Most hypertrophy training programs are built around compound freeweight exercises. There is a firmly held belief that movements like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts are superior for building muscle.
However, the truth is that your muscles cannot differentiate between freeweight, machine, and bodyweight exercises. Rather, they just know tension and work.
Providing you train hard enough, long enough, and often enough, your muscles will grow and get stronger. It doesn’t matter if you lift barbells, kettlebells, or your own body weight. As far as your muscles are concerned, work is work (1).
That’s not to say that the classic freeweight exercises are ineffective. After all, they provide a convenient if low-tech way to overload your muscles. However, they are not the only training tool available for building the body of your dreams.
In this article, we reveal how cable machines can help you reach your hypertrophy goals and provide you with a cable hypertrophy workout to try.
What’s So Great About Cable Machines?
Cable exercises can offer several advantages and benefits over other types of resistance training. These include:
More constant tension on your muscles
When you do freeweight training, the tension on your muscles tends to vary depending on leverage and the angle of your limbs.
For example, squats are hardest when your knees are deeply bent but get easier as your legs straighten. With biceps curls, the tension on your arms is greatest as your elbows approach 90 degrees. This means some parts of your reps are more effective than others.
With most cable machines, the workload is distributed more evenly, and your muscles are kept under more constant tension. This means every rep performed is potentially more effective.
Less joint stress
During many freeweight exercises, you have to support the load on extended joints, which pushes the ends of the bones together. This can cause discomfort and even severe injury. Cable exercises tend not to do this, so they’re often more joint-friendly. You can also modify your chosen exercise based on your unique biomechanics, adding to your workout comfort.
So, if years of heavy freeweight training have given you painful elbows, hips, knees, or shoulders, doing more cable exercises could be a good option.
Hit your muscles from a variety of angles more easily
When it comes to building an aesthetic physique, training angles matter. For example, you must develop your upper, mid, lower, inner, and outer pecs to sculpt the perfect chest. Using cables makes it easy to alter the angle of your limbs and target the muscle fibers you want to develop.
In contrast, doing the same thing with freeweights invariable means using different-angled benches and different grips. Cables make training muscles from a variety of angles much more straightforward.
A safer workout
Building muscle invariably involves training close to failure. For this reason, most freeweight exercises are best performed with a spotter or in a power rack. Even then, you could still find yourself pinned under a heavy weight, possibly getting injured in the process.
Cable exercises are much safer as you are never beneath a weight – heavy or otherwise. Instead, you can just drop the weight if you cannot perform more reps. The worse thing that can happen is you make a big clanging noise.
Perfect for muscle-building drop sets
Drop sets are a bodybuilding technique that allows you to train your muscles beyond failure. You rep out with your chosen weight, and then, on reaching failure, you lower the load by 10-20% and crank out a few more reps. Bodybuilders use drop sets to wring the last bit of energy from their muscles and make their workouts more intense.
Cable machines with selectorized weight stacks are perfect for drop sets. In contrast, drop sets are usually less convenient with barbells as reducing the weight takes too long.
Quicker transitions between exercises
If you like doing supersets, you’ll love training with cables. Supersets involve moving quickly from one exercise to another. Delaying your transition between movements makes supersets less effective. Switching pulleys or changing handles on a cable machine takes no more than a few seconds, so your superset workouts will go more smoothly.
Suitable for all levels of exerciser
Beginner, intermediate, and advanced exercisers can all benefit from training with cables. In contrast, some beginners find freeweight exercises tricky. There are also exercises that are best learned under the tutelage of a trainer or coach because they’re so technical, e.g., power cleans, front squats, and barbell bent-over rows. However, most cable exercises are quite straightforward, so even raw beginners can quickly get to grips with them.
A more functional workout
A functional exercise is a movement that replicates everyday or sporting activities. The best functional exercises are performed standing because that’s how your body usually works in nature.
Most cable exercises can be considered functional as they closely mirror the demands of everyday and athletic activities. However, the same cannot be said about some freeweight exercises.
For example, when was the last time you had to lie on your back and press a heavy weight off your chest? In contrast, standing cable chest presses are much more common, e.g., pushing open a heavy door or shoving an opponent in football.
Cable Hypertrophy Workout Overview
While you could just add a few cable exercises to your current workout, you can also immerse yourself completely in cable training. That way, you can fully experience and appreciate the power of cable exercises.
Here is cable machine hypertrophy training plan to try.
Upper body cable workout
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery |
| 1 | Cable crossover | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 2 | Single-arm cable chest press | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 3 | Straight arm cable pulldown | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 4 | Single-arm cable row | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 5 | Cable lateral raise | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 6 | Single-arm biceps cable curl | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 7 | Cable triceps pushdown | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
Lower body + core cable workout
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery |
| 1 | Cable goblet squat | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 2 | Cable stiff-legged deadlift | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 3 | Cable single-leg extension | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 4 | Cable single-leg curl | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 5 | Cable lunge | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 6 | Kneeling cable crunch | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
| 7 | Cable Paloff press | 3-4 | 12-20 | 60-90 seconds |
This program utilizes an upper body/lower body (and core) split so you can train your major muscle groups one, two, or three-times a week according to your preferences and the time you have available.
Your training frequency options are:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| Option 1 | Upper body | Rest | Rest | Lower body | Rest | Rest | Rest |
| Option 2 | Upper body | Lower body | Rest | Upper body | Lower body | Rest | Rest |
| Option 3 | Upper body | Lower body | Upper
body |
Lower body | Upper body | Lower body | Rest |
Choose the training frequency that best matches your experience and energy levels.
Of course, before you start either of these workouts, you should take a few moments to prepare your muscles and joints for what you are about to ask them to do. Begin with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the body parts you’re going to train.
Read more about warming up for strength training here.
Cable Hypertrophy Workout Exercise Instructions
There are two ways to perform an exercise – the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe, productive, and time efficient. The wrong way increases your risk of injury and is less effective.
Use these instructions to ensure you perform all the exercises in your workouts correctly.
Upper Body Workout
1. Cable crossover
Cable crossovers are an isolation exercise for your chest. Doing this exercise before the following chest pushing exercise will pre-exhaust your pecs and make that second exercise more challenging.
Muscles worked:
Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Steps:
- Set your cables to shoulder height and attach a D-shaped handle to each pulley.
- Grab the handles and stand between the cables with your arms extended to the sides. Use a split stance for balance. Brace your core.
- Keeping your elbows slightly bent but rigid, sweep your arms forward and down so they meet in front of your hips.
- Open your arms, get a stretch in your chest, and repeat.
Tips:
- Move smoothly to keep the tension on the target muscles.
- Pause at the midpoint of each rep to maximize muscle engagement.
- You can also do this exercise horizontally or go from low to high to hit different parts of your chest.
2. Single-arm cable chest press
Most chest exercises work both sides of your pecs at the same time. Unfortunately, this can disguise left-to-right strength imbalances and lead to uneven chest development. Using one arm at a time means you can fix these imbalances and prevent them from happening in the first place.
Muscles worked:
Pectoralis major, triceps, anterior deltoids.
Steps:
- Attach a single D-shaped handle to a cable machine set to chest height.
- Hold the handle in one hand, turn your back on the weight stack, and then adopt a split stance for balance. Brace your core.
- Drive your arm forward at shoulder height.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
- Do the same number of reps with both arms.
Tips:
- Use a neutral or palms-down grip as preferred.
- Push your arm upward to hit your upper chest more, or push downward to work your lower chest if you wish.
- You can train both sides of your chest simultaneously if you have a narrow dual cable machine.
3. Straight arm cable pulldown
Like doing cable crossovers before single-arm chest presses, doing straight-arm pulldowns before single-arm rows will pre-fatigue your lats to make the subsequent exercise more effective. In addition, this sequence of events will help strengthen your mind-muscle connection for a more effective workout.
Muscles worked:
Latissimus dorsi, triceps, posterior deltoid.
Steps:
- Attach a straight bar to a head-high cable machine.
- Hold the handle with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Brace your abs.
- Keeping your arms straight, use your lats to push the bar down to your thighs.
- Raise your arms and repeat.
Tips:
- You can do this exercise on a cable crossover or a lat pulldown machine.
- Pause with the bar lightly touching your legs to maximize muscle engagement.
- Think about leading with your elbows and pulling them down and back to contract your lats as fully as possible.
4. Single-arm cable row
As with single-arm chest presses, single-arm cable rows allow you to train one side of your body at a time. Not only is this an excellent way to ensure both lats are developed equally, but it also provides your core and lower back with a welcome additional workout.
Muscles worked:
Latissimus dorsi, biceps, posterior deltoids.
Steps:
- Attach a single D-shaped handle to a cable machine set to chest height.
- Hold the handle and take 1-2 steps back to tension the cable. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
- Bend your arm and pull the handle into your lower ribs.
- Extend your arm and repeat.
- Do the same number of reps on both sides.
Tips:
- Lead with your elbow and drive it back to fully engage your lats and upper back muscles.
- Experiment with an underhand and neutral grip to see which you prefer.
- Use a staggered stance for extra balance if required.
5. Cable lateral raise
Cable lateral raises target your medial or side deltoid. This is the deltoid head that gives your shoulders their width, contributing to your V-taper. Using cables instead of dumbbells makes this exercise much more effective because it keeps your muscles under tension for longer.
Muscles worked:
Medial deltoids.
Steps:
- Attach a D-shaped handle to a low pulley machine. Stand sideways onto the weight stack and hold the handle in your furthest hand so the cable runs in front of your hips. Brace your core.
- Keeping your elbows slightly bent but rigid, raise your arm to the side until your hand is level with your shoulder.
- Lower your arm and repeat.
- Do the same number of reps on both sides.
Tips:
- Try doing this exercise with the cable behind you to change the feel of the movement.
- Lead with your elbows and not your hands to get more from this exercise.
- You can also do this exercise with both arms at the same time if you wish:
6. Single-arm biceps cable curl
When it comes to building bigger biceps, your range of motion matters. Single-arm biceps cable curls start with your upper arm extended behind you, putting your biceps into a stretched position. This move is the cable equivalent of incline dumbbell curls, which is another renowned arm builder. This exercise is also known as a Bayesian curl.
Muscles worked:
Biceps, forearms.
Steps:
- Attach a D-shaped handle to a low cable pulley. Grab the handle with one hand and turn your back to the weight stack. Take 1-2 steps forward and adopt a split stance for balance. Your arm should be extended slightly behind you.
- Keeping your hips and shoulders square, bend your arm and curl your hand up to your shoulder.
- Extend your arm, getting a stretch in your working biceps, and repeat.
Tips:
- You can also do this exercise with a resistance band.
- Use a neutral hammer grip to emphasize your brachioradialis and brachialis muscles.
- Adjust the height of the pulley to hit your biceps from different angles.
7. Cable triceps pushdown
Cable triceps pushdowns are a classic cable arm exercise. While they’re simple and ideal for beginners, more experienced lifters will benefit from this exercise which is why it features in so many triceps workouts. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Muscles worked:
Triceps.
Steps:
- Attach a straight bar to a high cable pulley. Grip the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
- Pull your upper arms into your sides, brace your core, and set your shoulders down and back.
- Extend your arms and press the bar down to your thighs. Pause for 1-2 seconds.
- Bend your arms as far as you can without letting your upper arms move away from your sides.
- Continue for the specified number of reps.
Tips:
- You can also perform this exercise with a V-shaped bar or a rope handle if preferred.
- Try using an underhand grip for variety.
- Keep your torso uptight to avoid turning this into a pressing exercise. Instead, isolate your triceps, and don’t use your abs and shoulders to push the weight down.
Lower Body Workout
1. Cable goblet squat
Most people do goblet squats with a dumbbell or kettlebell. However, they work just as effectively with a cable machine. As an added advantage, using cables means you can adjust the weight more quickly, making them good for drop sets.
Muscles worked:
Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.
Steps:
- Attach a handle to a low pulley. Hold the handle in front of your chest, just below your chin. Set your shoulders and brace your core.
- Take a small step backward and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward.
- Bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor. Do not round your lower back.
- Stand back up and repeat.
Tips:
- Work your glutes harder by putting a booty band around your knees.
- Hit your quads harder by placing your heels on weight plates.
- Experiment with different bars and handles to see which feels the most comfortable.
2. Cable stiff-legged deadlift
The hamstrings are a biaxial muscle, meaning they cross and affect two joints. As such, you need to do knee flexion AND hip extension exercises to fully develop your hammies. Cable stiff-legged deadlifts are a very effective hip extension exercise working not just your hamstrings but your entire posterior chain.
Muscles worked:
Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, core.
Steps:
- Attach a bar or rope handle to a low pulley.
- Take hold of the handle, stand up, and take 1-2 steps back to tension the cable.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
- Push your butt back and lean forward from your hips, reaching out with your arms. Do not round your lower back.
- Push your hips forward and stand back up, squeezing your butt as you do so.
- Continue for the required number of repetitions.
Tips:
- The further back you stand from the weight stack, the more effective this exercise becomes.
- Experiment with your stance width to see which works best and feels most comfortable.
- You can also do this exercise with just one leg – single-leg cable stiff-legged deadlifts.
3. Cable single-leg extension
While there is nothing inherently wrong with seated leg extensions, they put one of your quads (rectus femoris) in a relaxed position which means they can’t contribute much to the movement. This standing variation hits the rectus femoris much harder, making it a more complete quad-builder.
Muscles worked:
Quadriceps, hip flexors, core.
Steps:
- Put on an ankle strap and attach it to a low cable machine. Turn your back to the weight stack. Take 1-2 steps forward to tension the cable.
- Bend your knee and move your hip backward.
- Next, drive your leg forward and extend your knee against the load.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
- Change legs and do the same number of reps on the opposite side.
Tips:
- Brace your core to stabilize your lumbar spine and hips.
- Hold onto the back of an upright exercise bench for balance.
- For home workouts, you can do this exercise with a resistance band.
4. Cable single-leg curl
While most gyms have seated and prone leg extension machines, standing leg curls are not as common. That’s a shame because the standing leg curl is a superb hamstring exercise. Don’t worry, though; you can replicate this classic old-school hamstring exercise with a cable machine and your trusty ankle strap.
Muscles worked:
Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.
Steps:
- Put a cuff around your ankle and attach it to a low pulley machine. Stand facing the weight stack and use your arms for balance. Shift your weight onto your supporting leg and brace your core.
- Extend your leg backward and simultaneously bend your knee, curling your foot up toward your butt.
- Lower your foot back down and repeat.
Tips:
- You can also do this exercise with a resistance band.
- Make sure you do the same number of reps on both legs.
- Try to keep your calf relaxed to ensure your hamstrings do most of the work during this exercise. The calves also help flex the knee.
5. Cable lunge
Bodyweight and freeweight lunges are great exercises, but you can add an extra dimension to your leg workouts by doing them with a cable machine. Cable lunges force you to work harder to decelerate and accelerate the load, challenging your lower body muscles in a whole new way.
Muscles worked:
Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core.
Steps:
- Attach a D-shaped handle or rope handle to a low pulley.
- Hold the handle with both hands and take 1-2 steps back to tension the cable. Stand tall, brace your abs, and pull your shoulders down and back.
- Take a big step forward, bend your legs, and lower your back knee down to within an inch of the floor.
- Push off your front leg and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Tips:
- Do all your reps on one leg and then switch or use an alternating leg action as preferred.
- You can also do backward cable lunges.
- Try holding the handle with just one hand to increase the stability demands of the exercise and work your core a little more.
6. Kneeling cable crunch
While we can’t guarantee that kneeling cable crunches will give you a six-pack, we can say that this is one of the best exercises for overloading your abs and making them thicker. Get your body fat levels down, and this exercise will give you a great-looking midsection.
Muscles worked:
Rectus abdominus, obliques, hip flexors.
Steps:
- Attach a rope handle to a high cable machine.
- Kneel down and pull the handles down to the front of your shoulders.
- Flex your spine and curl your shoulders down toward your hips.
- Kneel upright and repeat.
Tips:
- Exhale as you bend forward to maximize abs engagement.
- Kneel on a folded mat or foam pad for comfort.
- Try not to flex your hips too much. Most of the movement should come from your spine.
7. Cable Paloff press
Invented by physical therapist John Paloff, the Paloff press is an anti-rotation exercise. As such, you’ll use your abs to stop your body from twisting. This is how your core works during many fitness and general activities, from running to pushing a heavy door open. The Paloff press is a very functional core exercise that will also give you a rock-hard waist.
Muscles worked:
Obliques, rectus abdominus, transverse abdominis.
Steps:
- Set a cable machine to about chest height and attach a D-shaped handle to it. Hold the handle in both hands and stand sideways on. Brace your core and pull your hand into your chest.
- Without twisting either your hips or shoulders, extend your arms out in front of you, keeping them parallel to the floor.
- Pull your hands back into your chest and repeat.
- Change sides and repeat.
Tips:
- Adopt an athletic stance with your knees slightly bent and weight on the balls of your feet for better balance.
- You can also do this exercise in a half or full-kneeling position to reduce the tendency to use your legs.
- Do this exercise with a resistance band if preferred.
Cable Hypertrophy FAQs
Got a question about our cable hypertrophy workout program? No worries because we’ve got the answers!
1. Is this a cutting or bulking program?
You can use this workout plan for cutting or bulking. That’s because it’s your diet that determines whether you gain weight or lose fat. Create a significant calorie surplus to bulk or a calorie deficit to burn fat and cut weight.
Read more about cutting vs. bulking here.
2. Can I change some of the exercises?
You certainly can! However, ensure you are hitting the same muscle groups with your new exercise. For example, you can do lat pulldowns instead of single-arm rows, as both work your upper back. However, doing cable chest presses instead of cable crunches is not a suitable exchange.
3. What weights should I use?
Unfortunately, this is the one question we cannot answer because we don’t know how strong or experienced you are. So, pick weights that take you close to failure in the specified repetition range of 12-20. If you cannot do 12 reps, your chosen weight is too heavy. But if you can do more than 20, it’s too light.
Determining the correct weights will take a little trial and error, but you should have it figured out within a couple of workouts.
However, you also need to challenge your muscles with gradually harder workouts. To do this, you can either use the same weight but do more reps or keep your reps the same and lift more weight.
This is called progressive overload and is the key to building bigger, stronger muscles.
4. What should I do if one of the exercises causes pain?
Effective bodybuilding training is normally uncomfortable, but there is a big difference between exercise-induced discomfort and pain. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong.
If an exercise causes pain, you should stop what you are doing, check your form, and reduce the load. This may be all you need to do to eliminate the hurt.
But, if that pain persists, you may have an injury, and you should stop training and seek medical advice.
In most cases, muscle injuries are treated using PRICE, the acronym for protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Most mild soft tissue injuries heal in a week or so. However, joint injuries can take much longer.
Depending on the nature of your injury, you may be able to train around it. However, it’s usually a bad idea to train through pain, as that just makes matters worse and delays your recovery.
5. Can I use training systems to make this workout harder?
Training systems are recognized methods you can use to push your muscles beyond failure. Popular training systems for bodybuilding include drop sets, partial reps, supersets, and 21s.
If you are familiar with these methods, you are free to use them in conjunction with this workout. However, there is no need to use them all the time, as straight/standard sets, when performed correctly, are usually sufficient to trigger hypertrophy.
More Cable Exercises:
Closing Thoughts
A lot of exercisers reserve the cable machine for isolation and finishing exercises, preferring to use freeweights for the majority of their workouts. While such an approach can work, there is no need to view cable training as supplementary to your main workout.
In fact, you can do all your training on a cable machine if you wish.
Take our cable machine workout for a spin to experience the power of cable machine training for yourself.
References:
- Signorile JF, Rendos NK, Heredia Vargas HH, Alipio TC, Regis RC, Eltoukhy MM, Nargund RS, Romero MA. Differences in Muscle Activation and Kinematics Between Cable-Based and Selectorized Weight Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Feb;31(2):313-322. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001493. PMID: 28129277. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28129277/