The shoulders are one of the most important muscles for overall strength. Big shoulders make your waist look smaller. In this guide we are going to cover the best shoulder cable workouts to give you that X look.
Understanding the shoulder muscles
Primary shoulder muscle is also known as the deltoid muscle. The deltoid muscle is a large, triangular muscle. It is made up of three parts, the front delt, the medial delt and the rear delts.
The function of the deltoid muscle are
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- Shoulder abduction – lifting the arm away from the body.
- Shoulder flexion – raising the arm forward.
- Shoulder extension – moving the arm backwards.
Rotator Cuff muscles
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- Supraspinatus – This muscle helps in shoulder abduction and helps stabilize shoulder joint
- Infraspinatus – This muscle is located at the back of the shoulder and helps in external rotations
- Teres Minor – This muscle stabilizes the shoulder joint and helps in external rotation
- Subscapularis – This muscle is located at the front of shoulder blade and helps in internal rotation of shoulder
Benefits of Cable Shoulder Workouts
You can train shoulder muscles using a variety of equipments like dumbbells, barbell, machines, body weights.
Training with cable give you some advantage
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- Isolate the muscle : If you are not satisfied with shoulder muscle development. Then isolation exercises can definitely help. Cable shoulder workouts help you isolate the shoulder muscle and remove the possibility of cheating as in dumbbells or barbells.
- Muscle imbalances : There is a good chance that you have muscle imbalances, for example your right shoulder muscle is stronger than your left shoulder. In such cases doing unilateral movements with cable will allow you to train both sides properly.
- Advanced Training Techniques : Cable allows you to load and change the weights easily. YOu can use advanced training techniques like drop set, super set, rest pause with cables.
- Strength Curve : Cable equipment provides constant tension. You will feel the stretch on the muscle during the entire rep.
Best Cable Shoulder Exercises for size and definition
Cable Shoulder Press
Cable shoulder press is similar to dumbbell shoulder press. It works on the deltoid muscles.
You can target 3-4 sets with 10-12 reps per set for this exercise.
Cable Shoulder Raise
Cable shoulder raise is an isolation exercise. This exercise works primarily on the anterior or front delt. You can keep 3-4 sets with 12-15 reps. Focus on slow and controlled reps.
Cable Shoulder Extension
Cable shoulder extension is another isolation exercise. It works on the posterior head of the shoulder muscle. Start with your arms at 90 degree angle. The cable extension provides constant tension. You can target 3-4 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set.
Cable shoulder pull
Cable shoulder pulls are also known as face pulls. This exercise targets the posterior delts and traps muscles and the rotator cuff muscles. You can target 3-4 sets with 10-12 reps per set. To get the best out of this exercise, squeeze your muscle when fully contracted. Hold for 2-3 seconds and then continue the movement.
Complete Cable Shoulder Workout Routine
Cable shoulder workout routine A
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Cable Shoulder Press | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Lateral Raises | 3 | 12 |
| Cable Face Pulls | 3 | 12 |
| Cable Front Raises | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Rear Delt Flyes | 3 | 12 |
Cable shoulder workout routine B
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Cable Shoulder Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Cable Lateral Raises | 3 | 12 |
| Cable Face Pulls | 3 | 12 |
| Cable Upright Rows | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Reverse Flyes | 3 | 12 |
Cable shoulder workout routine C
Exercise |
Sets | Reps |
| Cable Shoulder Press | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Lateral Raises | 4 | 12 |
| Cable Face Pulls | 3 | 12 |
| Cable Front Raises | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Reverse Flyes | 4 | 12 |
How to get the best out of Cable shoulder workouts
Cable allows you to isolate the shoulder muscles. Cable can help you train shoulder muscles with different angles, different grips and body positions. To get the best from cable workouts
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- Make sure you do exercises that hit all three heads
- Make sure you are lifting sufficient weights
- Make sure you are progressively increasing the weights
- Make sure you are lifting in a slow controlled manner and not using momentum.
- Try unilateral or single arm training, this will help you balance any strength gaps
Cable shoulder workouts : Conclusion
I have explained to you the shoulder muscles anatomy. The functions of various shoulder muscles and how to engage them. I have also given the best shoulder cable exercises and complete shoulder cable workout plans. Now go and get those big shoulders!