5 Cable Exercises For A Strong Lower Back

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While cable machine workouts often do not include them, you can use this machine in a variety of exercises for a stronger lower back.

The first thing to note is that the cable machine is not the ideal piece of equipment for strengthening your lower back.

If you are at a gym anyway, you could use other equipment like a barbell, other free weights, and/or lower back gym machines.

That being said, there are still a few cable exercises you can do to grow and strengthen your lower back muscles.

For most of the exercises, there are a few different types of handles that will offer the best results

Even so, it is also often possible to improvise and use other handles as well. For lower back exercises, this is not as essential compared to for example cable leg exercises which often need an ankle strap attachment.

1. 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 right next to the cable machine 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 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 a regular deadlift but you go a lot less through your knees. This exercise engages your lower back, glutes, core, and hamstrings.

On the other hand, the good morning does engage your quadriceps less than squats or deadlifts. Depending on your training goals this can be both a good or bad thing.

2. 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.

3. Bent-over cable row

The cable machine allows you to do rows seated but a standing bent-over row done with the cable machine will also make this exercise challenging for your lower back.

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.

Your lower back will help you keep your back straight. Upper back muscles like the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius will help you do the rowing movement.

Other bent-over cable exercises may also challenge your lower back muscles a certain amount.

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.

This exercise focuses on your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. One downside of the pull-through is that your grip muscles may fatigue faster than your lower back since the latter is so much stronger.

5. Weighted back extension with cables

It is generally recommended to use a good back extension machine or roman chair at your gym in combination with the cable machine for this next lower back exercise.

Take the following steps to do a back extension with the dedicated machine and a cable machine:

  1. Put the back extension machine in front of the cable machine with the hip pad towards it. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and use any two-handed grip you prefer.
  2. Take place in the back extension machine. Keep a straight back for now. Make sure you are locked in place safely.
  3. Slowly bend down as far as you can while keeping your back straight. The bending movement comes from your hips, not your lower back.
  4. Grab the cable machine handle and hold it against your chest or another comfortable upper body area.
  5. Move up your upper body in a controlled motion until your body is in a straight line.
  6. Alternate between the positions in steps 3 and 5.

The most popular way to make back extensions weighted and in turn more challenging for your lower back muscles is a weight plate but you can definitely use a cable machine effectively.

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Author:

Matt Claes founded Weight Loss Made Practical to help people get in shape and stay there after losing 37 pounds and learning the best of the best about weight loss, health, and longevity for over 4 years. Over these years he has become an expert in nutrition, exercise, and other physical health aspects.