One of my favourite pieces of equipment to use in the gym are cables. I find them so versatile and have a wide range of choices on how I want to target a specific body part. I don’t think I truly found the importance using them during my workouts until the third year into training. You can target every single body part using the cable machine. By changing the grip and attachment, you can target specific muscles, regardless if they are big or small. If you have a limited amount of time or it’s difficult to get some free weights, head over to the cable machines.
The cable machines provide constant tension on your muscle when you lift and lower the weight. They are a great tool if you are trying to build muscle (hypertrophy), maintain endurance and are good in a strength block. I have always had a cable exercise in my programme for my upper body days, and sometimes my leg days. It does fatigue your muscles faster than dumbbells but it yields faster strength gains. Here are some example exercises that you can do on the cable machine.
Cable Only Back Workouts
When it comes to training back, your grip makes a big difference. It’s important to use a variety of grip positions to emphasise the different muscles targeted in your back as well as to get the most out of your workouts.
Cable Only Bicep Exercises
Your biceps are the muscles that run down the front of your arm. They are made up of two heads: the long head and the short head. To strengthen and build your biceps, you need to be hitting both heads at least 2x a week. All these exercises in this video emphasise one or more heads related to biceps so you can get the most out of your workouts.
Leg Exercises Using Cables
Here are some common mistakes that occur when doing leg workouts on the cable machine:
- Common mistake: Rushing through the movements – the quality of each rep matters. Perform each rep with intent.
- Common mistake: Using your arms for Cable Pull Throughs – Keep your core engaged as you use your hips and glutes to move the cable through.
Cable Only Tricep Workouts
Your triceps are the muscles that run down the back of your arm. They are made up of three heads: the long, the lateral and the medial. To strengthen and build up your triceps, you need to be hitting all three heads at least 2x a week. All these exercises in this video emphasise one or more heads related to triceps so you can get the most out of your workouts.
Shoulder Exercises Using Cables
Your shoulders are made up of three heads: the front, side and rear. To sculpt those pumpkin shoulders, aim to hit all three muscles at least 2x a week. Training with only the cable machine is very versatile. If your gym is busy or you aren’t able to grab a pair of dumbbells, try targeting your shoulders with cables. All the exercises in this video emphasise one or more heads.
You can find all the Cable Only videos on my Instagram and in this guide. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to embed the videos in this post. I hope these tips and explanations on how to maximise your workouts with the cable machines help you understand more about how to target specific muscles correctly. If you would like to see a Dumbbell Only version, I have the whole series saved on Pinterest.
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Until next time,
Folakemi
