Equipment
Cable Exercises
Constant tension through the whole range, including the parts where a free weight goes light. That makes cables particularly good for the isolation work where the stretch or the squeeze is the point.
Because resistance does not fall off, cables let you train close to failure with less joint stress than free weights. Ideal at the end of a session, or for anything where the top of the movement is what you want loaded.
63 cable exercises in Gym Journal
21 compound and 42 isolation, each with a default rep range and rest interval already set. Everything here is in the free app.
| Exercise | Muscle | Type | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternating Cable Shoulder Pressalso Triceps | Shoulders | compound | 8–12 |
| Bayesian Cable Curl | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Behind The Neck Lat Pulldownalso Biceps, Upper back, Shoulders | Lats | compound | 8–12 |
| Bent Over Cable Lateral Raisealso Upper back, Traps | Shoulders | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Chest Pressalso Triceps, Shoulders | Chest | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Concentration Curlalso Forearms | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Crossovers | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Crunch | Abs | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable External Rotation | Shoulders | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Front Raise | Shoulders | isolation | 12–15 |
| Cable Hammer Curls - Ropealso Forearms | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Hip Abductionalso Glutes | Abductors | isolation | 12–20 |
| Cable Hip Adduction | Adductors | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Incline Pushdown | Lats | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Incline Triceps Extension | Triceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Internal Rotation | Shoulders | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Iron Cross | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Kickback | Glutes | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Lateral Raisealso Traps | Shoulders | isolation | 12–15 |
| Cable Lying Triceps Extension | Triceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable One Arm Tricep Extension | Triceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Pallof Press | Abs | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Preacher Curl | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Pull Throughalso Hamstrings, Lower back | Glutes | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Pulldownalso Biceps, Shoulders, Upper back | Lats | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Rear Delt Flyalso Shoulders | Upper back | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Reverse Crunch | Abs | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Reverse Curlalso Biceps | Forearms | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension | Triceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Rope Rear-Delt Rowsalso Shoulders, Biceps | Upper back | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Upper back | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Russian Twists | Abs | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Seated Crunch | Abs | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Seated Lateral Raisealso Traps | Shoulders | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Shoulder Pressalso Triceps | Shoulders | compound | 8–12 |
| Cable Shrugsalso Upper back | Traps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Single Arm Lat Pulldownalso Upper back, Biceps | Lats | compound | 10–12 |
| Cable Single Arm Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Upper back | compound | 10–12 |
| Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown | Lats | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Upright Rowalso Traps, Upper back | Shoulders | compound | 10–15 |
| Cable Woodchopperalso Shoulders, Glutes | Abs | compound | 10–15 |
| Cable Wrist Curl | Forearms | isolation | 10–15 |
| Cable Y-Raise | Shoulders | isolation | 12–15 |
| Facepullalso Shoulders, Traps | Upper back | isolation | 10–15 |
| Flat Bench Cable Fly | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| High Cable Curl | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| High-to-Low Cable Flyalso Shoulders | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| Incline Cable Flyalso Shoulders | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| Low-to-High Cable Flyalso Shoulders | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| Neutral Grip Lat Pulldownalso Upper back, Biceps | Lats | compound | 10–15 |
| Pulldownsalso Biceps, Shoulders, Upper back | Lats | compound | 8–12 |
| Pulldowns Close Gripalso Biceps, Shoulders, Upper back | Lats | compound | 8–12 |
| Reverse Grip Lat Pulldownalso Biceps, Upper back | Lats | compound | 10–15 |
| Rope Pullover | Lats | isolation | 10–15 |
| Seated Cable Rowalso Lats, Biceps | Upper back | compound | 8–12 |
| Single Arm Cable Crossover | Chest | isolation | 10–15 |
| Single Arm Cable Curl | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Standing Cable Curl | Biceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Standing Cable Liftalso Shoulders | Abs | compound | 8–12 |
| Standing Cable Wood Chopalso Shoulders | Abs | compound | 8–12 |
| Triceps Pushdownalso Forearms | Triceps | isolation | 10–15 |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldownalso Biceps, Upper back, Shoulders | Lats | compound | 8–12 |
| Wide Grip Seated Cable Rowalso Lats, Shoulders, Biceps | Upper back | compound | 10–15 |
Log them, and watch the numbers move
Every exercise here is in the free app, with form instructions, its own progression chart and PR tracking. No account needed to start.