When it comes to training your back, the cable machine is an iconic gym classic. Although often overshadowed by more high-tech machines, this versatile tool delivers big muscle-building results.
Set a pulley to its highest setting and grab its handle with a wider than shoulder-width grip, keeping hands slightly outside of shoulders. Slowly lower it towards your torso while contracting back muscles at the peak of movement.
Lat Pulldown (Cable Back Exercises) :
The lat pulldown is an effective multi-joint exercise designed to work not only your chest pecs, but also shoulders, triceps, rhomboids and levator scapulae muscles. Typically performed on machines equipped with seats designed to brace thighs while holding your arms overhead at full extension and grasping onto a bar connected to weight stack; movement starts when pulling your arm back and down until the bar reaches your hip pockets (lats), where squeezing occurs before gradually returning it back overhead again.
The Lat Pulldown is one of the most commonly practiced cable back exercises to develop upper body strength, and has been shown to be an accurate predictor of sprint performance in swimmers (3). Furthermore, this exercise is frequently implemented into training programs to enhance upper body muscular hypertrophy and pulling strength among individuals from recreational athletes to professional wrestlers, rugby players, cross-country skiers, and bodybuilders (5-6).
Properly executed, the Lat Pulldown exercise can be an excellent way to target lats without overtaxing shoulder joints or contributing to lumbar spine extension (arching of lower back). Furthermore, this move also improves straight arm scapular strength – which aids shoulder blade stability.
Pulling movements such as these help to activate and develop the erector muscles of your back, teaching proper movement mechanics for similar exercises such as the bent over row or deadlift. Furthermore, abdominal draw-in and bracing during movement stimulate multifidus and pelvic floor muscles and provide additional spinal stabilization while protecting lower back (6).
Start off by positioning a cable with bar attachment at the highest setting and step back 6-12″ away from the stack. Grab the bar using double overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width and keep your hands close to its center so as to maximize bicep contribution.
Use a supinated grip with palms facing inward to your chest, and begin pulling down towards your collarbone. At the bottom of this movement, squeeze shoulder and hip muscles together before driving elbows down towards hip pockets for optimal muscle tension. Finally, return slowly back to its starting position for maximum muscle tone.
Cable Crossover (Cable Back Exercises) :
The cable crossover exercise targets chest, upper body and core muscles simultaneously. Furthermore, this movement involves transverse plane action as you twist your waist back and forth to move the arms back and forth; making this an effective way to add variety into your workout regime.
Proper cable crossover exercises should be performed correctly to maximize their benefits. Beginners often bend their elbows while performing this movement, which shifts focus away from chest exercises towards other muscle groups such as biceps. To avoid this scenario, make sure your arms remain straight while performing this movement.
Mistakenly moving their hands together too rapidly during exercise is another common misstep, transforming an isolation exercise into more of a pressing motion than intended. For optimal results it is advised to move hands slowly along a wide arc between where they start close to your shoulders and where they cross over each other; making sure no two hands touch too closely in the middle.
Pectoralis major is the strongest pressing muscle in the upper body and attaches to sternum, ribs, and the clavicle. It can be activated through pushing movements like bench press and cable crossover, with arm adduction being specifically targeted in cable crossover. Adduction also engages shoulder muscles via stabilization in rotator cuff stability.
Cable crossover exercises can be an essential addition to any workout regimen, providing valuable chest strengthening benefits without overtaxing other muscle groups and shifting their emphasis away from chest muscles.
As with most exercises, when beginning cable crossover exercise it’s wise to start slowly increasing weights until you find what works for you. Do this 3 times with 10-12 reps so that maximum benefits are realized from this workout.
D-handle Squats (Cable Back Exercises) :
Add D-handles to your cable back exercises for an effective way to hit your upper traps (muscles that keep shoulders rounded). Cable exercises allow for constant loads over a wide range of motion, which maximizes time under tension and muscle growth.
Start by setting the pulley of a cable machine to its lowest position and attaching either a rope or straight bar attachment. Step away from the machine enough to allow you to hinge at your hips and lean forward until almost parallel with the ground, palms-up gripping both handles until your rope or bar touches your thighs, then slowly return back uphill towards its starting point.
Face pulls performed with a reverse grip will allow lifters to target lower and middle back muscles that may be neglected when striving to build impressive biceps and chest muscles. Furthermore, this exercise will improve scapular stability and posture.
The cable seated row is an essential back cable workout exercise as it targets not only your back and shoulders, but also other muscle groups such as those found in your mid-back region, including rhomboids. Furthermore, this exercise can be done using either a close or wider grip to maximize effectiveness.
A cable back exercise that should be included in your routine is the seated row with twist, as it works both sagittal and transverse planes of your body – essential to building strength and mobility in your back. Begin by grasping the handles with wider than normal grip and leaning forward with spine upright; bring bar closer towards torso by squeezing shoulder blades together (scapular depression).
Integrating cable back exercises into your exercise regimen will allow you to strengthen and tone all the back muscles while improving posture and shoulder mobility. Not only will this benefit overall health, but it will help facilitate more advanced lifting movements like deadlifts and bench presses more effortlessly and efficiently.
Lat Pullover
The lat pullover is a fantastic exercise to target lat muscles. However, many novice users make errors in this movement which could potentially cause injury and/or decrease its efficacy during workouts. Avoid leaning too far back, pulling the bar behind your neck, or arching your shoulders and spine as this puts additional stress on those joints. Instead, stand facing the cable machine with feet shoulder width apart and a slight bend in your knees to provide stability and avoid strain on these parts of the body. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and arms fully extended overhead, hands shoulder-width apart. Drive the handle down toward your thighs by contracting your lats, pausing briefly at the bottom, and slowly raising back up under control until back at its starting position.
The primary functions of the lats include shoulder adduction (pulling upper arms toward your sides), internal rotation (rotating your upper arm so your biceps touch your torso), and shoulder extension. Most back exercises such as dumbbell rows, barbell rows, pull-ups and cable pullovers train shoulder extension; however, most tend to emphasize scapular retraction instead of targeting lats properly along with traps, rhomboids and rear deltoids – with cable pullovers being an exception that prioritizes shoulder extension while simultaneously minimising scapular retraction while emphasizing shoulder extension.
This makes the lats stretch an effective exercise, particularly when combined with other chest-focused movements like bench presses or flyes. By adding these exercises into the mix, they also develop your pecs simultaneously while improving overall appearance and strength when doing other exercises.
Integrating cable back exercises into your training regimen will increase both strength and muscle mass of the major back muscles, helping you perform more challenging movements and lift heavier loads during other exercises such as deadlifts and bench presses. Strengthening and developing your back is also vital to improving posture as well as decreasing injuries in everyday life or sports activities.
