8 of the best upper body exercises you can do on a cable crossover machine. Cable exercises that will tone and strengthen your chest, arms, shoulders, and back. Perfect for beginners all the way up through advanced.
Upper Body Cable Workout
1. High Cable Chest Flys
2. Cable Rear Flys
3. Low Cable Chest Flys
4. Lat Pull Downs
5. Cable Rope Curls
6. Cable Triceps Extensions
7. Overhead Cable Curls
8. Cable Triceps Kickbacks
Keep reading below for complete descriptions and images on how to properly perform these exercises.
Cables are one of my favorite pieces of equipment in the gym.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of free weights including dumbbells and barbells, but the truth of the matter is gravity will always work in one direction. Therefore free weights will always offer their resistance in one direction, and that can be a little limiting.
With cables, on the other hand, you can create different lines of resistance including horizontal and even top-down lines of pull. The result is that you can do a lot of exercises on cables that you simply can’t do with free weights.
Today I wanted to share with you my favorite upper-body cable workout to tone and tighten your chest, shoulders, back, and arms. We’re going to hit all the major muscle groups in your upper body with this one, and it’s happening right now!
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Some questions that I get all the time about cable workouts and exercises include…
SHOULD I USE CABLES OR FREE WEIGHTS?
The answer here is BOTH. The most-effective workouts are those that include a combination of dumbbell, barbell, and cable exercises. The bottom line is each will all add an element that the others are lacking. Start training with cables and free weights and watch your progress soar.
The answer here is BOTH. The most-effective workouts are those that include a combination of dumbbell, barbell, and cable exercises. The bottom line is each will all add an element that the others are lacking. Start training with cables and free weights and watch your progress soar.
ARE CABLES BETTER THAN FREE WEIGHTS?
Not better, but certainly different. Free weights can only offer the resistance of gravity. That means that the resistance will always be straight down towards the floor no matter your position. The line of force on cables, however, can be adjusted to various heights based on the position of the pulley/anchor point. This means you can get some good horizontal, superior (up above) and posterior (from behind) forces that aren’t possible with free weights.
WHAT ARE THE BEST CABLE EXERCISES OR MY CHEST, BACK, ARMS, AND SHOULDERS?
Chest flys and presses, lat pull downs and rows, biceps curls and triceps extensions, and shoulder flys are just a few of the best upper body exercises you can do on a cable machine. Each of these is used in the workout below; keep reading to see how they are to be performed.
Don’t have access to a gym or a cable machine? No worries!
You can create very similar exercises and lines of resistance with some resistance tubing at home!
I love resistance bands. They’re small, lightweight, convenient, and offer a TON of variation to your home workouts.
You can create very similar exercises and lines of resistance with some resistance tubing at home!
I love resistance bands. They’re small, lightweight, convenient, and offer a TON of variation to your home workouts.
Grab your very own set at THIS LINK.
OKAY – LET’S GET ON TO THE WORKOUT
I’ve broken this one up into some awesome supersets.
We’ll work 2 groups of antagonistic (does the opposite motion) muscles in 4 different circuits. This is a great way to minimize rest and maximize your workout.
Your sets should go 1A, 1B three times, and then 2A, 2B three times, all the way up through 4A, 4B. Here we go!
THE WORKOUT
Warmup
5-10 minutes on an elliptical, row machine, or UBE (I prefer to stay away from the treadmill on upper-body day. Find a warm up that will wake up your arm muscles).
Circuit One (Chest and Back)
1A. High Cable Chest Flys
- Put both cables up high (above your shoulders).
- Stand in between them and grab the handles – one in each hand.
- Step forward so the cables pull your arms backwards slightly.
- Use your chest muscles to squeeze the handles together until they touch in front of you.
- Slowly return to starting position.
10 reps
1B. Cable Rear Delt Flys
- Cables stay in the same position, only this time you’ll grab the left handle with your right hand and the right handle with your left hand.
- Use your back muscles and posterior shoulders to pull your hands from this criss-cross position to straight out to your sides.
- You should feel this one between your shoulder blades, the backs of your shoulders, and your triceps.
- Slowly return to starting position.
10 reps
Alternate High Cable Chest Flys and Rear Delt Flys until you’ve completed 3 sets of each exercise.
Circuit Two (Chest and Back)
2A. Low Cable Chest Flys
- Anchor your cables lower and grab the handles.
- Stand upright and a little in front of the cables.
- Squeeze your chest as you bring your hands up in front of your at about shoulder height.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
10 reps
2B. Lat Pull Downs
- Put the long bar on a high cable. From a seated position start with the handle over your head.
- Squeeze your lats (large muscles on the “side of your back”), pull the bar down to your chest.
- Try to squeeze your elbows back behind you.
10 reps
Alternate Low Cable Chest Flys and Lat Pull Downs until you’ve completed 3 sets of each exercise.
Circuit Three (Arms)
3A. Cable Rope Curls
- Attach the rope to a low anchor on the cable machine.
- Stand erect with either end of the rope in both your hands.
- Contract your core to avoid swaying and curl the ends of the rope up to your chest.
- Slowly return to starting position
10 reps
3B. Cable Rope Triceps Extensions
- Leave the rope on the cable, but switch the anchor position to as high as it will go.
- Grab both ends of the rope (one in each hand) and bring your elbows to your sides at a 90 degree bend.
- Extend your elbows by flexing your triceps until your arms are straight. Focus on squeezing through your triceps (the muscle on the back of your upper arm).
- Slowly return to the starting position.
10 reps
Alternate Cable Rope Curls and Cable Triceps Extensions until you’ve completed 3 sets of each exercise.
Circuit Four (Arms)
- Starting position is the same as 1A above – stand between two high cables and grasp one in each hand.
- Now contract your biceps and bend your elbows to bring your clenched fists towards your head.
- Slowly return to starting position.
10 reps
4B. Cable Triceps Kickbacks
- Can be done standing or bent over a bench.
- Bend over at your hips, grasp the handle, and bring your arm up parallel to the floor with a 90 degree bend at your elbow.
- Extend your elbow to straighten your arm by contracting your triceps.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
10 reps
Alternate Overhead Cable Biceps Curls and Cable Triceps Kickbacks until you’ve completed 3 sets of each exercise.
Congratulations!!
You just shredded your way through our Upper Body Cable Crossover Workout!
What did you think? Leave me a comment below to tell me how you liked this one.
Looking for a great cable leg workout? I’ve got you covered there, too! Check out THIS POST for my BEST LEG WORKOUT ON A CABLE MACHINE.
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Make it happen,
Jared