Do Cable Machines Build Muscle

Have you ever been to the gym past 5 p.m.? It’s incredibly crowded – every bench and dumbbell is being used while the cable machine is untouched. Does this mean it’s a bad choice? Definitely not.

Cable machines are practical, safe, easy to use, and are one of the best machines to build muscle. They’re most effective when toning muscles or increasing their size and strength. Athletes who use cables grow into an athletic body; broad shoulders and pinched waist, though they do lack the core stability and balance other training methods give.

Can You Get Big From Cable Machines

If you’re a powerlifter not so much; but, if you are in the gym to put on size and get bigger, cables are not only effective but a crucial way to build your physique.

The two main reasons why cables are so good for body improvements are:

• The constant resistance of a cable means you’re under tension on the eccentric movement, as well as the concentric. Therefore, your muscles stay contracted through the whole rep; leading to continuous tear and repair. This builds you a bigger frame.
  
  This is unlike traditional dumbbells where your muscles tend to only contract during the concentric part.
  
  
• Cable machines give complete flexibility to change the angle of each exercise. This offers razor-sharp muscle isolation, enabling you to load all the weight onto a single muscle group. This increases muscle hypertrophy; making muscle fibers bigger and stronger
  
  Other training methods, such as bodyweight exercises, use compound movements. In this case, you can’t pinpoint the muscle group you want to develop as precisely as cables.

The extent to how big cables can get you is dependent on the maximum weight each cable pulls and the clip-on attachments. Saying this, most can’t max out the machine so the only limiting factor is what attachments you have. So, we’ve listed the necessities:

• Rope.
• Straight Bar.
• Handles.
• Double-D Row Handle.

Do Cable Machines Burn Fat

Due to their compact structure, cable machines are an effective way to incorporate circuit training into your workout. For people wanting to lose weight, this ensures a fast-paced workout, helping to burn calories and lower fat levels.

Cables are conveniently placed in one spot, so you can rapidly start another exercise once you’ve finished one. This is even quicker when using a dual-stand cable. As a result, you can prepare a circuit with 4+ exercises without having to move to different areas in the gym. As a result, your workout’s intensity remains consistently high – a critical element to losing weight.

If your fitness goal is burning off fat, we have some essential tips when using a cable machine to optimize results. These are:

• Keep all the necessary attachments close to you on standby so you can quickly swap, for example, a rope for a straight bar. This prevents you from wasting time mid-set trying to find bits of equipment.
  
  
• Ensure your circuit targets multiple muscle groups. As cables are so precise at isolating, a common mistake is exhausting the muscles before you start burning fat. Training a range of muscle groups prevents this from happening. For example, a push circuit, a leg-only circuit or an upper-body circuit.
  
  
• Don’t limit yourself on using the cable machine exclusively. To get your heart racing, keep a box next to you to jump on; a floor–mat to do push-ups; or even a skipping rope to take the intensity to the next level.
  
  
• Cables guide your exercise movements very well. While this is great for beginners, it sometimes puts you on autopilot when training. Remember to go fast-paced and keep a high-quality rep to burn as much fat as possible.

Does Cable Training Make You Stronger

Due to the adjustable weight, cable machines allow you to overload progressively, making it an excellent decision for strength training. Regardless of if it’s cable flyers, bicep curls, or tricep extensions, as long as you gradually increase the cable’s resistance, you’ll notice the strength gains.

To tailor a cable machine into a strength-based workout, you should do the following:

• Increase the weight.
• Lower the number of reps.
• Go slow through the negative.

This prolongs time under tension and maximizes muscle tear and repair.

Specifically, cables are suitable for strengthening targetted muscles, i.e, after an injury, when you have to build strength in a certain place. Not so much for functional strength. Here’s why:

Cable machines fail at mimicking real-life gestures. The tension the cable is under restricts motion, so you’re forced to pull the weight in a certain angle and direction. These movements are far from day-to-day actions, so it doesn’t improve functional strength.

Cable training is far better at building absolute strength. It’s as simple as isolating the muscle group you want to strengthen and progressively overloading it by gradually increasing the tension it’s under.

Note:
The effectiveness depends on your fitness goals. If you want relative strength, stick to bodyweight exercise. But if you want to increase absolute strength and target specific muscle groups, cable training is a super choice.

Below we’ve listed a few strength-targeted cable exercises to begin with:

Are Cable Machines Better Than Weights

A heavily debated subject: cable machines versus weights (dumbbells, plates, etc.) Throwing all the bro science to one side, it’s only right to say this:

When it comes to cable machines and free weights, one isn’t better than the other. Instead, the one that’s prime for you depends on your personal fitness goals. In general, free weights are preferred over cables as they’re more versatile and practical; however, this isn’t to say cables don’t hold a strong value in the fitness industry.

A misconception within the gym is that cables are for beginners and free weights are for experienced lifters. This is entirely false. While cables are friendlier to use, both are used effectively by athletes at all skill levels.

To help you decide which is best for you, we have summarized their advantages:

Advantages of Cable Machines Over Weights

• Cables are safer to use and offer greater support during movements. This is great for gym novices or people carrying an injury to build their confidence and strength.
  
  
• Cables are better for home gyms as they also take a lot less space. For example, one cable machine can match the maximum weight of a whole shelf of dumbbells.
  
  
• Cables are optimal for muscle isolation. A few perks of this include more precise training, a faster rate of hypertrophy, and prevention of injury by poor form.

Advantages of Weights Over Cable Machines

• Free weights are better for building functional strength. The movements aren’t as isolated or strict, and lots of secondary muscles are used. This makes day-to-day tasks more effortless.
  
  
• When training with free weights, you’re more involved with each movement. It’s like driving an old-school Porsche rather than a Tesla. This makes the workout a lot more fun and engaging – as well as the physical benefits.
  
  
• Weights are more cost-effective than a cable machine. Even though they use more space, budgeting is equally as important when making a home gym. If you spend the same amount, you’ll have a larger variety of exercises with weights and a bench instead of a cable machine.

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