Free weights versus cable machines is one of the oldest debates in fitness. However, in most cases, it’s not an either-or discussion. You can have your cake and eat it too. That said, what about cable machine-only workouts? Are they a viable way to train? I think so.
Whether you’re a beginner stepping into the gym for the first time or a seasoned vet, the cable machine offers a plethora of exercises to target every muscle group. You can hit your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs with enough tension to stimulate growth. And tension is all that matters. Your muscles don’t care what type of resistance there is as long as it’s heavy.
Having a go-to cable-only workout routine in your back pocket is highly valuable. Unlike traditional bulky machines that can dominate gym space, cable machines are compact and adjustable, making them a perfect fit for home gyms, apartments, or hotel fitness centers. If that is what you have available, this program is right up your alley. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.
Cable Machine Workout Plan
Playing to cable machines’ strengths is essential when performing a cable-only workout program. Cable machines are great at building muscle. So, the workout here is an old-school bodybuilding “bro split” with an arm emphasis. In the program, you will hit each muscle group once a week but train the triceps and biceps twice. What is more fun than that?
Day #1: Chest and Triceps
Cable Chest Press: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
Cable Crossover: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
One Arm Cable Pressaround: 3 sets x 10-12 reps on each side
V-Bar Cable Triceps Pressdown: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Cable Triceps Kickback: 3 sets x 12-15 reps on each side
Day 1 is a classic chest and triceps workout. Set the attachment up for the cable chest press at shoulder height so you can press straight out. This setting will maximize the amount of weight you can press. Depending on your preference, you can set the attachment high or low for the cable crossover. I like doing cable crossovers high to low, ending with the handles at waist height.
The one-arm cable pressaround is a unique exercise that might feel awkward at first. It’s a single-arm variation that combines a fly and a press. The key is to set up at an angle and press around your body past the midline. If done correctly, you will get a nasty chest pump. Finish out the workout with a couple of triceps exercises.
For more ideas for cable chest exercises, read our full article here.
Day #2: Back and Biceps
Lat Pulldown: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
One Arm Seated Cable Row: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Standing Cable Curl: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Behind The Back, One Arm Cable Curl: 3 sets x 12-15 reps on each side
Day two is back and biceps. Everything is straightforward in this one. However, there are many variations you can throw in based on your preference. For example, on lat pulldowns, you can use a wide grip, close grip, neutral grip, and underhand grip, to name a few. The same goes for seated cable rows. The behind-the-back, one-arm cable curl might be a new exercise for you. These are also called Bayesian curls. With these, we want to get a deep stretch in the biceps. Start with your elbow behind your torso and prevent it from drifting forward during the set.
To get more back cable exercises, check out our full article.
Day #3: Legs, Calves, and Abs
Cable Squat: 4 sets x 12-15 reps
Cable Romanian Deadlift: 4 sets x 12-15 reps
Cable Pull Through: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
One-Legged Cable Kickbacks: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Single Leg Cable Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Cable Crunches: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
Cable Palof Press: 3 sets x 15-20 reps on each side
Although this leg day looks slightly different from most lower body workouts you are used to, it can still be highly effective if pushed hard. You don’t need back squats and deadlifts to build big legs.
Play around with the cable squat to find the correct foot placement. If it doesn’t feel right, try taking a small step forward or backward to see if that feels better.
PS – Don’t skip the ab work at the end! And if you want more ab options, click here.
Day #4: Shoulders and Traps
Cable Side Raise: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Cable Front Raise: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Rope Facepull: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Straight Bar Cable Shrug: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Upright Row: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Day 4 will probably be the quickest of all the workouts. This workout should only take you about 30 minutes. Most of the shoulder exercises work well with drop sets. To up the intensity, perform a drop set on the last set of the first three exercises. The key with drop sets is to maintain range of motion. Don’t cut the range of motion when the set gets hard to squeeze out more reps.
For more cable shoulder exercises, check out our article here.
Day #5: Triceps and Biceps
Rope Hammer Cable Curl: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Rope Overhead Cable Triceps Extension: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Crucifix Curls: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Reverse Curls: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
Single Arm Crossbody Triceps Pressdown: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
The last day of the week is arm day. I set this workout up to superset a biceps exercise with a triceps exercise. So, the first two exercises go together, as do exercises three and four and five and six. This workout is the day to wear your favorite sleeveless t-shirt to the gym.
Want to switch up some of the exercises? Check out some of our other favorite cable arm exercises.
Are Cable Machine Workouts Effective?
Let’s debunk a myth: cable machine workouts are indeed effective for muscle building. The key lies in the principles of muscle growth. In a nutshell, muscles grow when they’re subjected to stress or tension beyond their current capacity. This stress triggers a series of adaptations in the body that strengthen the muscles, preparing them for future high-stress situations. Adaptation is why progressive overload is crucial. The muscles won’t need to adapt if you keep providing the same stress.
At the muscular level, tension is tension. It doesn’t matter if it comes from barbells, dumbbells, sandbags, or cable machines. However, the versatility of cables allows for a wide range of exercises that target every part of your body with adjustable resistance. This variety enables you to hit muscles from multiple angles and perform exercises through a full range of motion. Plus, cables provide constant tension, effectively engaging the movement’s concentric and eccentric phases.
Another factor that makes cables effective for muscle growth is safety. We know the best way to build muscle involves pushing sets close to failure. You don’t have to push sets to complete failure, but within three reps is ideal. The problem is that you need immaculate form to push barbell sets that hard without your technique breaking down. For most beginners and intermediates, going hard on cable exercises is safer. At the other end of the spectrum, many advanced lifters are beat up to the point where their joints can’t take heavy barbell work anymore. For people like that, cable exercises allow them to go hard without beating their bodies up anymore.
Common Concerns With Cable-Only Routines
Although cable exercises are highly effective, they are not without some concerns. Here are a few things to consider when jumping on a complete cable program.
1. Not Great For Strength Development / Lack of Weight
First, there are better bets than a cable-only program if you want to be a powerlifter. That’s not to say you can’t get stronger with cable work, but strength is specific. What this means is that you get stronger in the exercises you perform. It makes sense. If you take two people, one who only bench presses and the other who only does cable flys, the person who bench presses will have a stronger bench press.
That said, if you are a powerlifter on vacation and the hotel gym only has a cable machine, don’t worry. A routine like the one outlined above is enough stimulation to maintain strength for a week or two.
The other issue in terms of strength is that if you are a freak, you can literally max out the machine and run out of weight. I have yet to see someone run out of weight on a barbell, but plenty of people have maxed out a seated cable row. If this is you, first off, congrats. But you can still get a good workout by slowing down the tempo, pausing at the most challenging part of the lift, and minimizing momentum.
2. They Break
This idea might seem like a strange concern, but it’s a real one. Cable machines break. If you’ve spent time in a gym, you’ve likely seen the dreaded ‘out of order’ sign on a cable stack. In fact, it seems like cable machines break twice as often as any other equipment in the gym. While gym maintenance isn’t your responsibility, it’s something to keep in mind if you’re considering a full cable machine workout or plan to incorporate a lot of cable exercises into your routine.
3. Limited Lower Body Exercises
A cable machine allows you to do an almost endless amount of upper-body exercises. However, that’s different for the lower body, where the options are far more limited. The good news is you can still hit the quads, hamstrings, and calves on a cable machine with some creativity. Additionally, you can add bodyweight exercises to complement your cable program for some variety, such as lunges, split squats, step-ups, glute bridges, etc.
Benefits of Cable Machine Exercises
We discussed why cable machines work, but here are a few more benefits of using a cable-only workout program.
1. Perfect When You Are Hurt
It sucks, but if you lift long enough, you are bound to get hurt. Overall, lifting weights is still safer than most sports. However, nagging injuries to joints occur from time to time. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is using pain as an excuse to stop training. I’m talking little bumps and bruises, not significant injuries. You can generally work around minor issues.
When I feel pain during an exercise, my first step is lowering my weight. From there, I will look to shorten the range of motion. If that still doesn’t work, I opt for a new exercise. At this point, a cable movement is usually a safe bet.
If you are banged up, do what you can. Doing productive work is much better than staying home on the couch. It will keep you in the game and make it easier to ramp back up when you feel better.
2. Saves Time
One of the first things that will jump out at you when following this program is how quick the workouts are. These sessions should only take you about 30-45 minutes. You will be in and out of the gym in no time. You save time in a couple of areas. As simple as it sounds, you save time by not needing to load plates on and off. Additionally, cable exercises typically only require a little rest between sets. About 60 seconds is all you need.
3. Easy to Incorporate Super Sets and Drop Sets
If cable workouts are not fast enough, we can make them faster. My two favorite intensity techniques are super sets and drop sets. Both of these techniques work well with cable exercises.
Supersets involve performing two different exercises back-to-back with little to no rest in between. These exercises can target the same muscle (such as doing two different types of curls back to back) or opposing muscle groups (like pairing chest presses with rows). By minimizing rest periods, supersets keep the muscles engaged for longer durations, leading to increased metabolic stress and muscle fatigue.
On the other hand, drop sets involve performing a set until failure (or close), then immediately reduce the weight and continuing with additional reps. This process can be repeated multiple times, gradually decreasing the weight each time.
Conclusion
A cable machine-only workout plan is a great way to train. Don’t let the gym bros tell you different. Cable machines offer many exceptional exercises to build muscle across your entire body. Better yet, they’re easy to use and let you work around injuries while still getting in productive training. Whether new to working out or a seasoned pro, I can argue why cable machines are a good option. So there you have it. If you find yourself in a situation where it makes sense to do a cable-only workout program, you now have one. All that is left to do is get after it.
For more content on cable machine workouts, check out my article on the best 18 cable machine exercises: https://www.setforset.com/blogs/news/cable-machine-exercises
