While I generally recommend that the majority of newbie gym-goers spend most of their time learning and mastering the many vital free-weight basic exercises (i.e. Bench Press, Squats, Bent Rows, Deadlifts, etc.), there is still room for the use of cables (and the advantages they provide).
Unlike most BB and DB movements, cables allow for constant tension throughout the range of motion, which is excellent for stimulating gains in muscle mass. Utilizing at least one cable movement per body part will complement the effects of free weights quite well, and provide a well-rounded program for one to grow on. However, while most articles on cable exercises discuss the most commonly utilized ones, I am going to delve into what I call “The Dependable Dozen,” because every time I try them with clients, they never fail to produce amazing results!
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Edgar Artiga / M+F Magazine
Incline Cable Front Raise
Muscle(s) Targeted: Anterior Head of Deltoid; Trapezius
How To: Set an incline bench to somewhere between 45 to 60 degrees and place it a few feet in front of a low cable. Attach a short straight bar, or rope, to the pulley. Grab the bar (or rope) and sit back on incline bench. (Note: You can vary the width of your hands on the bar from narrow to wide. When using the rope, grasp with a “hammer” grip). At the beginning of every rep, the arms should be completely straight with hands held a few inches above the thighs. Moving only at the shoulder joint, slowly raise to a point just over your head, making sure to hold this (contracted) position for one to two seconds before slowly lowering back to the starting position.
Why Do It: This unique angle allows for maximum tension throughout the entire range of motion, which is excellent for shocking the anterior shoulders into growth.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Incline Single Arm Cable Side Lateral
Muscle(s) Targeted: Lateral Head of Deltoid
How To: Set an incline bench to between 35 to 45 degrees and place a few feet in front of a low pulley (fixed with a “D” handle attatchment). Grab the handle and lay sideways on the bench (making sure to find a comfortable position for your legs and non-working arm). Begin with the arm straight, held a few inches above the side of your thigh. Slowly begin to raise your hand, keeping your arm in line with your torso, until the lateral deltoid is maximally contracted. Hold this position for one to two seconds before slowly lowering back to the starting position.
Why Do It: Performing a side lateral at this angle will tap into new motor pool units and exhaust muscle fibers previously untouched by basic laterals. Additionally, the increased tension (produced via a cable) at both the beginning and completion of each rep will force the side delts to work harder than they are used to.
How To: Set an incline bench to approximately 45 degrees and place it (leaning inward toward machine) in front of the seat at a lat pulldown station. Grab a long bar with just wider than shoulder width and sit facing into the bench with your legs/feet back behind you. Starting from a fully stretched position, pull the bar down and inward toward the upper pecs. Make sure to slightly arch the lower back, lead with the elbows (not the hands), and keep the chest up as you forcefully squeeze the shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement. Hold this position for one to two seconds before returning slowly to full stretch.
Why Do It: This unique angle of pull allows for a very powerful contraction of the entire back musculature, which will help you make a better mind to muscle connection. Additionally, by utilizing an incline bench in this manner, there is no chance to use momentum (by leaning back), which increases fiber activation in the target muscles.
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fotostorm / Getty
Incline CG Low Cable Row
Muscles Targeted: Lats (focus on lower lat fibers)
How to: Set an incline bench to anywhere between 30 to 70 degrees (Note: vary angle set to set or workout to workout) and place it (facing inward toward weight stack) a few feet in front of a low pulley. Attach a V-shaped bar (Note: try to find one that is wider than the width of the bench if possible) to the cable. Grasp the bar with palms facing, and carefully make your way back around the incline bench. If you can have a partner or gym-mate hand you the bar, this will of course make it a bit easier to get into position. While remaining standing, with your feet/legs set back behind you, lean your chest into the top of the bench in order to stabilize your torso. Beginning with the lats at full stretch, pull the bar toward your lower abdomen while keeping the elbows close to the body, rib cage high, and lower back slightly arched. Make sure to pull far enough back so the shoulder blades are squeezed together and the entire back is maximally contracted.
Why Do It: Performing a low cable row at this angle will help to build thickness and density into the lower lats, from the outside, right to where they contact the spine. By using the incline bench, you will force yourself to use tighter form than with standard pulley rows, which increases stimulation of the target muscle and its fibers.
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Dustin Snipes / Pavel Ythjall / M+F Magazine
Cable Crossover Mid-Back Squeezes
Muscles Targeted: Rhomboids; Mid-Trapezius; Posterior Head of Deltoid
How To: Place a flat bench in the center between the upper pulleys of a cable crossover station. Grab the (D) handles and sit so that your torso is about a foot or so in front of the pulleys. Leading with the elbows, pull the handles into your sides until your feel your shoulder blades literally touching together behind you. To make the contraction even more intense, try to bring your elbows back slightly behind your torso at the bottom. Hold the squeeze for one to two seconds, while focusing on tensing every muscle in your inner back.
Why Do It: This movement will pump up (and isolate) the mid traps and rhomboids like few others. For competitors it will serve to add an incredible amount of detail and depth to any back pose.
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Edgar Artiga / M+F Magazine
Incline Low Cable Upper Pec Flye
Muscles Targeted: Clavicular (upper) Head of Pectorals
How To: Set an incline bench (set to about 75 degrees) in the middle of an adjustable cable crossover station. Adjust the cables so that when you grab the handles, your upper arms are at about a 70-degree angle to your torso. While standing, lie back onto the incline bench, and grasp the handles with the palms in a flye position. While keeping a slight bend in the elbows begin to adduct the arms across the torso, and slightly upward, so that when the handles meet, they are at approximately nose level. Hold the contraction for one to two seconds – really squeezing and tensing the pecs. Lower slowly and under control until yourpecs are fully stretched at the start position.
Why Do it: This exercise a hybrid of a low cable crossover and incline cable flye. However, it provides a novel stimulus for the chest (especially the upper section – just below the clavicles), because of the unique plane of motion it creates.
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Simon Howard / M+F Magazine
Lat Pulldown Station Curl
Muscles Targeted: Brachialis; Biceps
How To: Attach a short straight bar at a lat pulldown machine. Sit on the bench and secure your legs under the pads. Grab the bar with a shoulder width grip and make sure the arms are straight before beginning each rep. Lean your torso back ever so slightly as you curl the bar down and back behind the head – but do not use momentum. Make sure to flex the biceps hard at the contraction point for one to two seconds before slowly returning to the top.
Why Do It: Because the elbows are up by the ears when performing this movement, the biceps become a less powerful flexor of the forearm. This forces the brachialis, found underneath the biceps, to become more greatly involved, helping to stimulate hypertrophy in this muscle. By increasing the mass of the brachialis, the biceps will be pushed upward, creating the illusion of a higher peak when the arm is flexed.
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Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty
Incline Cable Triceps Push-Outs
Muscles Targeted: Triceps
How To: Place an incline bench set to about 45 degrees a few feet in front of an upper cable pulley. It should be positioned so that when you lie back on it, your head is closer to the weight stack than your feet. Attach the bar or rope of your choice to the cable, switching attachments from set to set or workout to workout. Lay back on the bench and have someone hand you the bar/rope. Bring your elbows down in line with your toros and tuck them into your sides (make sure they remain there throughout the set). Rather than pushing the bar straight downward, you will instead push in a manner that mimics both an extension and pushdown, hence the name of the exercise: push outs. Squeeze to full lockout and hold this position for one second before slowly returning to the top.
Why Do It: Because this is a hybrid of both pushdowns and extensions you will get the best of both worlds and bring about a unique attack on the triceps.
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EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER
Single Arm Concentration Triceps Pushdown
Muscles Targeted: Triceps
How To: Grab the end of an upper pulley, preferably by grasping the rubber stopper that is fastened on the bottom most cables. Bend over at a 90-degree angle to the floor, with legs slightly bent and the non-working elbow resting on your knee. Hold the cable in such a fashion that you will perform the movement with a hammer-type grip. Starting with the triceps at full stretch, slowly extend the elbow until the arm is straight and the triceps is completely contracted. Hold this position for one to two seconds, squeezing forcefully, before returning to the start position.
Why Do It: The unique position of the hand and torso makes this exercise similar to performing a concentration hammer curl for the biceps. This allows for a very strict movement and profoundly powerful contraction, which will increase fiber recruitment and help manifest more growth.
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Ian Spanier and Alex Ardenti
High Cable Incline Curl
Muscles Targeted: Biceps; Brachialis
How To: Set an incline bench to around 45 degrees and place in front of a high cable pulley with a short straight bar attached (Note: a rope can also be used if you wish to do a hammer-type curl). Grab the bar and lie back on the bench. At the beginning of each rep your arms should be straight and angled upward toward the pulley. Without any shoulder or upper arm movement, slowly curl the bar toward the forehead until you make light contact. Hold the peak contraction for one to two seconds, actively flexing the biceps with everything you have in you. Slowly return the bar to the start position.
Why Do It: Because the arms are held out in front of you, this curl will affect the brachilias just as strongly as the biceps, making it a great mass builder. It forces one to use extremely strict technique and allows for a biceps contraction that is second to none.
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Ian Logan
Low Cable Squats
Muscles Targeted: Quads; Glutes
How To: Grasp a short straight bar, or rope, attached to a lower pulley and step back until the weights on the stack are lifted and producing tension. While keeping your arms straight, squat down and back as if you were sitting on a low chair/bench set behind your glutes. Once your thighs are parallel (or just below this point) to the ground, hold this position for one second before using the power of the quads and glutes to slowly push you back the the starting position.
Why Do It: This is an excellent alternative to the basic squat and various squat machines. It has a unique feel, as the tension comes from down and in front of you, rather than from weight placed on your upper back. It is excellent when performed as a superset with the next movement below (#12).
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PeopleImages / Getty
Low Cable Stiff Leg Deadlift
Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings; Glutes
How To: Grasp a short straight bar, or rope, attached to a lower pulley and step back until the weights on the stack are lifted and producing tension. While keeping the knees slightly bent and pushing the glutes back, lower your torso forward until you feel a deep stretch in the hamstrings. Hold this stretched position for one to two seconds before slowly returning to the start position. Once you reach the top, arch the lower back and squeeze your rear end to complete each rep.
Why Do It: Again, this exercise is a great alternative to the traditional Stiff Leg Deadlift with a BB or DB’s. The line of pull is unique, which will increase activation in different sets of motor unit pools in the target muscles. Additionally, the constant tension through the entire range of motion will truly give the hams/glutes a monster pump.
