Gym equipment

Cable machine exercises

Constant tension through the whole range and any angle of pull you want. The best isolation tool in a commercial gym.

What this kit can actually load

36MOVEMENTS

Covering 13 muscle groups as prime movers and 5 of the 9 movement patterns, and the gaps are named further down rather than glossed over.

ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.COVERAGE COUNTED FROM PRIME MOVERS ONLY.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026

How the cable machine list is built

Start from the joint action, not the sensation. A muscle is credited when the action it produces is the one being resisted.
Credit exactly one role per exercise: prime mover, or synergist and stabiliser. Nothing is listed twice.
Rank by technical demand on a 1–5 scale — how much practice the movement needs to be done safely, not how hard the set feels.
Credit a movement to a piece of kit only when that kit supplies the resistance — a bench you lie on is not the load.
Attach the published MET category so the energy figure on every card traces back to the same table.

The attribution rules in full →

ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.ATTRIBUTION BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026

All 36 cable machine movements

Exercises using cable machine, easiest first.REVIEWED · JUL 2026
Exercise	Primary muscle	Pattern	Level
Cable Curl	Biceps	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable External Rotation	Rotator cuff	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Glute Kickback	Glutes	Hinge	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Pull-Through	Glutes	Hinge	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Shrug	Trapezius	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Side Bend	Obliques	Rotation	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Triceps Kickback	ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Triceps Pushdown	ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Rope Hammer Curl	Biceps	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Rope Triceps Pushdown	ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Seated Cable Row	Upper back	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Crunch	Abs	Brace	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Face Pull	Rear deltoid	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Fly	Chest	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Front Raise	ಮುಂಭಾಗದ ಡೆಲ್ಟಾಯ್ಡ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Hip Abduction	Glutes	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Lateral Raise	Side deltoid	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Rear Delt Fly	Rear deltoid	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Upright Row	Side deltoid	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
High-to-Low Cable Fly	Chest	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Low-to-High Cable Fly	Chest	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension	ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Pallof Press	Obliques	Rotation	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Seated Cable Twist	Obliques	Rotation	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Single-Arm Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Straight-Arm Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row	Upper back	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Cable Woodchop	Obliques	Rotation	ಮಧ್ಯಮ
Half-Kneeling Pallof Press	Obliques	Rotation	ಮಧ್ಯಮ
Leaning Cable Lateral Raise	Side deltoid	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಮಧ್ಯಮ
Low-to-High Cable Chop	Obliques	Rotation	ಮಧ್ಯಮ
Single-Arm Cable Fly	Chest	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಮಧ್ಯಮ

Muscles you can cover with cable machine

Chest 4 ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್ 6 Upper back 2 Trapezius 1 ಮುಂಭಾಗದ ಡೆಲ್ಟಾಯ್ಡ್ 1 Side deltoid 3 Rear deltoid 2 Biceps 2 ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್ 4 Glutes 3 Abs 1 Obliques 6 Rotator cuff 1

Not covered: forearms, ಕ್ವಾಡ್ರಿಸೆಪ್ಸ್, ಹ್ಯಾಮ್‌ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್‌ಗಳು, ಮೀನಖಂಡ, ಕೆಳ ಬೆನ್ನು, adductors, ಸೊಂಟದ ಫ್ಲೆಕ್ಸರ್‌ಗಳು. That is the honest gap — fill it with another implement or with bodyweight work.

Programmes that run on this alone

Push Pull Legs (PPL)Full gym · 3 days a week (one cycle) or 6 days a week (two cycles). Both work; the six-day version needs the recovery to match.Upper / Lower splitFull gym · 4 days a week — upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest, rest.Full-body, 3 days a weekFull gym · 3 non-consecutive days — Monday, Wednesday, Friday or equivalent.Beginner gym plan (first 8 weeks)Full gym — machines and dumbbells · 3 days a week, with at least one rest day between sessions.Bro split (one muscle a day)Full gym · 5 days a week.

Other equipment

Barbell 54 ಡಂಬೆಲ್‌ಗಳು 68 Kettlebell 17 Machine 42 Smith machine 8 Resistance band 31 Bodyweight 121Pull-up bar 17 Bench 49 Medicine ball 3 Suspension trainer 5 EZ bar 5 Dip bars 3 Ab wheel 2 Weight plate 11 Box or step 10 Landmine 6

The questions that come up on the floor

What can I train with cable machine?

36 exercises on this site use cable machine, covering 13 muscle groups as prime movers and 5 of the 9 movement patterns. 11 of them are compound movements, which is the number that decides whether a piece of equipment can carry a whole programme on its own.

Is cable machine enough to build muscle?

Yes. With 36 exercises across 13 muscle groups, cable machine covers enough of the body to run a complete programme. Muscle growth responds to effort, load progression and volume — not to which brand of resistance supplied them.

Can I use cable machine at home?

Usually not: this is gym equipment. Every exercise page here lists a home substitute that trains the same prime mover through the same pattern, so nothing on this list is a dead end for a home trainer.

How do I make cable machine exercises harder over time?

Add weight in the smallest increment available whenever you reach the top of the target rep range with clean technique, and keep the range of motion and the tempo identical as the load climbs.

Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the ಮೂಲಗಳು page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.

ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026

The people behind these sites

Follow the build

This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.

Amit Sharma @amitsharmaofficial Instagram

Geeta Patel @geetapatelnz Instagram

Geeta Patel GeetaPatelYoga Facebook

Following changes nothing here — every page stays open, with no account and no wall.