Equipment

Best Cable Machine Exercises

67 exercises you can do with a cable machine. Step-by-step form cues, primary muscles, and difficulty levels from the Sculpt training library.

Overview

About cable machine training

Cable machines provide constant tension throughout the entire range of motion, unlike free weights where gravity creates variable resistance. The adjustable pulley height allows exercises to be loaded from any angle. Cables are especially effective for isolation work (flyes, lateral raises, curls, tricep pushdowns) and for movements where the resistance curve of free weights is a poor match, such as face pulls and cable crossovers.

Training tips

How to train effectively

Adjust the pulley height to match the line of pull for each exercise. Low for upward pulling (curls, upright rows), high for downward pulling (pushdowns, pulldowns), and mid for horizontal movements (flyes, rows).
Use cables for exercises where free weights lose tension at certain points. Cable lateral raises maintain tension at the top, while dumbbell lateral raises lose it.
Try single-arm cable work to address left-right imbalances. The cable stack provides consistent resistance that exposes asymmetries.
Step away from the stack to maintain tension at the start of each rep. Standing too close creates slack in the cable at the bottom.

Common mistakes

What to avoid

Letting the weight stack slam down between reps. Control the return and keep tension on the muscle throughout the set.
Standing too close to the machine on crossovers and flyes. Take a step forward from the cables to create tension in the stretched position.
Using too heavy a weight on isolation movements. Cables are most effective for controlled, moderate-load sets with full range of motion.

67 exercises

Best Cable Machine Exercises

About cable machine training

How to train effectively

What to avoid

Bayesian Cable Curl

Cable Bent-Over Chest Press Single-Arm

Cable Bicep Curls

Cable Biceps Curl

Cable Crossover Lateral Raise

Cable Crossover Single Arm

Cable Crunch

Cable Front Raise Double Arm

Cable Front Raise Single Arm

Cable Goblet Squat

Cable High Curl

Cable Incline Bicep Curl

Cable Incline Chest Press

Cable Kneeling Crunch

Cable Lat Pullover

Cable Mid Chest Fly

Cable Pull Through

Cable Reverse Grip Bar Curl

Cable Rope Hammer Curl

Cable Rope Lat Pulldown

Cable Rope Press Down

Cable Russian Twist

Cable Seated Lat Pull Down Close-Grip

Cable Seated Lat Pull Down Single-Arm

Cable Seated Lat Pull Down Underhand-Grip

Cable Seated Lat Pull Down V-Bar

Cable Seated Preacher Curl

Cable Seated Row

Cable Seated Row Close-Grip

Cable Seated Row Single-Arm

Cable Seated Row Wide-Grip

Cable Shoulder External Rotation

Cable Shrug

Cable Single Arm Lateral Raise

Cable Standing Bicep Curl

Cable Standing Bicep Curl Bayesian

Cable Standing Bicep Curl Bayesian-Single-Arm

Cable Standing Bicep Curl Handles

Cable Standing Bicep Curl Reverse-Grip

Cable Standing Bicep Curl Rope-Supinating

Cable Standing Chest Fly

Cable Standing Chest Fly Low-to-High

Cable Standing Chest Fly Neutral-Angle

Cable Standing Chest Press

Cable Standing Crossover Single-Arm

Cable Standing Curl Straight-Bar

Cable Standing External Rotation

Cable Standing Face Pull

Cable Standing Fly High-to-Low

Cable Standing Front Raise Double-Arm

Cable Standing Front Raise Single-Arm

Cable Standing Hammer Curl Rope-Grip

Cable Standing High Curl

Cable Standing Lateral Raise Crossover

Cable Triceps Pressdown Single Arm

Cable V Bar Lat Pulldown

Close Grip Cable Row

Close Grip Lat Pulldown

High To Low Cable Fly

Incline Bench Cable Chest Press

Low To High Standing Cable Chest Fly

Seated Cable Row

Seated Cable Row Single Arm

Seated Wide Grip Cable Row

Standing Cable Chest Press

Standing Cable Shoulder Press

Triceps Pushdown

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