Cable Chest Press

A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.

Cable Chest Press — Starting position Starting position
Cable Chest Press — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Cable Machine
Primary Muscle Chest
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Cable Chest Press

  1. Adjust the weight to an appropriate amount and be seated, grasping the handles. Your upper arms should be about 45 degrees to the body, with your head and chest up. The elbows should be bent to about 90 degrees. This will be your starting position.
  2. Begin by extending through the elbow, pressing the handles together straight in front of you. Keep your shoulder blades retracted as you execute the movement.
  3. After pausing at full extension, return to th starting position, keeping tension on the cables.
  4. You can also execute this movement with your back off the pad, at an incline or decline, or alternate hands.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Cable Chest Press does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Cable Chest Press

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Leverage Chest Press

    Leverage Chest Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  2. 2 Leverage Decline Chest Press

    Leverage Decline Chest Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  3. 3 Leverage Incline Chest Press

    Leverage Incline Chest Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  4. 4 Incline Cable Chest Press

    Incline Cable Chest Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  5. 5 Standing Cable Chest Press

    Standing Cable Chest Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  6. 6 Alternating Floor Press

    Alternating Floor Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a kettlebell.

    beginner Kettlebell
  7. 7 Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

    Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  8. 8 Bench Press - With Bands

    Bench Press - With Bands

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.

    beginner Resistance Bands
  9. 9 Decline Barbell Bench Press

    Decline Barbell Bench Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  10. 10 Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

    Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do cable chest press work?

Cable Chest Press primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for cable chest press?

Cable Chest Press uses cable machine.

Cable Chest Press: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Cable Chest Press is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of cable chest press?

Leverage Chest Press, Leverage Decline Chest Press, Leverage Incline Chest Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my cable chest press reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; cable chest press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Cable Chest Press with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.