10 Cable Exercises For Stronger Back Muscles

Cable machine workouts can be very versatile. You have a variety of options if you are interested in back exercises with cables.

Thanks to all the different angles of tension you can create, the cable machine is a great gym machine for back muscles.

For most of the exercises, there are a few types of handles that are preferable. Even so, the equipment requirements are not necessarily that strict.

Especially not compared to for example cable leg exercises which often need an ankle strap attachment.

1. Seated cable row

A regular weight lifting row involves standing bent over and moving an external weight up and down. Thanks to the setup of the cable machine you can also do this exercise sitting down.

The seated cable row exercise often has its own type of cable machine with a platform to brace your feet against and a seat to sit down on. You can also create your own version with a regular cable machine and a double D grip.

Take the following steps to do a seated cable row:

1. Select your desired weight.
2. Grab the handle and take place in the seat with your legs slightly less than stretched and a straight back.
3. Slowly pull the handle toward your stomach while keeping your back straight and your upper arms close to your body. You will have to squeeze your shoulder blades to do this.
4. Move your hands back into the position of step 2 in a controlled motion.

The seated cable row engages a wide variety of back muscles that include the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius.

You can also do the cable row one-handed, standing up, and with other cable row attachments.

2. Cable shrug

Take the following steps to do a cable shrug:

1. Set the cable machine low to the ground and select your desired weight. You can use a variety of handles like a double-D grip, EZ bar, straight bar, double-rope, etc. In this example, a double-D grip will be used.
2. Stand right in front of the cable machine with your face toward it and your feet at about shoulder width. Pick up the double D-grip handle. Stand up straight. Your arms start slightly less than stretched and pointing down.
3. Raise your shoulders as far as you can in a controlled manner.
4. Slowly lower your shoulders again.

The shoulder shrug does not look like the most impressive motion but this cable machine exercise can be great to help you improve your trapezius muscle, also known as traps.

3. Lat pulldown

Similar to the seated cable row the lat pulldown exercise often has its own machine setup. This is basically a seat with pads to brace your upper thighs against in front of a cable machine.

The pads are there so you don’t pull yourself up during the exercise.

The handle attached is generally a long bar that is bent at the ends. If you only use very light weights you can also create your own version with a regular cable machine and a straight bar grip.

Take the following steps to do a lat pulldown:

1. Take place the seat with your legs anchored behind the thigh pads. Select the desired weight.
2. Grab the handle with an overhanded grip, this means hand palms facing forward/downward, with your hands at about shoulder width. Lean back slightly with your upper body.
3. Slowly pull down the bar by folding your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together until the bar reaches your chest.
4. Lower the bar back into the position of step 2 in a controlled motion.

As the name implies this exercise mainly engages your latissimus dorsi also known as your lats.

4. Cable pull-through

Take the following steps to do a cable pull-through:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use a double-rope attachment. You may be able to use other grip attachments but these will be a lot more uncomfortable.
2. Stand right next to the cable machine with your back toward it. Grab the double rope handle through your legs so that the cable goes through your legs and take a step forward.
3. Bend your knees slightly and bend your upper body forward as far as you can without bending your back.
4. Slowly move up your upper body until you stand up straight. Keep your back straight and your arms pointing downward. Make sure you don’t hunch your shoulders.
5. Alternate between the positions in steps 3 and 4.

Upper back muscles get a lot of attention but your lower back muscles are important too.

The cable pull-through can focus a lot on your lower back muscles if you really focus on bending and stretching your spine instead of keeping it straight.

No matter what way you do them, cable pull throughs will also work your glutes and hamstrings a lot.

5. Bent-over cable row

The cable machine allows you to do rows seated but a standing bent-over row done with the cable machine is a great back exercise too.

Take the following steps to do a bent-over cable row:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use a double-D grip handle. You can also use a variety of other handles.
2. Grab the handle, take a step or two away from the cable machine, and stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width and your face towards the machine.
3. Slightly fold your knees and tilt your upper body forward until it is at about a 45-degree angle with the ground while keeping your back straight.
4. Bend your elbows until your hands reach your body. The goal is to mainly make your back muscles support this movement. Keep your arms close to your body, your body in a straight line, and your feet in the same position during the movement.
5. Lower your hands again to the position of step 3 in a controlled motion.

By doing the cable row standing up you engage muscles like your core and legs more compared to the seated cable row. Even so, this exercise still mainly focuses on muscles like the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius.

6. Cable machine good morning

Take the following steps to do a good morning with a cable machine:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use a straight bar handle. You can also use a variety of other handles.
2. Stand up straight next to the cable machine with your feet at more or less shoulder width and your face towards the machine. Make sure you have enough room to do the rest of the exercise.
3. Slightly fold your knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the straight bar attachment with an overhanded grip with your hands at about shoulder width.
4. Get in an upright position, for the first repetition you can use your legs to do so.
5. Tilt your upper body forward as far as is comfortable with a good posture (but not farther than a horizontal line). At the same time bend your knees a small amount.
6. Return to the position in step 4 in a controlled motion.

The good morning may look similar to a squat or deadlift but you go a lot less through your knees. This exercise engages your lower back, glutes, core, and hamstrings.

As you can see not the most back-exclusive example but exercises like these can deserve a spot in your workout plan anyway.

7. Straight arm cable pulldown

Take the following steps to do a straight arm pulldown:

1. Set the cable machine as high as possible and preferably use a straight bar handle. You can also use a variety of other handles.
2. Grab the handle, take a step or two away from the cable machine, and stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width and your face towards the machine.
3. Slightly fold your knees and tilt your upper body forward until it is at about a 45-degree angle with the ground while keeping your back straight. Let your slightly less-than-stretched arms point upward toward the cable pulley.
4. Lower your arms until they reach your waist. Keep your arms slightly less than stretched throughout the movement.
5. Move your arms back up into the position in step 3 in a controlled motion.

The straight arm pulldown engages muscles like the latissimus dorsi and rear deltoids (back of the deltoid shoulder muscle).

Compared to the regular lat pulldown, the straight arm pulldown engages muscles like your biceps and trapezius less.

8. Reverse cable fly

The fly is a popular resistance training exercise to strengthen your chest muscles. You can also do the reverse fly with a cable machine to engage certain back muscles.

You can either work out one side at a time or two depending on your cable machine. Take the following steps to do a bent-over reverse cable fly with one pulley:

1. Set the cable machine low to the ground, attach a D-grip handle, and select your desired weight.
2. Stand right in front of the cable machine with your side toward it. Pick up the D-grip handle with your hand furthest away from the cable machine. Bend forward slightly while keeping your back straight until your upper body is as close as horizontal to the ground. Your arm with the handle is slightly less than stretched and starts pointing down. You can put your other hand on the cable machine to brace yourself.
3. Slowly raise your hand with the handle out to the side until it is at shoulder height. Keep your arm slightly less than stretched.
4. Lower your hand back into starting position in a controlled motion.
5. Repeat the same number of repetitions with your other arm.

The main back muscles the reverse cable fly focuses on are the rhomboids. You could also work your trapezius a decent amount if you really move your shoulder blades back and forth.

On top of these, the reverse cable fly is also a cable shoulder exercise that engages your rear deltoids, the back of your main shoulder muscle.

9. Cable machine Romanian deadlift

Take the following steps to do a Romanian deadlift with the cable machine:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use a straight bar handle. You can also use a variety of other handles.
2. Stand up straight right next to the cable machine with your feet at more or less shoulder width and your face towards the machine. Make sure you have enough room to do the rest of the exercise.
3. Slightly fold your knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the straight bar attachment with an overhanded grip with your hands at about shoulder width.
4. Get in an upright position, for the first repetition you can use your legs to do so.
5. Slightly tilt your upper body forward as far as you can without bending your back or knees or until the bar/other attachment is right below knee height.
6. Slowly move back into the position of step 4.

Good technique is important in any exercise to avoid injuries but especially so for Romanian deadlifts.

Before selecting the heaviest weights it is smart to improve your Romanian deadlift technique first by selecting a light or no cable weight at all.

The Romanian deadlift focuses on muscles like your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.

10. Cable face pull

For this next exercise, you preferably want to use the double rope grip cable attachment. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a cable face pull:

1. Set the cable machine at about the height of the bottom of your face, attach a double rope grip handle, and select your desired weight.
2. Grab the handle in your hands, hand palms facing each other, with your face towards the anchor. Take a step or two backward with your arms stretched forward. Stand with your 2 feet at about shoulder width.
3. Move your arms in a smooth motion towards a position where your upper arms are at a 90-degree angle with your body and your lower arms are pointing up and are at a 45-degree angle with your upper arms. Keep your feet in the same position and your back straight during the exercise.
4. Slowly move your arms back into the position of step 2.

The cable face pull engages your rhomboids, trapezius, and the rear of your deltoids. If you have any trouble keeping a good posture throughout the day this exercise can help you out a lot.