Cable Chest PressMuscles Worked
The cable chest press works your chest, with your front delts and triceps helping you push the handles forward. The cables keep steady tension through the whole press, including the lockout, where free weights tend to ease off.
How to do it
- Set the seat or handles so the handles line up with your mid chest, and choose a weight you can control.
- Sit tall with your back against the pad and your chest up, and grab a handle in each hand.
- Start with your elbows bent and your upper arms about 45 degrees out from your sides.
- Press the handles forward and slightly together until your arms are straight, keeping your shoulder blades pulled back.
- Pause, then let the handles come back slowly until you feel a stretch across your chest, without letting the weight stack touch down.
Form tips
- Keep your shoulders down and back so they don't roll forward as you finish the press.
- Control the return as much as the press, since the cables will pull your arms back fast if you let them.
Why it made the list
No. 9 of 13
Best Chest Exercises
Cable pressing provides constant tension through the full range. Good alternative when benches are occupied.
More chest exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Cable Chest Press sets in KasMaker and watch your chest, shoulders, and triceps fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
