Cable Chest Press

Starting position:

Set resistance to match your fitness level and type of training. Grab hold of the pulleys and step forward with both hands.  Step forward in front of an imaginary straight line between both pulleys with one leg (your front leg) slightly bent; your torso should have a small forward bend from the waist so that your shoulders are in line with the knee of the front leg and at the same time make an extension of the rear leg which is straightened. Extend your arms to the side (your palms are down) so that your elbows are bent to 90 degrees and come to one level with your shoulders and wrists.

Exercise:

Begin by extending the arm (not completely) in front of your chest until your hands almost touch each other. Your torso and legs are in the same position.  Wrists remain in the same position all along, no rotation is desired. Go back to the starting position by flexing your elbows again. Breathe in as you start and breathe out as you bring your hands forward. Repeat as required.

Note:

Make sure you maintain a correct stance with an upright torso, no back bending (a neutral pelvis position without lordosis), your toes are straight.

Be aware of undesirable elbow straightening as you come back to the starting position.

Avoid excessive back bending in the upper back which may occur if you use large resistance (especially when you release the weight).

Recommendation:

As you start, choose an appropriate resistance to master the technique well.

If possible, perform the exercise in front of the mirror and watch yourself to make sure your shoulders, elbows and knees – basically your whole body - are in the correct position.

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The cable chest press is a safer alternative to bench press. It is a more isolated/limited movement and as such it is less suited to muscle growth than bench press using free weights (whether barbell or dumbbell press).

First advantage of cable chest press over barbell bench press is that you can turn the hands in a safer position: palms are not facing straight down but can be somewhat turned towards the position where they are facing each other.

Depending on your choice you can stand closer to or further away from the two pulleys: the closer you are the smaller is the pressure on your shoulders in the starting position (of course what we mean here is that you must start from a position where the ropes are just stretched but still do not lift the weights).

More common form of this exercise is that you actually take the ropes as far as possible from the pulleys to feel the pressure during the whole set.

If the pulleys are too far from each other you may not be able to do this exercise – they will be more suitable for standing cable flyes.

Probably the main advantage of cables is that you can choose how high do you point the handles: if you pull (or push from your perspective because this is a movement away from the body) them from lower position up you will strengthen upper part of the chest and vice versa.

And of course – there’s no need for a spotter, a common problem in some gyms.