Most individuals assume constructing broad, robust shoulders requires barbells, dumbbells, and machines.
They’re not improper—this tools works. But it surely’s not the one possibility.
Cable shoulder workouts could be simply as efficient if you understand how to make use of them appropriately. In contrast to free weights, cables preserve fixed rigidity in your muscular tissues, are extremely adaptable, and help you prepare your shoulders from angles that different implements can’t.
One of the best workouts for constructing shoulder measurement and power with cables are:
- Standing cable shoulder press
- Seated cable shoulder press
- Cable aspect lateral increase
- Cable upright row
- Shut-grip lat pulldown
- Cable face pull
- Cable rear delt fly
On this article, you’ll learn to set up these workouts into efficient cable shoulder exercises, why cables are nice for shoulder coaching, ideas for maximizing your good points, and extra.
Key Takeaways
- To construct well-rounded shoulders, you must prepare all three deltoid heads—the entrance, aspect, and rear delts.
- One of the best cable shoulder workouts for measurement and power are the standing and seated cable shoulder press, cable aspect lateral increase, cable upright row, close-grip lat pulldown, cable face pull, and cable rear delt fly.
- Cable shoulder workouts have distinctive advantages—they preserve fixed rigidity in your muscular tissues, are simple to adapt, and help you prepare from angles that barbells and dumbbells can’t.
- To get essentially the most out of your cable shoulder exercises, prepare near failure and improve the burden you carry as you get stronger.
- Most individuals ought to embody at the very least one or two cable shoulder workouts of their routine. They’re particularly helpful if in case you have restricted tools, are rehabbing an harm, prepare in a crowded fitness center, or simply desire cables.
Shoulder Anatomy
The deltoids—or “delts”—are the muscular tissues that cowl your shoulder joints and assist transfer your higher arms ahead, upward, and backward.
Every deltoid has three heads:
- Anterior (“entrance”) deltoid
- Lateral (“aspect”) deltoid
- Posterior (“rear”) deltoid
Right here’s how they appear in your physique:
To construct robust, well-developed shoulders, you want a mix of workouts—every one focusing on a distinct a part of the deltoids:
- Overhead presses prepare all three deltoid heads, however are particularly good for constructing the front delts.
- Workouts the place your higher arm strikes out to the edges isolate the side delts to construct shoulder width.
- “Pulling” cable shoulder trains, or those who contain transferring your arms from in entrance of you to your sides, spherical out the rear delts.
Now, let’s go over the most effective shoulder workouts with cables for coaching every a part of your delts
7 Cable Shoulder Trains for Dimension and Energy
The best shoulder workouts utilizing cables have a number of issues in frequent: they help you prepare your shoulders by means of a wide variety of movement, carry heavy weights safely, and prepare with progressively heavier weights over time.
The next workouts tick all these containers, which is why they’re my picks for the most effective workouts to incorporate in your cable shoulder exercises.
1. Standing Cable Shoulder Press
Why: The standing cable shoulder press is a staple cable machine shoulder train as a result of it trains your entrance, rear, and aspect delts, alongside together with your rotator cuff muscular tissues and higher again. It additionally enables you to carry heavier weights than most different cable shoulder trains, making it preferrred for constructing muscle and power. That’s why all of the finest shoulder exercises with cables start with the standing cable shoulder press.
How you can:
- Modify each pulleys on a twin cable machine to the bottom setting and fasten the single-handle attachments.
- Seize a deal with in every hand and stand centrally between the pulleys.
- Carry the handles so that you’re holding them simply above your shoulders together with your palms going through ahead.
- Press the handles towards the ceiling till your arms are straight.
- Decrease the handles and return to the beginning place.
READ MORE: 6 Vertical Push Exercises for Shoulder Mass & Strength
2. Seated Cable Shoulder Press
Why: The seated cable shoulder press works your shoulders very like the standing model, making it one other first-rate cable machine shoulder train value together with in your exercises. The primary benefit of the seated model is that it permits you to carry barely heavier weights because you don’t must stabilize your physique as a lot.
The draw back, nevertheless, is that positioning a bench between the cables takes time, and getting the cables into the beginning place can really feel awkward since you possibly can’t regulate your physique as simply.
How you can:
- Set each pulleys on a twin cable machine to the bottom setting, connect the only deal with attachments, and place an upright bench centrally between the pulleys.
- Seize a deal with in every hand and sit on the bench.
- Carry the handles so that you’re holding them simply above your shoulders together with your palms going through ahead.
- Press the handles towards the ceiling till your arms are straight.
- Decrease the handles and return to the beginning place.
3. Cable Facet Lateral Increase
Why: The cable aspect lateral increase is among the finest shoulder workouts utilizing cables for developing the aspect delts. Growing this part of the deltoids is essential for constructing broad, proportional shoulders.
How you can:
- Set the pulley on a cable machine to the bottom setting and fasten a single deal with attachment.
- Stand together with your toes both touching or shoulder-width aside, parallel to the deal with, and your proper foot nearer to the deal with than your left.
- Seize the deal with together with your left hand and the machine together with your proper hand (most individuals desire to seize the steel column that holds the pulleys), then lean your physique to the left till your proper arm totally extends.
- Increase your left hand out to the aspect till your higher arm is parallel to the ground.
- Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.
- When you’ve accomplished the specified variety of reps, change sides and repeat the method together with your proper arm.
READ MORE: How to Do the Cable Lateral Raise: Form & Benefits
4. Cable Upright Row
Why: The cable upright row trains the aspect and rear delts in addition to the higher traps. In different phrases, it’s a superb cable shoulder train for creating all of the muscular tissues that “body” your higher physique and aesthetically join the neck to the shoulders and higher again.
How you can:
- Set the pulley on a cable machine to the bottom setting and fasten the straight bar deal with.
- Stand upright in entrance of a cable machine and maintain the straight bar in entrance of your thighs, palms going through you.
- Carry the deal with towards your chin till your higher arms are parallel with the ground, preserving your elbows greater than your forearms all through the motion.
- Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.
5. Shut-Grip Lat Pulldown
Why: Whereas all pulldown workouts prepare your rear delts, research reveals that the close-grip lat pulldown is the best. What’s extra, not like many rear deltoid workouts with cables, it additionally permits you to deal with heavy weights, so it’s preferrred for constructing shoulder mass.
How you can:
- Connect a V-bar to the lat pulldown machine pulley, then regulate the thigh pad in order that it locks your decrease physique in place.
- Arise and seize the deal with. Whereas preserving your grip on the deal with and your arms straight, sit down, permitting your physique weight to tug the bar down with you.
- Nudge your thighs underneath the pads and plant your toes on the ground.
- Pull the deal with towards your chest.
- As soon as the deal with is beneath your chin, reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.
READ MORE: Close-Grip Lat Pulldown: Form, Benefits & Variations
6. Cable Face Pull
Why: The face pull trains all of the muscular tissues accountable for pulling horizontally towards your face (together with the rear delts) and strengthens the shoulder muscular tissues that rotate your arm upward. These advantages are distinctive to the face pull and will provide help to construct stronger, extra strong shoulders.
How you can:
- Set the pulley on a cable machine to eye degree and fasten a rope deal with.
- Seize one finish of the rope in every hand and step again till the cable is taut and your arms are stretched out in entrance of you.
- Stand upright with a slight bend in your knees and your toes shoulder-width aside.
- Preserving your elbows excessive, pull the rope towards your eyes, spreading the rope aside till your arms are above your shoulders.
- Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.
READ MORE: How to Do the Face Pull: Benefits, Form, & Alternatives
7. Cable Rear Delt Fly
Why: Research reveals that workouts that mimic the motion concerned within the cable rear delt fly activate the rear delts to a excessive diploma, which is a strong indicator it’s value together with in your cable machine shoulder exercises.
How you can:
- Set each pulleys on a twin cable machine to go peak or barely above.
- Grip the ball on the finish of the right-hand cable in your left hand and the ball on the finish of the left-hand cable in your proper hand, then stand centrally between the pulleys.
- Take 1-to-2 steps backward and lift your arms out in entrance of you.
- Whereas preserving barely bent elbows, pull your arms away from one another till your arms are straight out to your sides (or barely behind your physique).
- Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.
The Greatest Cable Shoulder Exercises
You now know the most effective cable shoulder trains for coaching all three heads of the deltoids. Now, let’s focus on how you can set up these workouts into efficient cable shoulder exercises.
The next exercises comprise the most effective shoulder workouts utilizing cables and the right quantity of volume and intensity to construct robust, broad shoulders with out sporting your self out.
For finest outcomes, do Cable Shoulder Exercise #1 as soon as weekly for 8-to-10 weeks as a part of a well-designed coaching program, take a deload, after which exchange Cable Shoulder Exercise #1 with Cable Shoulder Exercise #2 for the next 8-to-10 weeks.
After that, you possibly can comply with the identical sample each 8-to-10 weeks of coaching or create your personal exercises utilizing the workouts above.
Cable Shoulder Exercise #1
- Standing Cable Shoulder Press: 4 units | 6-to-8 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Shut-Grip Lat Pulldown: 4 units | 6-to-8 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Cable Facet Lateral Increase: 4 units | 8-to-10 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
Cable Shoulder Exercise #2
- Seated Cable Shoulder Press: 4 units | 6-to-8 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Cable Upright Row: 4 units | 6-to-8 reps | 3-to-5 min relaxation
- Cable Rear Delt Fly: 4 units | 8-to-10 reps | 2-to-3 min relaxation
The Advantages of Doing Cable Shoulder Trains
Fixed Pressure
In contrast to with free-weights workouts, cable shoulder workouts preserve fixed rigidity in your muscular tissues all through all the vary of movement. Whereas this doesn’t imply they’re superior, it means they train your delts barely in a different way than free weights, which is probably going useful for anybody attempting to maximise muscle development.
Straightforward to Adapt
Cable machines are extremely adaptable. For instance, you possibly can change the peak of the pulley, use completely different handles, regulate the angle of resistance by standing, sitting, or altering the path you’re going through, and so forth.
This flexibility permits you to adapt the machine to go well with how you want to coach and what you’re attempting to realize.
Extremely Versatile
As a result of cable machines are adaptable, they help you prepare your delts in numerous methods. The advantage of coaching your muscular tissues from completely different angles and thru various ranges of movement is that it produces extra balanced development than much less different coaching.
3 Suggestions for Higher Cable Shoulder Exercises
1. Finish each set 1-to-3 reps shy of muscle failure.
As I clarify in my health books for men and women, to maximise your outcomes, it’s essential to take many of the units in your cable shoulder exercises to inside a rep or two of failure.
Ask your self on the finish of every set, “If I needed to, what number of extra reps may I’ve gotten with good type?” If the reply is greater than two, improve the burden or reps to make your subsequent set tougher.
2. When you hit the highest of your rep vary for a set, transfer up in weight.
In case your cable machine shoulder exercise requires 6-to-8 reps of the seated cable shoulder press and also you get 8 reps for a set, add 10 kilos to your subsequent set.
For those who handle 5 or fewer reps with the brand new weight, cut back the burden by 5 kilos to make sure you keep within the 6-to-8 rep vary.
Observe this pattern of attempting so as to add reps or weight to each train in each exercise.
3. Take the correct dietary supplements.
These dietary supplements will help you optimize your efficiency and good points whereas following a cable shoulder exercise routine:
- Protein powder: Protein powder, equivalent to whey or casein, supplies your physique with the vitamins needed to construct muscle tissue and recuperate from exercises.
- Creatine: Creatine dietary supplements, equivalent to creatine monohydrate powder and gummies, enhance muscle and power achieve, enhance anaerobic endurance, and cut back muscle injury and soreness out of your exercises.
- Pre-workout: A high-quality pre-workout enhances vitality, temper, and focus, will increase power and endurance, and reduces fatigue.
(For those who’d like much more particular recommendation about which dietary supplements you need to take to succeed in your well being and health targets, take the Legion Supplement Finder Quiz, and in lower than a minute, you’ll know precisely what dietary supplements are best for you.)
Who Ought to Do Cable Machine Shoulder Exercises?
Cable shoulder trains are extremely efficient for gaining muscle and power, so it’s sensible for many gymgoers to incorporate at the very least one or two of their program.
Whether or not you need to solely do cable shoulder exercises is extra difficult.
Whereas cable shoulder exercises (exercises that solely embody cable shoulder trains) are workable, they’re not as efficient for gaining whole-body muscle and power as free-weight shoulder exercises that embody workouts just like the overhead press, shoulder press, and Arnold press.
It is because you often can’t carry as heavy or work as many muscular tissues on the identical time with cables.
Nonetheless, cable machine shoulder exercises is usually a viable approach to prepare, particularly if:
- You’ve gotten restricted tools: Even poorly stocked gyms (lodge gyms, for instance) often have a cable machine, so you are able to do cable shoulder trains no matter your circumstance.
- You’re coaching round a shoulder harm: Cable shoulder trains are barely extra secure than free-weight workouts, to allow them to be helpful for rebuilding power when getting back from an harm.
- You prepare in a crowded fitness center: If barbells, dumbbells, and machines are taken, cable shoulder exercises is usually a time-efficient approach to prepare your shoulders with a single piece of apparatus.
- You get pleasure from coaching with cables: For those who like cable shoulder exercises, you’re extra prone to follow them and see higher outcomes than forcing your self by means of workouts and exercises you dislike.
FAQ #1: Which cable shoulder workouts work the entrance delts?
Any overhead urgent workouts prepare your whole shoulder, however they work the entrance delts the toughest. In truth, in case you’re doing sufficient urgent in your exercises, you don’t want additional isolation workouts for the entrance delts.
READ MORE: Best Front Deltoid Exercises for Mass
FAQ #2: Are cable shoulder exercises sufficient to construct large shoulders?
Sure, you possibly can construct muscle with cable shoulder workouts alone. That stated, whereas cables have their benefits, free weights usually allow you to carry heavier, making them higher for muscle development in lots of instances.
And that’s why applications that mix each free-weight and cable shoulder workouts are often finest for constructing shoulder mass.
FAQ #3: Do cable flys work your shoulders?
Cable flys primarily prepare the chest, however they do work the entrance delts to a small diploma. Nevertheless, if constructing larger entrance delts is your purpose, overhead presses are far simpler, so concentrate on these over flys.
Scientific References +
- Larsen Stian, et al. Dumbbell versus Cable Lateral Raises for Lateral Deltoid Hypertrophy: An Experimental Study. 17 Dec. 2024, sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/487, https://doi.org/10.51224/srxiv.487.
- McAllister, Matthew J., et al. “Effect of Grip Width on Electromyographic Activity during the Upright Row.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 27, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2013, pp. 181–187, journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2013/01000/Effect_of_Grip_Width_on_Electromyographic_Activity.25.aspx, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31824f23ad.
- Signorile, Joseph F., et al. “A Comparative Electromyographical Investigation of Muscle Utilization Patterns Using Various Hand Positions during the Lat Pull-Down.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 16, no. 4, 1 Nov. 2002, pp. 539–546, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12423182/.
- Kolber, Morey J., et al. “Characteristics of Shoulder Impingement in the Recreational Weight-Training Population.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 28, no. 4, 1 Apr. 2014, pp. 1081–1089, journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/FullText/2014/04000/Characteristics_of_Shoulder_Impingement_in_the.28.aspx, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000250.
- De, R, et al. “Analysis of Anterior, Middle and Posterior Deltoid Activation during Single and Multijoint Exercises.” The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, vol. 55, no. 7-8, 20 June 2014, www.researchgate.net/publication/263292517_Analysis_of_anterior_middle_and_posterior_deltoid_activation_during_single_and_multijoint_exercises.
- Signorile, Joseph F., et al. “Differences in Muscle Activation and Kinematics between Cable-Based and Selectorized Weight Training.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 31, no. 2, 1 Feb. 2017, pp. 313–322, journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2017/02000/Differences_in_Muscle_Activation_and_Kinematics.5.aspx, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001493.
- Costa, Bruna Daniella de Vasconcelos, et al. “Does Performing Different Resistance Exercises for the Same Muscle Group Induce Non-Homogeneous Hypertrophy?” International Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 42, no. 09, 13 Jan. 2021, pp. 803–811, https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1308-3674.
- Stokes, Tanner, et al. “Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training.” Nutrients, vol. 10, no. 2, 7 Feb. 2018, p. 180, www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/2/180/pdf.
