Top 10 Cable Chest Exercises For Building Muscles In Your Upper Body

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A cable machine is a versatile machine for many different exercises. It is one piece of gym equipment that can help you to target virtually all the muscles in your chest and upper body and give you a complete chest workout.

We will, in this article, discuss some of the best cable chest exercises to target muscles in your upper body.

These exercises will give you variety in your workouts. They can also help reduce your dependency on barbells and dumbells in your muscle-building training routines.

Best chest exercises for building your pecs and upper body muscles

Consider adding these cable chest exercises to your workout for well-defined pecs and upper body.

You will need a cable machine for all the exercises discussed here. Check out our recommended and top cable machines here, if you are yet to install one in your home gym

Cable Fly

Cable fly exercises target your middle chest muscles.

Using a cable machine for the fly exercise can save you time. You could get results much quicker than using dumbbells. That is because you get no support areas with these cable chest exercises.

Cable fly exercises put your chest muscles under tension throughout the cable machine chest exercises. By doing so, your burns will come much quicker, and the gains in your strength will be much faster.

Target muscles: pectoralis major
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines, weight bench

Steps to follow

• You will need two cable machines for the workout.
• Attach a cable with a stirrup at the ends above shoulder height on each cable machine and load the cable machines with the appropriate weight.
• Grap the cables with your arms opened arms while standing between the towers.
• With feet a hip-width apart, take a step backward.
• Bend your front knee to transfer more weight onto your front foot
• Ensure your arms are wide open, making you feel some stretching in your shoulders and chest.
• With a slight bend in your elbows and chest standing out, gradually pull the cables to bring your hands together at the front of your body. Ensure your palms face each other when they meet.
• Pause for a second to feel the squeeze in your shoulders.
• Then, gradually return the cables to your starting position in a slow and controlled manner.

Cable Bench Fly

You can do the bench fly with dumbbells, but a cable machine will give you continuous tension throughout the exercises. Lying on a weight bench for these chest cable exercises will shift the focus from your front delts and allow your chest to power you through the movement.

Target muscles: pectoralis major
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines, weight bench

Steps to follow

• Position a flat bench in the middle of the cable machines and attach the cables to the bottom pulleys.
• Grab the cable handles with each hand and lie on your back on the weight bench. Ensure your chest and the pulleys line up when lying on the weight bench.
• Extend your arms sideways and slightly bend your elbows. Ensure your arms are about parallel to the floor
• Without moving your elbows, lift the cables, and pull them to the middle of your chest in a semi-circular motion. Ensure your shoulders stay firmly on the bench.
• Next, squeeze your chest as hard as you can, and then, in a controlled manner, return the cables to your starting position.
• Repeat

High To Low Cable Standing Fly

The high to low standing flys are lower chest cable exercises. A staggered stance with one leg in front of the other will allow you to target your pecs much better.

Target muscles: pectoralis major (Lower Head), pectoralis manor, and front delts
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines

Steps to follow

• To prepare for the cable chest exercises, locate the cable at the top of the cable machines and load the appropriate weights.
• Position yourself in the middle of the machines.
• Grab the cable handles and step forward to get the cables behind you. Lean forward and get your hands up around shoulder height but stretched behind you.
• Brace your core and draw back your shoulder blades. You should feel your pecs stretching when you are in that position.
• Breathe out and mustering energy from your chest, pull the cables forward round your sides till they meet around the front of your hips. Do not bend your arms as you do this.
• Then, give your pecs a big squeeze, and slowly move your hands backward to return to your starting position.

Standing Low Cable Fly

The low to high standing cable fly follows the same principles as the high cable fly exercises. But you will pull the cables from a lower position when doing these cable chest exercises.

Thus you will place the focus area on your upper chest muscles. Doing so will activate your front delts much better as well.

Target muscles: pectoralis major, front delts
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines

Steps to follow

• Get ready for the upper chest cable exercises by attaching the cables to the lower pulleys on the cable machines.
• Grab the cable handles and take a staggered stance in the middle of the towers, placing the cables behind you. You should feel your front delts and pecs stretching.
• Lean forward, slightly bend your elbows, and lift your hands to about your hip height
• Engage your core and pull your pecs back. You should feel your pecs stretching.
• Breathe in and slowly pull the cables around your sides and up to shoulder height in front of you
• Give your pecs a hard squeeze and return the cables to your starting position behind you. Ensure you hold your chest high and don’t bend your hands.
• Repeat

Cable Crossover

The cable crossover chest exercises are some of the best for your lower chest.

Using cables from a high position and pushing downwards and inwards targets the lower chest muscles.

The crossover cable chest exercises can target the outsides of your pecs to help you build a much broader chest.

It is one of the best cable chest exercises for targeting the inner chest.

Target muscles: pectoralis major,
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines

Steps to follow

• Attach the cable to a high point on the machines. The anchor points must be above your head.
• Grab the handles and position yourself in the middle of the equipment
• Move a leg forward to put you in a split stance.
• Open your arms sideways and out wide, holding the cables behind you
• Then slightly bend your knees and upper body to shift more body weight onto your front leg. You should feel your pecs stretching when in that position.
• Bending your elbows slightly, using your chest, pull the cables downward and to your front till they cross over to the opposite sides. Continue pulling till your hands a fully stretched. Ensure you do not move your torso.
• Give your pecs a big squeeze
• Then, return your hands and cables to your starting position
• Repeat

Cable Flat Bench Press

The bench press is one of the best cable chest exercises for your lower chest and triceps.

You will need to position a flat weight bench between the cable machines for the exercises.

Target muscles: pectoralis major, front delts, triceps
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines, weight bench

• Attach the cables to the lower pulleys on the machine, grab the handles and lie flat on your back on the bench. Your palms must face your body when holding the cables.
• Position your legs on either side of the bench.
• Keep your hands by your sides, raise your forearms, and form a 90-degree angle with your upper arm.
• Then, with your shoulders retracted, push the cables straight up to extend your arms fully.
• Squeeze your pecs at the top of the movement.
• Then lower the cables down slowly and in a controlled manner.
• Repeat

Exercise Ball Cable Fly

The cable chest fly on a stability ball works similarly to the cable bench fly.
You will use an exercise ball, instead of a weight bench, for the cable chest exercises.

Using a stability ball will require you to use your core to keep you stable.

Target muscles: pectoralis major
Required Equipment: Twin cable machines, exercise ball

Steps to follow

• Attach the cables to the bottom pulley of the cable machines and position the exercise ball in-between the cable machines
• Grab the cables and sit on the ball
• Roll on the ball by waking your feet forward and using the ball to support your movement. Stop when your shoulders and upper back are resting on the ball. Keep your hips upright and your feet flat on the floor.
• Open your arms wide and outward.
• Bend your elbows slightly, pull the cables up and bring them together above your chest. Contract your pecs as you do so.
• Hold the position for a second, then slowly return the cables to your starting position.
• Repeat

Cable Pullovers

Cable pullovers will target your chest, abs, and back muscles. It is an isolation exercise that involves movement in your shoulder joints.

It is a great cable chest exercise for building mass and a well-defined upper back.

While the exercises primarily target your lats, they can target many other upper body muscles, including Pectoralis Major, Triceps, Pectoralis Minor, Rhomboids, and the Deltoid.

Steps to follow

• Attach a cable to the top pulley of the cable machine and load it with the appropriate weight
• Stand facing the pulley and grasp the cable handles in each hand. Keep your chest, back, and shoulders up.
• Bend your elbows slightly and take a step back.
• Then, bend over at your hips and keep your upper arms at the sides of your head.
• Pull the cable down and continue pulling until your hands are by your sides.
• Pause at the top of the movement and return the cable slowly to your starting position in a controlled manner. Ensure you keep your elbows fixed at about 30 degrees throughout the movement
• Repeat

Cable Iron Cross

The cable iron cross is a variation of the chest fly exercises.

Aside from working the chest, these cable chest exercises can target the shoulders and the triceps.

You will need very high core stability to do the iron cross exercises with a cable. And it may be best to use it in conjunction with other movements to build muscle mass in the chest.

Add the cable iron cross to your chest, upper body, and push workouts for total body training.

Required Equipment: Twin cable machines

Steps to follow

• Select the desired weight and set up the cables as high as possible on the cable machines
• With a neutral grip, grab the cable handles.
• Stand with feet apart and position yourself in line with the pulleys.
• Bend your elbows slightly.
• Then, moving only at your shoulder joints, pull the handles. Do not squeeze the handles forcefully.
• Continue pulling till they meet at the front of your body. Ensure you don’t bang the handles together. Doing so can disrupt the tension in the cables.
• Slowly return to your starting position in a controlled movement. Try to maintain the tension in your abs without putting much stress on your back.
• Repeat for the desired reps

Unilateral Cable Chest Press

The unilateral cable chest presses are the only single-arm cable chest exercises on our list.

It can target muscles in your chest, triceps, and shoulders. Standing while doing the exercises, makes it possible for other muscles to activate. And, using cables for the exercises will place resistance on your muscles throughout the movements.

Combine these with other cable chest exercises as part of your upper body training.

Steps to follow

• Attach the cable to the machine at chest height and select the desired weight
• Stand with your back facing the cable machine,
• With your palm facing outward, grab the cable handle with one hand and take a step or two forward to put some tension in the cable. Ensure the leg opposite the hand holding the cable is at the front.
• lean forward to put some weight on the front leg
• Stretch the other hand in front of you for stability
• Without moving your torso, push the cable forward, till your arms are fully stretched in front of your chest. At the same time, pull the other arm backward to your shoulders. Ensure you maintain the tension in the cable throughout the cable
• Pause, and return to your starting position
• Repeat for the desired reps.
• Switch sides and repeat with the other arm

Final words from LiveLIfe

Cable chest exercises can help move your workout to levels that barbells and dumbells may struggle to do. You can target some of those hard-to-hit muscles with what we’ve discussed here.

These chest exercises using cable machines will not disappoint if your goal is to add definition to your pecs and build a well-defined chest.

Cable chest exercises are great for maximizing and speeding up your muscle growth. They should find a place in your chest-building regimen.