The cable machine is a highly versatile piece of equipment. There are lots of ways that you can use cables to strengthen the muscles of your upper body, especially your shoulders.
Not sure how to build your shoulders using cables instead of dumbbells or a barbell? Here are nine ideas for effective cable shoulder exercises that you can add to your next upper body workout.
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1. Single-Arm Lateral Raises
When it comes to growing and strengthening the muscles of the shoulders, lateral raises are a popular movement to add to your routine. Most people use dumbbells when performing lateral raises, but you can also do them with a cable machine for a different stimulus (or if the dumbbell rack at your gym is busy).
To perform these staple shoulder cable exercises correctly, follow these cues:
- Start by standing to the side of the cable machine with the cable adjusted to the lowest point
- Attach a handle to the cable, then grasp the handle in one hand; stand so that your arm is to one side and the cable is running behind your legs
- On an exhale, raise your arm straight up, stopping when it’s parallel to the floor
- Inhale and lower your arm back down
- Keep a slight bend in your elbow, but don’t let your elbow joint flex and extend; the slight bend protects your joint, but if you allow for too much movement, you won’t actually be targeting the shoulder
- Make an effort to isolate the movement so that your shoulder and arm muscles are doing most of the work; don’t bounce and use momentum to swing the weight up
- Be sure to perform this exercise on both sides
2. Anterior Raises
Make sure you’re addressing the front part of the shoulder when you’re adding shoulder exercises with cables to your workout. Cable anterior raises help you to sculpt fuller, more pronounced shoulder muscles.
One of the best ways to perform this exercise is with a straight bar attachment. Hook it to your cable machine, adjust the cable so it’s at the lowest point on the machine, then follow these steps:
- Stand with one foot on either side of the cable
- Bend down and grasp the bar in both hands, then walk forward a couple of steps to put tension on the cable — the bar should be close to your hips when starting
- On an exhale, raise your arms straight up until the bar is parallel with the floor
- Inhale and lower the bar back down to the starting position
- Keep the arm locked with a slight bend in the elbow
- As with the lateral raises, do your best to avoid bouncing or swinging the weight up
3. Bent-Over Rear Delt Flyes
To really define your shoulder muscles and ensure they look good from all angles, make sure you’re also adding rear delt flyes to your workouts. This exercise targets the rear delt, which is the back part of your shoulder muscle.
To do bent-over rear delt flyes, you’ll need to stand in the center of the cable machine and grasp a cable in each hand. Before you begin, adjust the cables so they’re at the lowest point on the machine. From here, follow these cues:
- Hold a cable in each hand, crossing them so they form an “X”
- Hinge at your hips as though you were about to do a bent-over row
- On an exhale, raise your arms straight up to the sides until they’re parallel to the floor
- Inhale and lower your arms back down
- Keep the elbows locked and bent slightly
4. Leaning Single-Arm Lateral Raises
This variation of the single-arm lateral raise allows you to better target the delt and prevents you from using momentum to swing up the weight. Here are some tips to help you ensure you’re doing it correctly:
- Start by standing next to the cable machine, grasping the cable as you would for a regular single-arm lateral raise
- Grasp the side of the machine with your opposite hand and adjust your feet so they’re closer to the machine
- Lean out to one side, holding onto the machine to avoid tipping over
- On an exhale, raise your arm until it’s parallel to the floor
- Keep your elbow locked with a slight bend
5. Face Pulls
It wouldn’t be a list of cable exercises for shoulders if we didn’t mention face pulls. Face pulls are another excellent exercise for the rear delts. They also target the muscles of the upper back and are great for those who want to improve their posture.
To do face pulls correctly, follow these steps:
- Attach a rope to the cable machine and adjust the cable to the highest point
- Stand in front of the machine and grasp one end of the rope in each hand (use an overhand grip and turn your palms, so they’re facing each other)
- Lift your elbows so they’re level with your shoulders
- Take a step back to put tension on the cable
- On an exhale, bend the elbows and pull the rope attachment toward your face
- When the attachment gets close to your face, split your hands so that one end of the rope goes on either side of the face
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together, then return to the starting position on an inhale
6. Cable Shoulder Press
The cable shoulder press is similar to an overhead press, but you’re using a cable and straight bar attachment instead of a set of dumbbells or a barbell.
Start by attaching the straight bar to the cable machine and adjusting the cable to its lowest point. From here, follow these steps:
- Pull the weight up so it’s sitting in front of your shoulders
- Inhale, squeeze the glutes, and engage the score
- On an exhale, raise the bar straight up over your head
- Make sure you’re not arching your lower back or using your legs to help you push it up
- Inhale and return to the starting position
7. Cable Upright Row
Upright rows target the front part of the shoulder and are a good accessory exercise to add to your upper body days.
When doing this exercise, you can use either a straight bar attachment or a rope attachment. Whichever attachment you choose, adjust the cable so it’s at its lowest point, grasp the bar or rope with both hands, and then take a step back to put some tension on the cable.
From here, follow these cues:
- On an exhale, bend the elbows and pull the bar or rope straight up toward your chest
- Stop when the elbows are level with your shoulders
- Inhale and return to the starting position
8. Rear Delt Crossover
If you’re interested in focusing on building your rear delts, the rear delt crossover is another one of the best cable machine shoulder exercises to do on a regular basis. This is similar to the cable rear delt flyes, but you start with the cables at a higher point on the machine.
Grasp a cable in each hand, making sure they cross and form an “X”, and start with your hands close together. Then, follow these guidelines:
- On an exhale, separate your arms and pull them down and back (think about opening your arms as though you’re doing a chest fly)
- Inhale and return to the starting position
- Be sure to avoid arching your back and letting momentum take over
9. Cable Shrug
Shrugs mainly target your trapezius muscles (the muscles that start at the base of the neck and end at the upper back). They also create an additional stimulus for the shoulders, though, and will help you to sculpt a more well-rounded upper body.
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of cable shrugs:
- Attach a straight bar to the cable and adjust the cable to its lowest point
- Grasp the bar with both hands, using an overhand grip (palms should be facing down)
- On an exhale, shrug your shoulders up toward your ears to lift the bar a few inches (don’t move your arms)
- Inhale and return to the starting position
Get Bigger, Stronger Shoulders with These Cable Shoulder Exercises
Do you want to grow and strengthen your shoulders? If so, there are lots of cable shoulder exercises that can help.
Keep this list of exercises in mind as you start planning your next upper body workout, and you’ll have no trouble getting the nicely shaped shoulders you’ve always wanted!
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