Cable Chest Press
Trains the Pecs.
- Equipment
- A cable station
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set both pulleys at about chest height and take a handle in each hand.
- Step forward through the cables into a split stance so they are under tension behind you.
- Start with your hands beside your chest and your elbows behind your torso.
- Brace your stomach and press both hands forward until the arms are almost straight.
- Bring the hands slightly together as they travel, following the line the cables want.
- Let the cables draw your hands back to your chest under control.
Common mistakes
- Standing level with the pulleys. Without stepping through, the cables pull sideways rather than backward and there is no tension at the front of the movement.
- Standing square with both feet level. A split stance is what lets you resist being pulled backward; feet together turns every repetition into a balance problem.
- Letting the elbows travel far behind the body at the start. A cable will allow more range than a bench will, and the extra range at the back is taken by the front of the shoulder.
- Leaning into it with the torso. If the body tips forward on each press, the weight is being moved by bodyweight rather than by the chest.