11 Best Cable Arm Exercises for Size & Strength

There’s a reason cable stations get claimed faster than a flat bench on Monday. Cables are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment in the gym. With ropes, D-handles, straight bars, and plenty of grip options, you can train your whole body and hit muscles from angles that are hard to replicate with free weights.

For biceps and triceps, the cable machine deserves a spot right next to dumbbells and barbells. One big advantage is that cables can keep tension on the working muscle through a larger portion of the rep. That makes it easier to accumulate high quality volume, which is the name of the game for hypertrophy.

In this post, we’re focusing on how to use the cable machine to train your arms. You’ll find 11 cable exercises for biceps and triceps, a cable-only arm workout, a quick anatomy review, plus tips to better target each muscle head.

Table of Contents:

• Arm Muscle Anatomy & Functions
• 11 Best Cable Arm Exercises
• Cable Machine Arm Workout
• Arm Muscle Activation Tips
• Benefits of Cable Arm Exercises

BICEPS AND TRICEPS ANATOMY AND FUNCTION

We’re going to provide a brief arm muscle overview, so you have a solid understanding when you look through the best exercises. If you’re ready to get right to the exercises, continue scrolling.

BICEPS ANATOMY & Functions

The biceps brachii (biceps for short) is made up of two muscle heads, the short head and long head, located on the front side of the upper arm. Different grips and arm paths can shift emphasis between heads, which is one reason the cable machine is such a strong tool for building well-rounded arms.

Biceps Functions:

• Primary Function: Elbow flexion (bending the elbow), like during a curl.
• Forearm supination (rotating the forearm so the palm faces up).
• Assists shoulder abduction (moving the arm away from the torso).
• Assists in shoulder adduction (bringing the arm back toward the torso) and inward rotation of the arm.

TRICEPS ANATOMY & Functions

The triceps is a three-headed muscle that sits on the back of the upper arm. This muscle makes up a large portion of your upper arm size and consists of a medial head, lateral head, and long head. Like the biceps, different grips and angles can change which head is doing most of the work.

Triceps Functions:

• Primary Function: Elbow extension (straightening the arm).
• Helps with shoulder extension and contributes to shoulder stability (especially the long head).

Note on Forearm Muscles: Your arms also include your forearms, which consist of several major muscles that, for simplicity, we’ll group as forearm extensors and flexors. Strong forearms can improve grip, support elbow health, and help you control the wrist during curls and extensions.

11 BEST CABLE MACHINE ARM EXERCISES

There are many reasons we love the cable machine, but one of the biggest is how easily it lets you train biceps and triceps from different angles while keeping tension where you want it. There’s no shortage of great options, but these 11 cover the bases for size, balance, and joint-friendly variety.

The top 11 cable machine arm exercises are:

1. Reverse Cable Biceps Curl
2. Underhand Cable Biceps Curl
3. Unilateral Cable Preacher Biceps Curl
4. Cable Rope Curl
5. Overhead Cable Biceps Curl
6. Supine Cable Biceps Curl
7. Supine Cable Triceps Extensions
8. Unilateral Cable Triceps Pushdown
9. Overhead Triceps Extension
10. Decline/Incline Bench Cable Triceps Extension
11. Unilateral Cable Triceps Kickbacks

Are you ready to get your flex on? Then let’s go.

1. Reverse Cable Biceps Curl

Using a straight bar attachment with an overhand grip the reverse biceps curl trains the smaller forearm extensor muscles that can get overpowered by the larger forearm flexor muscles. Although the extensor muscles are small, training them will go a long way to keeping your elbows healthy.

In addition, the reverse grip curl best activates the long head of the biceps due to the pronated grip.

How to do the Reverse Cable Biceps Curl:

1. With the cable machine on its lowest setting hold a straight bar with an overhand grip, your knuckles facing away from you.
2. Keep your wrists in neutral while you curl the straight bar to the front of your shoulders.
3. Pause for a second and slowly return to the starting position.
4. Resets and repeat for reps.

Form tips: The reverse overhand grip is your weakest grip for curls and for this reason, you will use less weight than other variations. It is imperative to keep the wrists in neutral through this exercise.

Best rep range: 8-15

2. Underhand Cable Biceps Curl

The underhanded grip biceps curl trains both heads of the biceps and the biggest forearm muscles and is by far your strongest grip. This allows you to load up more than any other variation.

When using the straight bar, you can vary your grip in and out to train the short and long head of the biceps (more wide = more short head).

How to do the Underhand Cable Biceps Curl:

1. With the pulley on the lowest setting, hold a straight bar with an underhand grip with the grip width of your choice.
2. Walk back until the weight stack is separated and your feel tension.
3. Curl the straight bar to the front of your shoulders and squeeze the biceps at the top of the contraction.
4. Slowly lower until elbows are straight.
5. Reset and repeat for reps.

Form tips: Keep your upper back tight to prevent leaning too far forward. Vary the width of your grip from set to set to train both the short and long heads of the biceps.

Best rep range: 8-20

3. Unilateral Cable Preacher Biceps Curl

For this you can pull the preacher bench to the cable machine or simply set up an incline bench some distance away from the cable machine which simulates an effective bicep curl variation of the preacher's biceps curl.

The preacher curl is a great exercise for the short head as it involves elbow flexion with your elbows out in front of you. If done unilaterally with a stirrup handle, you can strengthen imbalances between your biceps while taking the muscle through a large range of motion.

How to do the Unilateral Cable Preacher Biceps Curl:

1. Set up the pulley a few rungs above the bottom and attach the handle to the cable.
2. Walk back and place your upper arm on the incline bench with an underhand grip with your elbow straight.
3. Curl the handle to the top of your shoulder and pause for a second.
4. Slowly lower until your elbow is straight.
5. Reset and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-12

Form tips: Keep your posterior upper arm glued to the bench at all times. This will put the focus entirely on the biceps.

4. Cable Rope Hammer Curl

The cable rope hammer curl needs to be a staple in your cable arm exercises routine because it’s similar to dumbbell hammer curls. The neutral grip is easier on your elbows and shoulders because your shoulder is neither externally nor internally rotated.

Hammer curls train the long head of the bicep and the brachioradialis which is an important and neglected forearm muscle.

How to do the Cable Rope Curl:

1. Start by clipping a rope attachment to the cable machine, set at the lowest setting on the pulley.
2. Grip the rope on both ends in a neutral grip and walk back until you feel the tension.
3. Keeping your wrists in neutral, curl until the rope is near your shoulders.
4. Pause for a second and then slowly lower down until your arms a straight.
5. Slowly lower down to the starting position and repeat for reps.

Best rep range: 12-20

Form tips: Spreading the rope apart at the end of the movement will give your biceps an extra contraction. If the end of the ropes handles bother you, hold it lower down.

5. High Cable Biceps Curl

The high cable biceps curl trains the biceps laterally instead of anteriorly. And this exercise great option to target the biceps (both heads, with emphasis on the short head) and grow your arms from a different angle.

Depending on the cable machine you need to be able to fully flex and extend your elbow. If the cable machine is too small, do one arm at a time.

How to do the High Cable Biceps Curl:

1. Set the pulley on each side at shoulder height with a stirrup handle.
2. Stand in the middle of the cable machine with a handle in each hand.
3. With both arms straight pull the handles towards your shoulders
4. Keep your wrists in neutral and squeeze the biceps at the end of the curl.
5. Slowly straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
6. Reset and repeat.

Best rep range: 12-15

Form tips: Fully flex and extend your elbows and perform the exercise with tempo to really feel the biceps muscles working.

6. Supine Cable Biceps Curl

When you’re looking to spice up your cable curl game, try supine cable curls. This is one of our favorite cable arm exercises because it gives you more stability which drives more action to your biceps. Plus, because you’re lying down, you cheat less, again putting more focus on the biceps.

And you’re training them from a different angle for better muscle development. A standard grip with a straight bar attachment is great for both heads of the biceps, but you can play around with grip width and attachments if you want to emphasize the activation of a specific biceps head.

How to do the Supine Cable Biceps Curl:

1. Set up the pulley with a straight bar attachment at hip height and place a weight bench at leg length away from the cable machine.
2. Hold the straight bar with both hands and lie back on the bench and place your feet on the cable machine or on the floor.
3. Hold the straight bar with your elbows straight and core engaged to keep your back neutral.
4. Then curl the attachment until your biceps are fully flexed with the wrists in neutral.
5. Slowly return to the starting position and reset and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-20

Form tips: Make sure you keep your back flat on the bench and only use your biceps to curl the weight. Start on the lighter side until you get the hang of it.

7. Lying Cable Triceps Extension (Skull Crusher)

Similar setup to the supine cable bicep curl except the weight is behind you. Think of a triceps skull crusher but with a cable machine. Because you’re lying down it drives more engagement to the triceps, and you cannot use other parts of the body.

The large range of motion and the pre-stretch before the contraction make this a solid option for building muscular triceps. As for triceps muscle head activation, since your arms will be out in front of you, it emphasizes the long head, but it is also great for the lateral head and medial head.

How to do The Lying Cable Triceps Extension:

1. Set up the pulley above weight bench height with a rope attachment
2. With the weight stack behind you, grab the rope with both hands and lie down on the bench with your feet on the ground.
3. Bend the elbows to lower back behind your head.
4. Straighten the elbows, keeping the wrists in neutral, and squeeze the triceps when fully extended.
5. Bend the elbows as you’re returning to the starting position.
6. Reset and repeat.

Best rep range: 12-20

Form tips: Keep your body glued to the bench to only use your triceps.

8. Unilateral Cable Triceps Pushdown

Like with all unilateral exercises the unilateral triceps extension will strengthen muscle imbalances between sides if any exist. Using a D-handle attachment, you can perform triceps pushdown with an overhand or underhand grip. Changing your grip and position with the exercise will allow you to effectively train all 3 heads of the triceps.

A V-handle is also good if going overhand as it pronates your hands almost halfway between neutral and overhand, which is easy on the wrists and allows for greater loads.

How to do The Unilateral Cable Triceps Pushdowns.

1. Set the pulley to its highest point with a d-handle or v-handle.
2. Take an under/overhand grip and bring your arm to your side and have a slight forward lean of your torso.
3. Your arm should be flexed.
4. Pushdown until your elbow is fully extended and pause.
5. Slowly return to the starting position and reset and repeat.

Note: You can also use a straight bar attachment to do underhand (reverse grip) triceps pushdowns, which will better emphasize your medial triceps head.

Best rep range: 8-15

Form tips: Slight forward lean of the torso hits the triceps more effectively. And remember, cable arm exercises are great because you can hit them from different angles too! 

9. Overhead Triceps Extension

Overhead triceps extension hits all three triceps heads but with a focus on the long head. This is not the strongest triceps muscle (that’s the lateral head) but it is the biggest and adding muscle to this will make your arms look bigger for more flex appeal.

This variation will improve your lockout strength, particularly with any overhead press variation.

How to do The Cable Overhead Triceps Extension:

1. Set a pulley to its highest point (or lower point depending on how it feels for you and your stature) with a rope attachment.
2. Grab the attachment with both hands and then turn around so you are facing away from the machine.
3. Stand in a split stance with the attachment behind your head and elbows bent. 
4. Extend your elbows to pull  the rope attachment over your head.
5. Squeeze your triceps at the end of the movement.
6. Slowly return to the starting position and reset and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-20

Form tips: While in the split stance lower your head and look at the ground. Spreading the rope apart at the end of the movement will add further tension to your triceps.

10. Decline/Incline Bench Cable Triceps Extension (aka Decline/Incline Skull Crusher)

This is a difficult exercise to set up seeing you need an adjustable weight bench, but this variation really hits the triceps hard. Because you are angling your body, you’re increasing the ROM and your arms have further to travel to complete the rep,

This means a greater stretch and more muscle-building potential for you.

How to do The Incline Bench Cable Triceps Extension:

1. Set the cable pulley on a setting lower than the top of the incline bench.
2. Lay back on the incline bench and grab the attachment with both hands.
3. Straighten the elbows and squeeze the triceps when fully extended.
4. Bend the elbows to slowly return to the starting position.
5. Reset and repeat.

Note: For a greater, allow your hands to come behind your head more, this is great for increasing muscle recruitment of the triceps, especially the long head.

Best rep range: 8-12

Form tips: This exercise puts a great stretch on the triceps for more hypertrophy gain, but it is tough on the elbows so let discomfort be your guide.

11. Unilateral Cable Triceps Kickbacks

Unilateral cable triceps kickback is another solid option to further enhance your triceps game.

Similar to the dumbbell version but only better because you have constant tensions throughout the ROM. You have the option not to use any attachment here, it’s a matter of personal preference.

How to do The Unilateral Cable Triceps Kickbacks:

1. Adjust the pulley to its highest point with or without an attachment.
2. Grab the cable with one hand with your elbow bent and close to your torso and back to create tension.
3. Then hinge at the hips while resting your non-working hand on your thigh.
4. Extend your elbow, bringing the hand down and back.
5. Slowly return to the starting position and reset and repeat.

Best rep range: 8-15

Form tips: If grip strength is an issue, use an attachment. When you hinge, feel it in your hamstrings and not your back. And, always keep your upper arms stationary.

Cable Machine Arm Workout

Ideally, you will use a variety of training equipment, including dumbbells, barbells, cable machines, and bodyweight exercises, to train your arms. But if you want a cable-only session that hits both biceps and triceps hard without spending an hour camping at one station, this workout is it.

This routine uses supersets so you can move quickly, keep a solid pump, and rack up quality volume with minimal setup. Pick loads that let you finish your reps with clean form and 1-2 reps left in the tank most sets.

Superset #1 (3 sets x 8-15 reps each):

• Cable Rope Hammer Curls
• Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extensions

Superset #2 (3 sets x 8-12 reps each):

• Cable Straight Bar Reverse Grip Curl
• Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar)

Superset #3 (3 sets x 10-15 reps each):

• Cable Supine Straight Bar Biceps Curls
• Cable Supine Straight Bar Triceps Extensions (Skull Crushers)

Superset #4 (3 sets x 8-12 reps each side):

• High Cable Biceps Curl (Stirrup Handles)
• Cable Triceps Kickbacks

Rest about 60 seconds between sets. If you are pushing the top end of the rep ranges, 75-90 seconds is fine too.

Programming notes:

• Frequency: Run this 1-2 times per week depending on your total weekly arm volume.
• Progression: When you hit the top of the rep range on all sets, add a small amount of weight next session.
• Form rule: Keep elbows mostly fixed and let the elbow do the moving. If your shoulders are taking over, the weight is too heavy.
• Quick warm-up: 1-2 lighter sets of curls and pushdowns before Superset #1 will make everything feel smoother.

Looking for a program that uses cables plus other implements? Check out The Ultimate Arm Workout at the Gym.

Biceps’ Head Activation Tips

You’ve got the exercises and the workout. Now make every rep count. Different grips and elbow positions shift emphasis across the biceps, so variety matters if you want arms that look good from every angle.

Long Head Biceps Activation (Biceps Peak):

• Use a closer grip on straight bar curls.
• Use a neutral grip (hammer grip) with a rope or handles.
• Curl with elbows close to your sides.
• Try angles where your elbows are slightly behind your torso for a strong peak contraction.

Short Head Biceps Activation (Biceps Width):

• Curl with your elbows in front of your body (like preacher-style positions).
• Use a wider grip on straight bar curls.
• Use a supinated grip (palms up).
• Try high cable curls to hit the biceps from a lateral line of pull.

Simple cue that helps: Keep your wrist stacked over your forearm and think “pinky up” at the top of curls for a stronger biceps squeeze.

Triceps’ Head Activation Tips

The triceps is where most upper-arm size comes from, and it responds well to a mix of heavy-ish sets and higher-rep pump work. Use the tips below to make sure all three heads get attention.

Medial Head Triceps Activation:

• Use a reverse grip (underhand) on pushdowns.
• Keep your elbows pinned to your sides.
• Often responds well to moderate to higher reps.

Lateral Head Triceps Activation:

• Keep elbows close to your sides on pushdowns.
• Use an overhand grip and focus on a hard lockout squeeze.
• Tends to respond well to heavier loads with strict form.

Long Head Triceps Activation:

• Train overhead (overhead extensions) to load the long head in a stretched position.
• Also works hard when elbows are slightly in front of the body, as long as you keep the upper arm stable.

BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE BICEPS AND TRICEPS

Besides the perfectly acceptable vanity reason of having some impressive guns, building stronger biceps and triceps pays off in performance, joint health, and day-to-day lifting capacity.

• Better Shoulder Stability: Many arm muscles attach around the shoulder joint and shoulder blade. Stronger arms can support more stable pressing and pulling.
• Elbow Health and Resilience: The biceps and triceps cross the elbow joint. Smart arm training strengthens the surrounding tissues and can improve tolerance to pressing, pulling, and repetitive work.
• Stronger Compound Lifts: Arms assist chin-ups, rows, bench press, dips, and overhead pressing. If your arms are a weak link, bigger compounds stall sooner.
• Better Sports Performance: Throwing, striking, grappling, and pushing all rely on elbow flexion and extension strength and endurance.

ADVANTAGES OF TRAINING ARMS ON THE CABLE MACHINE

There are four major advantages to cable arm training, especially if your goal is hypertrophy with clean, repeatable reps.

• More Core and Posture Work: Many cable arm exercises are done standing, which challenges your trunk, hips, and upper back to stabilize while your arms move.
• Consistent Tension Through the Range of Motion: Each free weight strength exercise has a strength curve, meaning the difficulty changes through the rep based on leverage and joint angles. Cables can maintain more consistent tension through the movement, which is useful for hypertrophy-focused training and time under tension.¹
• Variety Without the Setup Headache: You can switch attachments, grips, and angles quickly. That makes it easy to hit different fibers and keep training fresh without wasting time.
• Fuller Muscle Development: With high, mid, and low pulley options plus different lines of pull, cables let you train the arms from multiple angles for more complete development.

Cable Arm Exercises: Final Takeaways

If your goal is bigger arms, you need consistent tension, clean reps, and enough weekly volume to force adaptation. The cable machine makes all three easier. It keeps the target muscle honest, gives you angle variety, and makes it simple to progress without turning every set into a full-body heave.

Use the 11 exercises above to cover different grips and elbow positions, then plug the cable arm workout into your week 1-2 times depending on your split. Combine that with your compound presses and pulls and you’ll be on your way to noticeably thicker arms.

If you're looking for even more great cable exercises, check out this Bicep Cable Workout, which focuses on building mass and strength in your upper arms. Interested in adding a cable machine to your home gym? Head to our list of the Best Cable Machines on the market today.

BEST HYPERTROPHY PROGRAM

SFS Hypertrophy Program

Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...

View Now

References: