A strong back isn’t just about aesthetics; it improves your posture and protects your spine in daily life. And cable machines provide an effective and safe way to achieve this goal.
Below, you’ll find the best 8 cable back exercises, along with how-to and common mistakes to avoid. If you want the convenience of working out at home, you’ll also see how a model like the Tousains home cable machine CR63 makes your back training easier than ever.
Best Cable Back Exercises for All Fitness Levels
Seated Cable Row
Muscles worked: Lats, rhomboids, traps, biceps
How to do it: Sit on the cable machine with feet firmly on the pedal. Grab the handle. Sit tall with a straight back, chest up, and shoulders down. Pull the handle towards your midsection while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly extend your arms back to the start without rounding your back.
Pro tip: Keep your torso stable and avoid leaning back too far.
Lat Pulldown
Muscles worked: Lats, biceps, rear delt.
How to do it: Sit at the pulldown machine and grab the bar with a wide grip. Pull the bar down to the top of your chest while keeping your chest lifted and elbows pointed down. Slowly return the bar to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Pro tip: Don’t swing your body or pull with momentum; let your lats do the work instead.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
Muscles worked: Lats, teres major, serratus anterior
How to do it: Stand facing the cable machine with a straight bar attached at a high pulley. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and keep your arms straight. Pull the bar down to your thighs in a controlled arc, keeping arms extended throughout. Slowly return to the start.
Pro tip: Keep your torso stationary and avoid bending your elbows; focus on engaging your lats.
Cable Face Pull
Muscles worked: Rear delts, traps, rhomboids
How to do it: Attach a rope to a high pulley. Grab the rope with palms facing each other and step back slightly. Pull the rope towards your forehead while flaring your elbows out to the sides. Slowly return to the start.
Pro tip: Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of each rep for maximum engagement.
Single-Arm Cable Row
Muscles worked: Lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps
How to do it: Attach a single handle to a low pulley. Step back with one foot for balance and hold the handle in one hand. Pull it towards your torso while keeping your chest up and back straight. Slowly return to start. Repeat on the other side.
Pro tip: Focus on pulling with your back muscles instead of your arms; avoid twisting your torso.
Cable Reverse Fly
Muscles worked: Rear delts, traps, rhomboids
How to do it: Set the pulleys at chest height and grab the left pulley with your right hand and vice versa (cross-body grip). With a slight bend in your elbows, pull your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor. Slowly return to start.
Pro tip: Maintain a slight hinge at your hips and avoid using momentum.
Kneeling Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
Muscles worked: Lats, teres major, rear delts
How to do it: Kneel in front of a high pulley with a single handle attached. Grab the handle with one hand, arm extended overhead. Pull it down toward your chest while keeping your torso upright and core engaged. Slowly return to start. Switch sides.
Pro tip: Keep your shoulder down and back; don’t shrug during the movement.
Straight-Arm Cable Pullover
Muscles worked: Lats, teres major, chest (secondary)
How to do it: Stand facing the cable machine with a rope or V-bar attached to a high pulley. Hold the attachment with both hands, arms straight overhead. Pull the bar down in an arc until your hands reach your thighs, keeping arms extended. Slowly return to start.
Pro tip: Engage your core and avoid leaning forward; focus on contracting your lats throughout the movement.
The best part? With the Tousains home cable machine CR63, you can practice most of the cable back exercises!
Cable Back Workout Sample (For Beginners)
Duration: 20–25 minutes
Frequency: 2× per week
- Lat Pulldown 10–12 reps and 3 sets
- Seated Cable Row 10–12 reps and 3 sets
- Straight-Arm Pulldown 12–15reps and 2 sets
- Face Pull 12–15 reps and 2 sets
- Single-Arm Row 10 each side and 2 sets
Cable Back Workouts: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using Too Much Weight
When the resistance is too high, people tend to rely on momentum instead of proper muscle engagement.
Poor Posture and Form
Slouching, rounding the back, or letting the shoulders shrug forward takes tension off the targeted muscles and can strain joints. Keep your chest lifted, shoulders down and back, and core engaged. For seated rows, avoid leaning too far back; for pulldowns, don’t arch excessively.
Neglecting the Full Range of Motion
Stopping short or cutting the range of motion often limits muscle growth. For example, during cable rows, fully extend your arms forward while maintaining tension before pulling back; and during pulldowns, bring the bar to the upper chest rather than just halfway.
Using the Wrong Attachment
Each cable attachment targets muscles slightly differently. Use different handles to find what best engages the upper, mid, and lower back, and adjust angles to match your goals. The Tousains cable machine CR63 provides 4 handles, users are allowed to try different ones and choose the best one for their upper and lower back cable exercises.
Rushing Through Reps
Speeding through repetitions reduces tension and decreases results. Slow and deliberate reps are far more effective for building back strength.
Ignoring Warm-Up and Recovery
This can lead to poor performance and injury. Spend 5–10 minutes warming up.
Why Choose Cable Machines as Your Back Workout Equipment
Constant Tension for Better Muscle Engagement
Cable machines deliver continuous resistance during the whole motion, something free weights can’t always provide. With constant tension placed on the lats, traps, and rhomboids, it ensures that your back stays fully engaged.
Joint-Friendly Resistance
While free weights can create momentum, cables provide smooth and controlled resistance. This reduces strain on the joints, making cable back workouts ideal for beginners or lifters who want to train hard without stressing their joints.
Versatile Angles to Target Every Back Muscle
By adjusting pulley height or switching attachments, users can hit back from multiple angles, whether it is upper lats, mid-back, lower lats, or rear delts. This versatility is key to building a balanced and well-developed upper body.
Available for All Fitness Levels
Cable machines provide guided paths of motion, helping beginners learn proper form while reducing the risk of injury. At the same time, advanced lifters benefit from the precise resistance. Whether you’re aiming for functional strength or aesthetic refinement, a home cable machine is the solution.
Build Your Back With the Tousains Home Cable Machine CR63
Cable machines aren't just about being bulky and expensive. Tousains home cable machine CR63, takes up minimal space and allows for versatile cable exercises. Whether you want to target your arms, shoulders, back, core, glutes, quads, or hamstrings, Tousains CR63 covers it all. Don't hesitate anymore. Get your CR63 from Tousains today and build your back with this blog! And subscribe to Tousains if you want more fitness information!
