Best Cable Exercises: Maximizing Time Under Tension

With the plethora of gym machines and equipment available, each targeting your muscles in unique ways, it can be quite a challenge to find out which are the most effective options and which are the worst.

However, if you want to supercharge your workout routine, you can never go wrong with cable exercises. In fact, cable machines have many advantages in building strength and targeting muscle fibers compared to other gym equipment.

This article will dive deep into the advantages of including a cable machine in your workout routine and how to use it to build a better and stronger physique.

Unlike dumbbells and barbells, cable exercises maintain consistent tension throughout the entire range of motion, giving a better opportunity for your muscle fibers to grow.

On the other hand, free weights offer maximum tension at the midpoint of the movement, with reduced tension at the beginning and end range. Take the bench press, for example; you are simply balancing the weight at the top with little to no chest muscle activation.

Providing longer time under tension on the muscles means they have to work harder and more efficiently, resulting in more effective strength gains and muscle development.

If you love using dumbbells and barbells but seem to have hit a plateau, you may want to consider switching to cable exercises for new and greater stimulus for muscle growth.

Cable machines significantly enhance the effectiveness of your workouts with the use of different attachments. Various grips or attachments can significantly influence the angle and feel the burn in your target muscle.

Here are some of the most common types of cable grips:

• Lat bars
• Curl bars
• Triceps ropes and bars
• Hand bars
• Row handles
• Ankle Straps

Face pulls

Face pulls stimulate the back part of your delts, often neglected in shoulder workouts. This exercise offers you a 3-dimensional growth of the shoulders while also targeting the traps and upper back muscles.

This exercise is a great way to counter the pull of chest muscles and prevent forward rounding of the shoulders, allowing you to have an even and more symmetric posture.

Attachment: Rope grip

How to do it:

1. Place the pulley higher than your height
2. Stand facing the machine
3. Grab the rope with both hands, with your palms facing each other
4. Take a few steps back, allowing your arms to extend fully
5. Brace your core and lean back slightly with your knees slightly bent. Place your weight on your heels
6. Pull the rope towards your face, and keep your elbows high and wide
7. Keep your shoulders rolled back by squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end
8. Slowly go back to the starting position
9. Repeat for 10-15 reps for 3 sets

This exercise is the new and improved lateral dumbbell raise, which allows you to stimulate the middle delts in different angles with constant tension.

Attachment: Hand grips

How to do it:

1. Place the cable pulley at the lowest possible setting
2. Stand with your left side facing the machine and your feet hip-width apart
3. Use your left hand to grab the body of the cable machine and stand far enough away from the machine to create tension on the cable
4. Lean slightly towards your right side and grab the hand grip using your right hand
5. Slowly raise your right arm up to 90 degrees, keeping a slight bend on the elbow
6. Slowly go back to the starting position
7. Repeat for 10-15 reps for 3 sets on each side

Here’s a workout program that will help you build a strong upper body:

Unlike other tricep exercises like skull crusher or close-grip bench press, tricep rope extension places less stress on the elbow joints and allows a more natural movement path.

This reduces the risk of injury while ensuring a better range of motion and tension on the different parts of the triceps.

Grip to use: Rope grip

How to do it:

1. Use a high pulley on the cable machine
2. Stand facing the machine, feet hip-width apart
3. Slightly bend at the hip to allow full range of motion of the triceps
4. Grab the rope with both hands
5. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees, keeping them close to your body
6. Extend your arms, pushing the rope downwards until your arms are fully extended
7. Slowly go back to the starting position
8. Repeat for 10-15 reps for 3 sets

The controlled motion of the able machine reduces the reliance on momentum, which commonly occurs during dumbbell curls. This encourages better form, increased muscle engagement, and a more effective workout.

Attachment: Curl bar

How to do it:

1. Set the cable machine to the low setting
2. Stand facing the machine, feet hip-width apart
3. Grab the bar with an underhand grip
4. Keep your elbows close to your body
5. Curl the bar towards your chest, maintaining tension on your biceps from bottom to top.
6. Slowly go back to the starting position
7. Repeat for 10-15 reps for 3 sets

Cable fly effectively isolates the chest muscles with a greater range of motion, allowing a complete stretch and contraction of the chest muscles.

Furthermore, the cable fly can be performed at different angles, enabling you to target specific areas of the chest region for a more developed frontal physique.

Attachment: Hand grips

How to do it:

1. Position the pulley to high, mid, or low to change the angle depending on your target muscle
2. Attach two single handles to the pulleys on a cable crossover machine
3. Stand in the center of the machine with one foot slightly in front of the other
4. Grab the handles with an overhand grip, palms facing forward.
5. Bend your elbows slightly and keep your chest up
6. Bring your hands together in front of your chest, contracting your chest muscles
7. Slowly return to the starting position
8. Repeat for 10-15 reps for 3 sets

Set up

Adjust the pulley height and weight stack according to your need and the type of exercise you will perform. It would hurt to ask for help from a coach or a training partner when setting up the machine for your workout.

Choose a weight that will allow you to do the exercise with proper form. When it comes to cable exercises, your form and time under tension are more important than how heavy your sets are. So start with lighter weights and gradually increase as you become stronger.

Avoid using momentum or jerky motions when performing an exercise. The weight might be too heavy if you can’t perform an exercise for 10 reps without breaking your form. Consider dialing the weight a step down to increase the effectiveness of the exercise and avoid injury.

Take full advantage of the constant tension provided by the cable machine. It is best to keep the target muscles engaged and under tension throughout the entire range of motion.

In a nutshell, the cable machine is a versatile gym essential that helps you effectively target muscles with constant tension. To optimize your workouts, focus on proper form, controlled movements, and progression.

Experiment with attachments to target specific muscle groups, and always remember to warm up, stretch, and recover. Although cable machines might add an extra layer of challenge to your workouts, you'll be grateful for the results in the long run.