SPLYT · Workouts · Routines · Exercises · Tools
Back · Cables · 44 exercises

Back workouts with cables

Cable back workouts: pulldowns and rows from a single cable station, with constant tension on the lats and upper back from the first rep to the last.

Your back has two jobs to train: vertical pulls (pull-ups and pulldowns) build the lats and the width of the back, and horizontal pulls (rows) build the thickness of the mid and upper back. A complete back workout includes both, plus some direct rear-shoulder work.

A cable keeps tension on the muscle through the whole range, including the ends of a movement where a dumbbell goes slack, and moving the pulley up or down changes the angle of resistance. Cables make it easy to add a little weight at a time.

Cable back workout

Everything from one cable station: pull down, row in, then isolate the lats.

  1. Lat Pulldown
    Sets
    4
    Reps
    8–12
    Rest
    2 min
  2. Seated Cable Row
    Sets
    4
    Reps
    8–12
    Rest
    90 s
  3. Cable Straight Arm Pulldown
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    12–15
    Rest
    60 s
  4. Face Pull
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    15
    Rest
    60 s
  5. Cable One Arm Pulldown
    Sets
    2
    Reps
    10–12 each side
    Rest
    60 s

Cable back workout, variety day

Different grips and angles for the second back day of the week.

  1. Cable Underhand Pulldown
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    8–12
    Rest
    2 min
  2. Seated Cable Row (Wide Bar)
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    10–12
    Rest
    90 s
  3. Cable One Arm Bent Over Row
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    10–12 each side
    Rest
    60 s
  4. Cable Straight Arm Pulldown (With Rope)
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    12–15
    Rest
    60 s

Can’t do one of these?

Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.

Tips

  • Lead each pull with your elbows, not your hands. Think of your hands as hooks; it keeps the biceps from taking over.
  • Pause for a beat with the weight pulled in. If you can’t hold the squeeze, the load is too heavy to train the back well.
  • Let your shoulder blades move. Reaching forward at the start of a row and up at the top of a pulldown gives the lats a full stretch.
  • Step far enough from the stack that the weight never touches down between reps; that keeps the tension on the whole set.

Run this workout in SPLYT

Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.

Get SPLYT on the App Store

44 back exercises with cables

Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.

All cable exercises →

Questions

How many back exercises can you do with cables?

SPLYT’s exercise library has 44 back exercises you can do with cables, including Lat Pulldown, Cable One Arm Pulldown and Cable Underhand Pulldown. Each one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration.

What is the best exercise for back width?

Pull-ups and lat pulldowns, which train the lats through a vertical pull. Rows add thickness to the middle of the back more than width.

Should I use straps on back day?

For heavy rows and deadlifts, straps let your back keep working after your grip gives out. Train your grip separately so it still improves.

Are cables as good as free weights?

For building muscle, yes. Free weights let you go heavier on the big lifts, while cables keep tension through the whole movement. Most good programs use both.

More workouts

Fit it into a weekly split

Free tools