Don’t Fear the Cables

Many people are intimidated by the cable machines in their local gym, so they just do the basic cable curls or triceps rope pushdowns. If you are one of these people you may be missing out on the results you can get from shocking your muscles by working them differently.

Working with cables develops and improves core stability, whole body balance, and muscular balance. Cable work uses functional and dynamic movement patterns, which strengthen key stabilizer muscles around the joints. The resistance provided by the cables is much like that of gravity, making your body work harder to stabilize itself; something that we can’t always get from weights.

Mix some of these moves into you current routine, or try an entire workout using only the cable machine. As always, if you are not familiar with the exercise or the equipment, have a local trainer at the gym show you how to perform the move correctly.

Standing Chest Press

This move hits the pecs, anterior deltoid, and triceps; secondary muscles worked are obliques, transverse abs, and leg muscles. Make it harder by doing single arm chest presses.

Overhead Triceps Extension (one of my fave’s)

Targets long head and middle head; it also works the core

High Cable Bicep Curl

Focuses more on the short head of the bicep, which is the large bicep area; use a lighter weight for the move.

Cable Deadlifts

Targets Quads; secondary muscles worked are forearms, glutes and hamstrings

Bent Over Low Pulley Side Lateral Raise

Targets Shoulders; secondary muscles worked are lower back, middle back and traps.

Wood Chop

Targets Abs; secondary muscles worked are shoulders and stabilizer muscles.