What Do Cable Exercises Do for Your Muscles?

When you’re strength training, you have a variety of weighted implements and machines from which to choose. Most gyms offer cable pulley units, which feature a cord attached to a stack of weighted plates; when you pull on the cable, you lift the weights. The resistance that these cable pulley units offer allows you to develop strength and size in all of your major muscles.

  1. Training with Cables

    • To build strength with cable machines, the machines must provide more resistance than your muscles are used to. For maximum strength development, complete sets of six or fewer reps and use a heavy weight. To build muscular endurance, complete sets of 15 repetitions with a weight that’s heavy enough to make the final reps challenging. Adjust the weight you’re lifting as needed -- as it’s likely to fluctuate between exercises -- by placing the selector pin into the appropriate location within the stack of weights.

    Cable Pulleys

    • Most fitness facilities offer a variety of handles, bars and straps that you can attach to the cables, which allows you to perform a vast array of exercises. The cable pulley machines come in many styles, from single-column units to multi-column pulley machines with arms that move around in all planes. Many units allow you to change the height at which the cable is set.

    Lower Body Cable Exercises

    • To use cable exercises to strengthen your major lower-body muscles, perform the cable squat and cable stiff leg deadlift. For the squat, position a two-armed cable pulley unit with the handles low and set outside your feet. Set your feet hip-width apart and grip each of the pulley handles. Complete your squat reps while holding onto the handles with your arms by your sides. The cable stiff leg deadlift uses the same cable pulley setup. Grip the handles with your arms down by your sides and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your knees primarily straight, but not locked. Extend your hips to return to the standing position.

    Core Cable Exercises

    • To use cables to strengthen or tone your core, complete the lying leg-hip raise and the cable twist. To perform the leg-hip raise, attach cable straps to your ankles and then lie on your back on the floor with your legs straight and feet in front of the pulley. Bring your knees to your chest and then pick your hips up off the floor. Lower your hips back down and extend your legs. For the cable twist, set the pulley unit to shoulder height. Grab the handle with both hands and stand with one shoulder facing the machine. Keeping your arms straight, rotate your torso to face the cable pulley and then rotate away from it. Twist your torso back so you're facing the pulley again and repeat.

    Upper Body Cable Exercises

    • Cable exercises can also develop your upper-body muscles with chest presses and lat pulldowns. For the chest press, use a double pulley unit with the arms set to shoulder height. Grip each handle and face away from the unit. Start with your hands set just outside your chest and then push the handles forward, extending your arms fully. To work your back with the lat pulldown, sit at a lat pulldown cable unit and grip the bar overhead with your hands set wider than your shoulders. Pull the bar to your upper chest and then extend your arms to return the bar to the starting position.