Top 10 Cable Back Exercises That Can Help Build A Stronger Wider Back

You may find affiliate links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Why Trust Us

If you’ve been trying to target and build your back with dumbbells but have achieved your goals, then it may be time to consider cable back exercises.

Adding cable back exercises will add variety to your training regime and allow you to target your back muscles from angles that may not be possible with dumbbells.

A cable machine may not be a standard home gym equipment, but they are one of the main pieces of fitness equipment in many commercial gyms.

Cable machines, aka pulley machines, are very functional and versatile. You can use them to perform many different exercises. The adjustable cable pulley on the cable machine allows the user to move in different directions with resistance from the cable, making it possible to target many muscles.

Read on to find out what cable back exercise can help you build and increase your back strength. These exercises can help break the monotonous dumbbell and barbell exercises and any fitness plateau you may be experiencing.

Cable back exercises for strengthening and toning your back muscles

Add these back cable machine exercises to your training to build muscle mass and strength. They will also prepare your body for more strenuous and intensive strength training and workouts.

These back cable exercises will allow you to move and train in the way you want while controlling the range of motion to enable you to achieve your fitness goals.

Incline Bench Cable Row

The incline bench cable row is a compound cable back exercise that targets several muscles, including your upper back, shoulders, and arms.

Unlike other rowing exercises, the incline bench row doesn’t stress your back and is easy to master, making it suitable for most people, including beginners.

You will need a weight bench, in addition to the cable machine, for the exercise.

Steps to follow

• Set the bench to a 30-45 degree incline and place it in front of the cable machine. The back of the weight bench must face the cable machine
• Attach a straight bar or cable with D-shaped handles to the low pulley on the cable machine and set the weight to your desired level.
• Grab the handles with palms facing each other and place your chest on the backrest of the weight bench. Your feet can be on the floor or put your knees on the seat if you prefer.
• Pull your shoulders down and engage your core.
• Pull the handles slowly towards your chest.
• Keep pulling, and stop just before the handles touch the seat.
• Pause for 1-2 seconds at the top of the movement while squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Slowly return the handles to your starting position.
• Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Single-Arm Half-Kneeling Row

The single-hand kneeling cable row is a variation of the cable row exercise that works one side of your upper back at a time.

You can use the kneeling row to target many upper body muscles, including the latissimus dorsi or lats, rhomboids, rear deltoids, traps, and biceps.

It is one of the top cable back exercises worth considering for your strength training regimen.

Using one hand for the movement allows you to work on one side of your back in isolation. That makes it possible for you to target the muscles much more effectively for better results.

Steps to follow

• Grab the cable handle and get down on your opposite knee facing the cable machine. Keep a distance of about 3ft from the cable machine.
• Ensure your palms are facing each other
• Keep your upright lower leg perpendicular to the thigh and place your hand on the knee.
• Keep your body upright and your elbow close to your sides.
• Pull the handle and keep pulling until it gets to the side of your body.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades at the top of the movement and slowly return the handle to your starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions
• Switch sides and go through the process with the other side of your body

Cable Lying Row

The lying row is another strength training movement that will target your delts and traps, in particular, as well as your other upper back and shoulder muscles.

You can do the lying cable back exercises on a weight bench or floor.

Steps to follow

To perform the lying back exercises on the cable machine,

• Set up a straight bar on the low pulley of the cable machine, and set the weight to your desired level.
• Place the weight bench in front of the cable machine.
• Using an overhand grip, grab the bar with both hands and lie on the weight bench face upwards, with your feet resting on the floor and the bar on your thighs.
• Ensure there is no slack in the cable when you extend your arm fully.
• Rest the bar on your thighs.
• Keeping your back straight and the bar very close to your body, pull the bar towards your chest.
• Continue pulling until the bar gets to the top of your chest. Ensure you keep your elbows above your forearms and your body stationary throughout the movement.
• Pause and squeeze your shoulders at the top of the movement.
• Lower the bar slowly to your starting position in a controlled manner. Don’t lean forward as you pull and lower the bar.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Cable One Arm Bent-over Row

The cable one-arm bent-over row is one of the best cable back exercises for building a thick, wide, and well-defined back and arms. You do this by concentrating on one side of your body in isolation

Training each side of your body in isolation allows you to emphasize your weaker side to ensure you get the best outcome.

Steps to follow

• Grab the cable stirrup and step back with the foot that is on the same side as the hand holding the stirrup
• Bend over and place your other hand just above the knee of the front leg for support.
• Keep your back straight and bend your knees slightly.
• Pull the shoulder on the side of the arm holding the stirrup forward
• Start the cable back exercises by pulling your shoulders back to bring the stirrup to your torso.
• Pause at the top of the movement, contract your shoulder blades and return the stirrup slowly to your starting position
• Repeat for the desired number of reps
• Switch sides and go through the process with the other side of your body

PS
Start with your weaker side to help give that side more emphasis.

Cable Seated High Row

The seated high row is one of the best cable back exercises for building your mid-back and, to some extent, your lats, shoulders, biceps, and forearms

Steps to follow

• Grab the stirrups and sit on the bench facing the cable machine. Place your feet on an elevated platform
• Bend your knees and lean back to stretch your hands fully.
• Pull your shoulders back, and chest forward, and pull the stirrups as far as you can to the sides of your chest.
• Pause, squeeze your shoulder blades, and return the stirrups slowly to your starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown

The Straight-Arm Pulldown, a variation of the lat pulldown, is an isolation exercise that can target your upper back, shoulder, and arm muscle groups.

Your posterior deltoids, rhomboids, triceps, and teres major muscles are some of the muscles you can tone and build with the pulldown cable back exercises. The cable straight-arm pulldowns work your core as well

Add the pulldowns to your upper body or back workouts to build strength and muscle.

Steps to follow

• Attach a handle with a wide grip to the cable stack and set the weight
• Using a pronated grip, grab the handle ensuring your grips are about shoulder width apart
• Hinge at your hips to slightly lean forward and fully extend your arms
• Slightly flex your elbows, depress your shoulder blades, and pull the bar to your thighs by contracting your lats. Ensure you keep your arms straight throughout the movement.
• Keep pulling the bar until your hands and thighs are in line.
• Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement, then, while inhaling, return the bar to your starting position
• Repeat

Lat Pulldown

Unlike the Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown, you sit down when performing lat pulldowns.

Lat pulldowns are also one of the most sought-after exercises in gyms for those looking to build back body mass or for the coveted V-shape upper body.

A collection of cable back exercises will not be complete without lap pulldowns.

By changing how you grasp the bar, you can work many muscles simultaneously or synergistically. You can work upper body muscles like the latissimus dorsi, rotator cuff, pectoralis major, and the biceps brachii.

Steps to follow

• Prepare for the movement by attaching a handle with a wide grip to the lat pulldown machine.
• Sit facing the bar.
• Put your feet flat on the floor with a 90-degree bend in your knees.
• Stretch and grab the bar using a double overhand or pronated grip. Ensure your palms are more than shoulder-width apart.
• Exhale, depress your shoulder blades, flex your elbows, and start pulling the bar in the direction of your body. Ensure you don’t move your upper torso.
• Keep pulling until the bar is level with your chin or just below your collarbone.
• Pause for 1-2 seconds and squeeze your shoulder blades as you do so. Ensure you don’t shrug your shoulders when you reach the top of the movement.
• Return the bar slowly to your starting position.
• Repeat for 8-10 reps for a set and 2-3 sets per session

Cable Face Pull

Face pulls primarily target your posterior deltoid or delts. It will also work your rhomboids, delts, and upper body muscles.

You can also use a resistance band for the face pulls if you don’t have access to a cable machine. But the resistance will not be as good as with a cable machine.

And most people perform face pulls with a rope attachment. You can use a straight bar, but doing so will change the range of motion.

Thus, to get the most out of face pulls, you need a cable machine with a rope attachment for the movement.

Face pulls are one of the best cable back exercises for reducing shoulder injuries, building upper body strength, and improving posture. It can also help strengthen your core which can, in turn, help improve your stability and balance.

Steps to follow

• Set up the cable machine with a rope attachment. Ensure rope attachment is at face height and not at the top of the cable machine.
• Grap the handles with both hands, ensuring your palms are facing each other.
• Move backward to stretch your arms fully.
• Engage your core and slightly lean your body backward by about 20 degrees.
• Holding your elbows high, pull the rope towards your face in a smooth and controlled manner. Ensure you don’t lean back any further as you pull the rope. Also, keep your elbows high and the rope at your eye level.
• Return the rope slowly to your starting position in a smooth and controlled way.
• Repeat for your desired number of repetitions

Single-arm cable seated row

The single-arm cable seated row is one of the cable back exercises that can help train your upper back muscles, one side at a time.

Working your back one side at a time allows you to concentrate and focus more on your weaker side to achieve uniformity and balance.

You can target your lats, rhomboid, rear delts, and bicep with the single-arm cable seated row.

It is one of the best cable back exercises to consider as part of your muscle-building or strength-training workouts.

Steps to follow

• Sit in front of the machine and place your feet on an elevated platform.
• Bend your knees slightly but don’t lock them
• Grasp the single-handed attachment with one arm, ensuring your palm is facing down. You can keep your other arm by your waist.
• Extend your arms and pull back until your torso and legs are 90 degrees. Pull your chest out, and slightly arch your back to help you achieve the angle. You will feel your lats stretching in that position.
• Without moving your torso, and keeping your arms very close to your body, pull the handle towards your torso.
• Rotate your wrist as you pull to put your arm in a neutral position, that is, face your torso, by the time your hand reaches your abs. Exhale as you do the movement
• Squeeze your back muscles at the top of the movement for about a second
• Slowly return the handle to your starting position, rotating your wrist to ensure you reach your starting position with palms facing down
• Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
• Switch sides and go through the movement with the other side of your body

Cable Bent-over Pullover

The cable pullover is an isolation exercise for building mass and adding definition to your upper body.

Your latissimus dorsi or lats are the principal target. But the cable pullovers also work on your triceps, deltoid, teres major, rhomboids, and other muscles.

Check here for the Steps to follow to do the cable bent-over pullover

To get the form correct and ensure you target your back muscles,

• Keep your grip shoulder width apart.
• Keep your chest, shoulders, and back up.
• Keep your elbows at about 30 degrees throughout the movement
• Use your elbows to drive the weight
• Pull and return the bar in a slow and controlled manner.
• Ensure you pause at the top of the movement.

Standing pullovers are excellent cable back exercises for your upper body and muscle-building workout regimen.

Final words from LiveLIfe

Many find cable machines much safer to use than weights. Thus these cable back exercises will allow you to train with heavy or light resistance and with little or no risk of injury.

It may take a while to get used to working with a cable machine, especially if you are a novice. But we are confident you can enjoy and achieve your back muscle-building goals with the cable back exercises we’ve recommended if you set your mind to it.