Wiki/Exercises/Cable Chest Press

Cable Chest Press

chestcable
Anatomical illustration of the pectoralis major muscle of the chest
Anatomical illustration of the pectoralis major muscle of the chest. Illustration by DrJanaOfficial, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Primary muscle

chest

Equipment

cable

Secondary muscles

shoulders, triceps

How to perform

Set both cable pulleys to chest height and take a handle in each hand. Step forward into a split stance for stability, with a slight forward lean. Press the handles forward and slightly together until your arms are extended. Return under control until you feel a stretch across the chest. Cables keep tension on the chest at both ends of the movement, unlike free weights. Common mistakes: standing too close to the stack, which removes the stretch, and shrugging the shoulders as you press.

Worth watching

The Best & Worst Chest Exercises To Build Muscle (Ranked!) by Jeff Nippard, on YouTube. It covers this movement as part of a wider look at the muscle rather than as a lesson in it. Embedded with no tracking cookies until you press play.