Skip to main content

Build Strength & Muscle With 5 Easy Cable Machine Exercises

Building strength and muscle starts with establishing a solid fitness routine. Considering the fact that you naturally lose lean muscle mass as you age, performing strength training can boost and preserve your supply of muscle mass, along with enhancing your bone strength and improving your overall quality of life, the Mayo Clinic explains. Using a cable machine is a stellar habit to work into your resistance training, and we have just the exercises to do it.

Tiffany Hamlin, national director of group fitness for World Gym shares with us the five easiest cable machine exercises to build strength and muscle. Hamlin tells Eat This, Not That!, "It's important to use proper form and start with a weight that is appropriate for your fitness level. As you build strength and muscle, you can gradually increase the weight to continue challenging yourself. Incorporate these cable machine exercises into your resistance training routine, and you'll be on your way to building strength and muscle."

So keep reading to learn all about Hamlin's top-recommended cable machine exercises for strong, sculpted muscles. And next, don't miss The Best Strength Training Workout for Stronger Muscles After 40.

Cable Bicep Curl

fitness man doing cable bicep curl exercises to build strength and muscle at gym

The cable bicep curl will activate your biceps. To set up, you'll stand in front of a cable machine and take hold of the cable handle using an underhand grip. Make sure your elbows remain close to the sides of your body as you curl the weight all the way up to your shoulders. Then, gradually lower the weight down to the position you started in.

Cable Tricep Pushdown

Cable tricep pushdowns will target your triceps. To set up, Hamlin instructs, "[Attach] a straight bar to the cable machine and [stand] in front of it. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, and push the weight down toward your thighs, then slowly release it back to the starting position."

RELATED: The Best Leg-Strengthening Exercises for Seniors

Cable Row

fitness man doing cable pulley row

Cable rows will target your back. To set up, position yourself in front of the cable machine, and take hold of the handle using an overhand grip. Pull the weight to your chest, all while keeping your elbows close to each side of your body. Then, gradually release the weight to return to the position you started in.

Cable Fly

The cable fly will activate your chest. To set up, Hamlin instructs, "[Attach] a cable handle to each side of the cable machine and [stand] in front of it. Grasp the handles and bring them together in front of your chest, then slowly release them back to the starting position."

RELATED: 5 Strength Exercises That Drastically Change Your Body Shape After 50

Cable Chop

Last but not least, we'll wrap things up with the cable chop, which will target your obliques. Position your body to the side of the cable machine, and, using both hands, take hold of the handle. Pull the weight down and then across your body before gradually releasing it to return to the starting position.

The post Build Strength & Muscle With 5 Easy Cable Machine Exercises appeared first on Eat This Not That.


Eat This Not That

Popular posts from this blog

These 5 Grocery Items Are Cheaper Than Ever Right Now

The grocery industry has been facing major disruptions. The combined effects of the pandemic, climate change, and economic uncertainty over the past couple of years have culminated in a series of supply chain breakdowns. For the consumer, this means supply shortages , shipping delays , and temporary store closures are becoming more commonplace – and all of the added production cost to suppliers is driving up food prices . The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index report for January 2022 was released on Feb. 9, and it tells the story of cost trends for every spending category over the past year. Now the numbers are in, and since January 2021, "food at home" spending has increased 7.4%. Consumers should use this number as a benchmark, Phil Lempert, the consumer behavior analyst and founder behind Supermarket Guru , told Eat This, Not That! "Anything that's substantially less [than the 7.4% increase] is a deal," said Lempert. "When you

When Should I Take Creatine?

Creatine is probably the most well-researched supplement on the market today. Numerous studies have found positive adaptations in strength, power and muscle mass thanks to creatine supplementation—especially when it's combined with resistance training. Although the benefits of creatine are well-known to lifters, the best time to take it isn't common knowledge. Which leads us to some important questions:     Does an optimal time for consuming creatine exist?     If it does, should you take it before or after your workout? According to a new study published in the Journal of Exercise and Nutrition, the timing of creatine ingestion does indeed play a role in getting bigger and stronger. Creatine supplementation before resistance training increases muscular strength and lean muscle mass. Interestingly, taking creatine immediately after lifting weights results in greater muscle growth than taking it immediately before. However, in terms of strength gains, no difference betw

One Major Side Effect of Taking Viagra, Study Says

Viagra, containing the drug sildenafil, is one of the most talked-about prescription medications on the planet. Patented in 1996 and hitting the market in 1998, its primary purpose is to help men achieve an erection. "Viagra is indicated for erectile dysfunction, pulmonary artery hypertension, and off label for Reynauds," Dr. Darren Mareiniss, MD, FACEP , Emergency Medicine Physician at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, explains to Eat This, Not That! Health . "If you don't have one of these issues, probably should not take it." According to the National Institutes of Health , the drug, available as a tablet or liquid suspension, should be taken anywhere from four hours to 30 minutes prior to sexual activity. "Sildenafil usually should not be taken more than once every 24 hours," they note. So what can happen if you take viagra daily? Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You Have "L