Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Cable Shoulder Press
- Move the cables to the bottom of the towers and select an appropriate weight.
- Stand directly in between the uprights. Grasp the cables and hold them at shoulder height, palms facing forward. This will be your starting position.
- Keeping your head and chest up, extend through the elbow to press the handles directly over head.
- After pausing at the top, return to the starting position and repeat.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Cable Shoulder 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.
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1
Leverage Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
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2
Machine Shoulder (Military) Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
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3
Shoulder Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a resistance band.
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4
Smith Machine Overhead Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
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5
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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6
Seated Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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7
Barbell Shoulder Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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8
Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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9
Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is a fundamental overhead pressing movement that builds strong, broad shoulders. It targets all three heads of the deltoid and develops functional pressing strength.
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10
Anti-Gravity Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do cable shoulder press work?
Cable Shoulder Press primarily works the shoulders. The triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for cable shoulder press?
Cable Shoulder Press uses cable machine.
Cable Shoulder Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Cable Shoulder 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 shoulder press?
Leverage Shoulder Press, Machine Shoulder (Military) Press, Shoulder Press - With Bands train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my cable shoulder press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; cable shoulder 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 Shoulder 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.