4 Best Chest Cable Exercises to Transform Your Pecs

Today we will talk about the most underrated and versatile method of growing your pecs: Chest cable exercises. The cable machines are extremely efficient when it comes to building a strong, chiseled, well-defined chest, and not many people use them to their fullest potential.

We will also give you some tips to get the most out of your exercise. Read on!

Cable Chest Press

This exercise is similar to the bench press in its results and the muscles it targets,  engaging the chest (pectoralis major), the deltoids, and the triceps. 

Unlike the bench press, though, the cable chest press provides constant tension throughout the entire range of motion of the exercise. 

As a result, the muscles engaged stay under constant load during the whole execution of the exercise, giving you the benefits of benching more without additional weight. Check out the step-by-step below:

Setup

• With a challenging amount of weight, position the cables at chest height on the machine. Stand in the middle of the cable machine with a handle in each hand.
• While positioned in the middle of the machine, step forward and maintain one foot in front of the other to create tension in the cables. Remember to keep your back straight and core engaged.

Starting Position

• With your palms facing forward, hold the handles while bending your elbows at a 90-degree angle and with your upper arms parallel to the floor.
• Ensure your shoulders are down and back, avoiding tension like shrugging.

Execution

• Extend your arms fully in a controlled manner. Remember to focus on squeezing your chest muscles as you press the handles together.
• Always keep a slight bend in your elbows at the end of the movement to avoid locking out.
• Bring the handles back to the starting position as you maintain control and tension in the cables throughout the movement.

Repetition

• Perform the desired number of repetitions. If you’re not sure, typically, it is 8-12 for muscle hypertrophy and 3 - 4 sets, resting between them.

Tips

• Keep your movements slow and controlled to maximize muscle engagement, and avoid using momentum to ease the movement of the weights.
• Focus on your breathing: exhale as you press forward and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Variations:

• Seated Cable Chest Press: Doing the chest cable press while sitting down makes it easier to isolate the chest muscle since you don’t have to worry about balancing, and it’s a good option for those with lower back pain.
• Incline and Decline Cable Chest Press: By adjusting the bench to an incline or a decline position (both between 30º and 45º), you can give a greater emphasis on different parts of the chest: upper chest focus on the incline press and lower chest focus on the decline press.
• Single-arm Cable Chest Press: Perform the exercise with one arm at a time to ensure muscle symmetry and coordination. This variation is also great for the core since it requires more stabilization than the traditional form.
  

2. Cable Crossover

This is another stellar chest cable exercise with great versatility. The cable crossover allows for different targeting of the chest areas with small changes in the setup: by changing the height of the cables, you choose between lower, middle, and upper chest emphasis. Additionally, this exercise also engages your triceps and shoulder, making for a great compound chest exercise.

Setup

• The setup is similar to the cable chest press. However, this time you can choose the height of the pulleys for the desired chest area.
• Stand in the center of the machine and step forward, keeping one foot in front of the other to tense up the cables.

Starting Position

• Extend your arms out to the sides with a slight bent at the elbows. Make sure your palms are facing forward, slightly downward, or upward, depending on the angle of the pulleys.
• Keep your shoulders down and back.

Execution

• Pull the handles together in a controlled manner, your hands should meet at the front of the chest. 
• Remember to squeeze those chest muscles and keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement to avoid joint strain.
• Bring your arms back to the starting position slowly. It’s important to maintain control and tension in the cables throughout the whole execution.

Repetition

• Perform the desired number of repetitions, which is typically 10-15 for muscle hypertrophy with 3-4 sets, resting between sets.

Tips

• Keep your movements slow and controlled to maximize muscle engagement, and avoid using momentum to ease the movement of the weights.
• Focus on your breathing: exhale as you press forward and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Variations

The cable crossover exercise offers variations mainly by adjusting the height of the handles.

• Go high to target the lower sections of the chest.
• Go with chest height to engage the middle section.
• Go low to give the upper section more focus.

3. Cable Iron Cross

This exercise mimics the original iron cross done in men's gymnastics competitions. Thankfully, you don’t need a gymnast’s body to do this one. It is also a great option when it comes to chest cable exercises since it is excellent for building strength and stability of the upper body. The cable iron cross will mainly target your chest, shoulders, and biceps.

Setup

• Set the pulleys on the cable machine to the highest setting and stand on the center of the machine with one handle in each hand.
• Create tension in the cables by taking a step forward and pulling them slightly.

Initial Position

• Extend your arms while bending your elbows slightly. Relax your shoulders and keep them back and down.

Execution

• Pull the handles straight down, mimicking an actual iron cross. Squeeze your chest and focus on the movement.
• Slowly come back to the initial position without letting go of the tension.

Repetition

• Perform the desired number of repetitions, which is typically 8-12 for muscle hypertrophy with 3-4 sets, resting between sets.

Tips

• Keep your movements slow and controlled to maximize muscle engagement, and avoid using momentum to ease the movement of the weights.
• Focus on your breathing: exhale as you press forward and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Variations

The main variation we recommend for the cable iron cross is doing it one arm at a time. It will correct muscle imbalances and enhance symmetry and coordination. This helps prevent injuries and ensures you build an aesthetic and well-balanced body.

4. Cable Chest Fly

Chest flies are traditionally done with dumbbells, but as stated earlier, cables allow for a greater range of motion under tension. This makes the cable chest fly a great alternative to its original exercise and an excellent choice when it comes to chest cable exercises, targeting the chest, biceps, and deltoids. It has “fly” on the name due to the movement, which resembles the flapping of wings. Take a look at the tutorial

Setup

• With a challenging amount of weight, position the cables at the highest setting on the machine. Stand in the middle of the cable machine with a handle in each hand.
• While positioned in the middle of the machine, step forward and maintain one foot in front of the other to create tension in the cables. Remember to keep your back straight and core engaged.

Starting Position

• Extend your arms while bending your elbows slightly. Relax your shoulders and keep them back and down.

Execution

• While doing a wide arc, bring the handles together. They should meet in the middle of your chest with your arms almost fully extended, your elbows should be slightly bent at the end of the movement.
• After, return to the initial position slowly, don’t let the weights just fall.

Repetition

• Perform the desired number of repetitions, which is typically 8-12 for muscle hypertrophy with 3-4 sets, resting between sets.

Tips

• Keep your movements slow and controlled to maximize muscle engagement, and avoid using momentum to ease the movement of the weights.
• Focus on your breathing: exhale as you press forward and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Variations

Height adjustment: Just like the other exercises, by adjusting the height of the handles, you can target different areas of the chest: go low for the upper chest, go high for the lower chest, and go at shoulder height for the middle chest area.

Single-arm Cable Chest Fly: This exercise can also be performed with one arm to guarantee all the benefits discussed previously, such as correcting muscle imbalances and enhancing symmetry and coordination while working the core.

The Takeaway

As you can see, chest cable exercises are more than enough to build the chest of your dreams. Don’t forget to warm up your chest before engaging in any kind of physical activity to prevent injuries. Listen to your body; if something feels wrong or is hurting, pause your workout immediately and consult a professional

If you want to learn more about working the chest area, see best dumbbell chest exercises and how many chest exercises per workout.

Finally, if you want to level up your chest gains, the Flex APP has several features that can improve your workout experience. Download the Flex APP now and enjoy our auto-progression feature, plate calculator, and body-weight tracker while sharing your fitness progress with a community that cheers you on. Get fit with Flex!