Cable Exercises

101 exercises, from popular compound lifts to isolation work. Each one has step-by-step technique, a muscle map and alternatives.

Muscle groups

Chest Back Shoulders Biceps Triceps Abdominals Legs Lats Middle back

Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown

Triceps lateral headTriceps medial head

Triceps Pushdown - Rope Attachment

Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown

Cable

Lower lats

One-Legged Cable Kickback

Cable

Gluteus maximus

Straight-Arm Pulldown

Cable

Upper lats

Alternating Cable Shoulder Press

Vastus lateralisVastus medialisGluteus maximus

Cable Judo Flip

Cable

Obliques

Cable Rope Rear-Delt Rows

Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown

Cable

Upper lats

Incline Cable Chest Press

Cable

Upper chest

Kneeling High Pulley Row

Cable

Upper lats

Kneeling Single-Arm High Pulley Row

Cable

Lower lats

Low Pulley Row To Neck

Pallof Press With Rotation

Seated Cable Shoulder Press

Cable

Anterior deltoid

Seated One-arm Cable Pulley Rows

Standing Cable Chest Press

Standing Cable Wood Chop

Cable

Obliques

Underhand Cable Pulldowns

Wide-Grip Pulldown Behind The Neck

Cable

Upper lats

Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral

Cable

Posterior deltoid

Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends

Cable

Obliques

Cable Hammer Curls - Rope Attachment

Cable Incline Pushdown

Cable

Upper lats

Cable Incline Triceps Extension

Cable

Triceps long head

Cable Internal Rotation

Cable Lying Triceps Extension

Cable

Triceps long head

Cable One Arm Tricep Extension

Cable

Triceps medial headTriceps lateral head

Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension

Cable Seated Lateral Raise

External Rotation with Cable

Cable

Posterior deltoid

Flat Bench Cable Flyes

Kneeling Cable Crunch With Alternating Oblique Twists

Cable

Obliques

Kneeling Cable Triceps Extension

Low Cable Triceps Extension

Lying Close-Grip Bar Curl On High Pulley

Cable

Biceps short head

One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends

Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown

Cable

Triceps medial headTriceps lateral head

Rope Crunch

Cable

Upper abs

Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown

Cable

Upper lats

Seated Two-Arm Palms-Up Low-Pulley Wrist Curl

Cable

Forearm flexors

Single-Arm Cable Crossover

Cable

Lower chest

Standing Biceps Cable Curl

Cable

Biceps short headBiceps long head

Standing Low-Pulley One-Arm Triceps Extension

Cable

Triceps long head

Standing One-Arm Cable Curl

Triceps Overhead Extension with Rope

Cable

Triceps long head

Triceps Pushdown - V-Bar Attachment

Cable Rope Lat Pulldown

Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

Cable

Lats

One-Arm Standing Cable Row

Cable

Middle back

Seated Cable High Row (V-Bar)

Cable

Upper lats

Single-Arm Incline Cable Press

Cable

Upper chest

Standing Cable V-Bar Row

Cable

Middle back

Cable Behind-The-Back Wrist Curl

Cable

Forearm flexors

Cable Concentration Curl

Cable

Biceps short head

Cable Concentration Triceps Extension

Cable

Triceps lateral head

Cable Crossover Reverse Fly

Cable Overhead Triceps Extension (Straight Bar)

Cable

Triceps long head

Cable Single-Leg Calf Raise

Cable

Medial gastrocnemiusLateral gastrocnemius

Cable Triceps Kickback

Programs with these exercises

4-Day Bodybuilding Split

Four days: chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs, shoulders and abs. More exercises per muscle than a 3-day split.

Intermediate · 4 times a week · Gym Upper/Lower 4-Day Split

Four sessions a week: two upper-body and two lower-body days, one heavy and one higher-rep in each pair.

Intermediate · 4 times a week · Gym 5-Day Body Part Split

Five sessions a week: chest, back, shoulders, legs, arms. Lots of volume for one muscle per session, then a week to recover.

Advanced · 5 times a week · Gym 3-Day Gym Workout Plan for Women

Three sessions a week with a glute and leg focus plus an upper-body day — for strength and a toned look.

Beginner · 3 times a week · Gym