10 Effective Cable Machine Leg Exercises

Cable machine workouts can offer you impressive benefits and muscle gains but what are some leg exercises you can do with cables?

The cable machine is a piece of fitness equipment where a steel frame holds weights and pulleys. Thanks to the cable going through these pulleys and attached to these weights you can do many types of strength training exercises for a wide variety of muscles.

Most people think about barbells and dumbbells when talking about leg exercises. While these other pieces of equipment can be helpful, the cable machine can also be used as a gym machine for leg muscles.

These exercises require a variety of handles varying from ankle straps to the straight bar cable attachment. In some cases you can improvise, in others, you want to stick to the recommended handle.

Keep in mind that even though there are many benefits, your injury risk is generally also higher when you do exercises with more weight/resistance.

1. Cable machine squats

To do a cable squat take the following steps:

1. Put the cable pulley at a low setting and preferably use a straight bar handle. You can use others as well but in that case, you may have to use a different stance.
2. Grab the straight bar attachment with an overhanded grip with your hands at about shoulder width.
3. Stand up with a straight back and slightly leaning backward right next to the cable machine with your face towards it. Put your feet at more or less shoulder width.
4. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. Keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement and adjust how far you lean back for balance.
5. Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your legs.

Squats are one of the, if not the most, popular leg exercises, and for a good reason. They are a great option for an overall leg workout.

While squats are traditionally done with free weights like a barbell or dumbbells, or in a machine like a leg press, you can definitely use the cable machine to add resistance to the exercise.

2. Cable glute kickbacks

For the next leg exercise, you will need an ankle strap attachment. In theory, you could also use a single D-grip handle but this is a lot less safe and typically not recommended.

Once you have the right gear, take the following steps to do a cable glute kickback.

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use an ankle strap handle.
2. Stand with your face toward the cable machine and strap on the ankle band. You can hold the cable machine during the exercise for balance.
3. Lean forward to about a 45-degree angle to a vertical line.
4. Slowly move the foot with the strap back and with your knee slightly bent until your leg is stretched at an angle somewhat more vertical than just a horizontal line.
5. Return your foot to starting position in a controlled motion.

As the name implies, the cable glute kickback is an exercise that focuses on your glute muscles. Additionally, you get a lot of hamstring engagement and a small amount of outer thigh and inner thigh muscle engagement.

Something that stands out in cable glute kickbacks is that you work out one side at a time.

The benefit of this is that it can help you avoid muscle imbalances that come from using one side more than the other in two-legged exercises. On the other hand, this does require more time to get in a full workout.

3. Standing cable abductions en adductions

This next option actually exists of two exercises for two different parts of your legs but because the movement is so similar they get a single step description. To do a cable abduction take the following steps:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use an ankle strap handle. You may be able to get away with a D-grip handle but the ankle strap is safer.
2. Stand with your side toward the cable machine and strap on the ankle band on the leg furthest away from the machine. You can hold the cable machine during the exercise for balance.
3. Tilt your weight slightly to the cable machine so the leg without the strap carries your weight.
4. Lowly move the foot with the ankle strap sideways until it is at about a 45-degree angle with the rest of your body. Keep your legs stretched throughout the exercise.
5. Move the leg back to the position in step 3 in a controlled motion.

Cable leg abductions, moving your leg away sideways from the other one against resistance, engage your outer thighs and glutes.

For cable leg adductions, moving one leg sideways to the opposite side, you need to put the strap on the leg closest to the cable machine. Leg adductions will engage your inner thigh muscles.

4. Cable machine calf raises

To do a cable calf raise take the following steps:

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. Grab the straight bar attachment with an overhanded grip with your hands at about shoulder width.
3. Stand up with a straight back right next to the cable machine with your face towards it. Put your feet at more or less shoulder width.
4. Raise your heels off the ground with the help of your calf muscles as far as you safely can.
5. Lower your body again in a controlled motion.

For calf raises it can be helpful to have a good calf raise platform below your front feet. That way your muscles are able to go through the full range of motion.

When using an elevated surface, take a break at the bottom of the calf raise movement so that you use your muscles and not your tendons to move upward.

You can also do sitting calf raises with the cable machine to target different calf muscles. Similarly, you can change the stance of your feet to target slightly different calf muscles.

5. Lying hamstring curls

It is challenging to find many exercises and gym machines that really isolate the hamstring muscles, your back upper leg muscles. Luckily the cable machine can help with this. To do a lying hamstring curl take the following steps:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use an ankle strap handle. You may be able to get away with a D-grip handle but the ankle strap is safer. If you have a yoga mat or something similar put it next to the cable machine.
2. Lie next to the cable machine with your feet toward it strap on the ankle band on one of your legs.
3. Slowly fold the leg with the ankle strap at the knee and bring your foot to your butt as far as you can.
4. Move the foot back to the position in step 2 in a controlled motion.

You can also do a cable hamstring curl while standing up but often either the tension or your balance will be suboptimal. One advantage is that you do not have to lie on the gym floor.

6. Cable machine leg extensions

To do leg extensions with the cable machine you want something like a weight bench to sit on. Once you have that to do a leg extension take the following steps:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use an ankle strap handle. You may be able to get away with a D-grip handle but the ankle strap is safer. Put the weight bench next to the cable machine in a way that doesn’t interfere with the rest of the exercise.
2. Strap on the ankle band on one of your legs and sit with your back toward the cable machine on the bench in a way where your folded leg already feels a pull from the cable weight.
3. Slowly stretch the leg with the ankle strap until it is fully stretched.
4. Move the foot back to the position in step 2 in a controlled motion.

This cable machine exercise is great for people who want to isolate their quadricep (front upper thigh) muscles.

If you really like leg extensions but don’t want to invest in a cable machine, there are also other ways to do this exercise at home.

7. Cable machine deadlifts

To do a deadlift with the cable machine take the following steps:

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. Stretch your knees and tilt back your upper body at the same time until your upper body and legs are stretched in one straight line. You may have to lean back slightly for balance. When doing a deadlift it is very important to keep your back in a straight line during the exercise.
5. Slowly move back into the position of step 3.

If needed you can stand on some sort of platform to make the tension more consistent throughout the exercise.

Among a variety of leg muscles, deadlifts can also help you strengthen your lower back if you do them with the right technique and the right amount of weight.

8. Cable pull-throughs

To do a cable pull-through take the following steps:

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 step 3 and step 4.

This exercise focuses on your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.

9. Good morning‘s

To do a good morning with a cable machine take the following steps:

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 deadlift but you go a lot less through your knees. This exercise engages your glutes, lower back, core, and hamstrings. On the other hand, it does engage your quadriceps less than squats or deadlifts.

10. Cable machine reverse lunges

To do a reverse lunge with the cable machine take the following steps:

1. Put the cable pulley as close to the ground as possible and preferably use a double-rope attachment. You can use others as well but in that case, you may have to use a different stance.
2. The end position for the second step is you with your back toward the cable machine with each rope going over one shoulder with the hand of that side holding the rope. You can grab the ropes while facing the cable machine and then twist or start with your back toward it and get in the position that way.
3. Take two or three steps forward so you have room to do the exercise. If needed lean forward slightly to brace against the weight from the cable machine but keep your back straight.
4. Move one leg back as if you would take a big step back but keep your weight mainly on your front leg. As you do this your front knee folds into an angle of about 90 degrees.
5. Return to the position of step 3.
6. Repeat step 4 but with your other leg taking the step back.

Similar to squats, lunges are a great cable exercise for an overall leg workout.