Lifting Grips for Cable Exercises

Whether you want a chiseled physique or fewer back injuries, cable workouts are the way to go. The key is variety. Even moves like the incline chest press, cable flys, and cable crossovers engage the back muscles.

Here are 10 moves that target your upper, middle, and lower back muscles.

• Upright row – This move targets the upper back muscles (especially the rhomboids) and the traps. It also engages your core muscles, delts, and biceps.
• Cable lat pulldown –The lat pulldown works the largest muscle in the back—the latissimus dorsi—plus your biceps, rear delts, rhomboids, and traps.
• Seated row – All row exercises are great for your back muscles, including the rhomboids, teres minor and major muscles, lats, and spinal erectors. The seated row targets your upper back muscles, including the lats, traps, and rhomboids. It also engages your core muscles, biceps, and rear delts.
• Cable stiff-legged deadlift – The stiff-legged deadlift targets the lats, glutes, and hamstrings, which are all important for stability and balance. You can use a D-handle or rope attachment to do this move.
• Cable side bend – This move targets the obliques, overlooked but important muscles that help you twist and bend from side to side. Strengthening your obliques can improve your posture and help you avoid lower back injuries.
• Face pull – This is a great move to address bad posture from sitting at a computer all day. The face pull works your rear deltoids, rhomboids, and middle traps. It can help you avoid upper-body injuries by strengthening your shoulders and putting them in a better position.
• Cable shrug – A variation of the shoulder shrug, this move targets the trapezius muscle, helping to stabilize your spine and improve your posture.
• Reverse fly – Reverse flys using cables target the rhomboid muscles in your upper back and shoulders. Unlike with dumbbells, you can do the cable reverse fly standing up, which makes it a good move for people of all ages and those with mobility issues.
• Cable bent-over row – This move primarily targets the muscles of the upper back, but the bent-over position means it also works your lower back muscles. Many people find it more comfortable to use a cable machine than a barbell or dumbbells, since cables give you more control.
• Cable back extension – This move targets the erector muscles and the multifidus muscles, deep muscles in the back that allow your back to bend when reaching, stretching, and bending.