So, cables. Yeah, those things. People ask me what I do with ’em. It ain’t some secret sauce, but here’s how I go about my cable workouts. My way, not the highway, but it works for me.
First thing’s first. I walk up to the cable station. If it looks like a bomb went off – attachments everywhere, plates all over – I just sigh. Some folks, I swear. Anyway, find a spot, grab the handles or ropes I need. Gotta make sure the pin actually goes in the hole too. You laugh, but I’ve seen ’em slip.
What I Actually Do
Usually, I’m hitting back first. Seated rows are my bread and butter here. Set it low. Pull. Squeeze those back muscles. Don’t just arm-drag it like a newbie. Feel it. That’s the whole point.
Then chest. Cable flyes, mostly. Pulleys up high, or mid-level. Step out. Stretch. Squeeze ’em together. Like you’re hugging a giant tree. Sounds dumb, but it works. Sometimes I’ll do a press if I feel like it. Constant tension, that’s the magic of cables for chest.
Shoulders next. Gotta do face pulls. Use the rope. Pull it to your forehead. Elbows out. Sounds simple. Burns like hell if you do it right. Good for keeping your shoulders from caving in from all that pressing. Sometimes single-arm lateral raises. Slow and controlled. No swinging.
Arms, obviously. Biceps: low pulley, bar or rope. Curl it. Keep your elbows stuck to your ribs. No ego lifting. For triceps, pushdowns. All the way down. Squeeze. Feel that horseshoe pop. Yeah.
Why I Even Bother With Cables
Look, I wasn’t always a cable guy. Nah. For years, it was all barbells and dumbbells. Heavy iron. That was “real” lifting, I thought. Cables? That was for… well, I thought it was fluffy stuff. Stuff you did if you couldn’t handle the real weights. My mate, old Johnny, he’d be on the cables, and I’d kinda snicker. Idiot, right? That was me.
Then my shoulder started giving me grief. Every damn time I benched, little sharp pain. Annoying as hell. Couldn’t go heavy. Johnny sees me wincing one day. He’s like, “Told ya to try the cables for a bit, ya stubborn mule.” He didn’t actually say mule, but you get the picture. I was desperate. So, swallowed my pride. Went over to the cables for chest stuff.
And you know what? He was right. That smooth pull, easier on the joints. Shoulder started feeling better. And the pump? Holy moly. I started using ’em for other stuff too. Realized I could hit angles I just couldn’t before. It ain’t about cables or free weights. It’s cables and free weights. Johnny still smirks when he sees me at the cable station. Deserves to, I guess.
So there you have it. My cable routine, more or less. I mix it up, change attachments, whatever. But that constant pull from the cables, man, it just works. If you’re still thinking they’re just for show, give ’em a serious try. You might just surprise yourself. Find your groove. That’s all there is to it.
