX-style suspension machines , today I’ll look at some of the best exercises you can do with a cable machine.
These are machines with some kind of handle that is attached to a pulley with a stack of weights on the other end. Many exercise machines are designed this way, but today we will look at multifunctional ones. With these cables you can do anything and are not tied to one specific exercise. You may have one cable or, more commonly, two cables, one for each arm. And you may have the choice to move the pulley up, down, or anywhere in the middle of the vertical track. Ready to see what they can do? Let’s dive in!
One arm row
Cable machines are great for all types of rowing and pulling exercises, and one of the best is the one-arm row for training your lats and biceps. You’ll need to stabilize your body with your core and legs as you swing your arm back, so get into a half-kneeling position. Position the cable so that your hand touches your chest each time you pull the cable back.
Application : pen
Cable position : middle or bottom (approximately level with your hand)
Overhead triceps extension
This exercise works the triceps (the pushing muscles of the arms) and is a good alternative to the skull machine or French press.
Fastening : rope or straight rod.
Cable position : top
Pallof press
In the world of core exercises , the Pallof press is a great example of an anti-rotation movement. It’s not really a press because you’re not pushing the cable away from you. Instead, you move your arms in front of you while the cable tries to pull you to the side.
Application : pen
Cable position : middle
Pulling the cable
It’s a hinged movement, making it a great complement (or alternative) to movements like deadlifts and hip thrusts. This movement is similar in many ways to the Romanian deadlift; you use your glutes and hamstrings to stand up and pull the cable through your legs.
Fastening : rope
Cable position : bottom
Lumberjacks
Another great core exercise, the woodcutter allows the obliques to bend down and out to the sides in a way that dumbbells or medicine balls can’t quite replicate (this is supposed to be an exaggerated version of the motion of chopping wood with an axe). You can do this with the cable at the top, pulling down, or do a “reverse lumberjack” with the cable at the bottom, pulling up.
Application : pen
Cable position : top (or bottom)
Twisting the cable
What’s a day at the gym without biceps curls? For a great superset, get one of the machines with two side-by-side cable pulleys. Set up one cable at the top with a rope for overhead triceps extensions, and the other with an EZ bar at the bottom (wavy) for curls. Alternate them.
Attachment : EZ-curl bar , straight bar or rope.
Cable position : bottom
Crossover or chest press
If your gym has two cable machines facing each other, crossovers are a great way to take advantage of this. (You just have to wait for them both to release at the same time. Good luck.) Pull both cable handles toward each other to perform an exercise a little like a dumbbell lift. Typically the pulleys are at the top for these movements, but they also work in the bottom or middle position.
Fastening : handles.
Cable position : top
Deadlift standing or squatting
Seated cable rows are one of my favorite machines, but they work best when attached to a special bench and footrest. To perform a two-arm row on a regular cable machine, you can either stand with your hips slightly back or squat down completely.
Attachment : V-handle , rope or straight bar.
Cable position : middle
Face pulls
Many lifters recommend this pull exercise to help keep your shoulders and elbows healthy, and it’s also useful if you want to work on your posture. They get their name because—get this—you’re pulling the cable right into your face.
Fastening : rope
Cable position : top
Triceps push-up
We’ve already seen a way to work the triceps by holding your arms above your head, but you can also do a similar exercise by lowering your arms downwards (hence the name).
Fastening : rope or straight rod.
Cable position : top
Zerchers
Some cable machines come with a long, straight rod with holes on both ends. You can attach it to both cables in a pair cable machine. When I first saw it, I tried to do back squats with it, but the cables put so much tension on the bar that it was hard to stabilize, and I hated it. Just recently I tried zerchers instead and really liked them. Hold the barbell on your elbows, squat down and stand up.
You can also do this with a single cable, but unless you’re very small, you may find that the full set doesn’t have enough weight.
Fastening : double-sided straight rod.
Cable location : both cables at the bottom
Lat Straight Arm Row
Most rowing exercises work the biceps in addition to the lats, but here’s one that works the triceps instead. This is similar to a regular lat pull-down (you can use a lat pull-down machine if you prefer), but you keep your arms straight.
Mount : straight rod
Cable position : top
Cable crunch
Tired of doing dozens of crunches without weight? Perform them using a weight machine and you can add weight in low-rep sets. To set this up, kneel down and press the cable against the top of your head with your hands. Squat down and you’ll find that it activates the same muscles as floor crunches.
Fastening : rope
Cable position : top