16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises For 3D Delts (2024)

Looking for a piece of gym equipment that will strengthen, build, and sculpt your shoulders, all whileproviding you with the ability to quickly switch exercises, grips, and the angle at which you hit your muscles?

If it sounds too good to be true, it's not!We're talking about the cable machine,which when paired with the correct shoulder exercises,provides constant tension on all three of your deltoid muscles throughout the entirety of the lift, leading to some serious bolder shoulders.

Read on for the16 best cable shoulder exercises, along with a great hypertrophy-inducing workout, and information onwhy the cable machine is so effective fortargeting the shoulders.

Let's get started so you can build those delts!

Table of Contents:

  • Why Train Your Shoulders With A Cable Machine?
  • 16 Best Cable Machine Shoulder Exercises
  • Cable Shoulder Workouts & Programming Tips
  • Shoulder Muscle Anatomy
  • Benefits of Performing Cable Machine Shoulder Exercises
  • What's The Best Exercise For Broad Shoulders?

16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises For 3D Delts (1)

Why train your shoulders using a cable machine?

The simplest answer is that it's incredibly effective. One of the things that makes it so greatisitenables you to hit your shoulders from different angles, in addition to changing your body and grip positioning, weight load,and attachments.

All of this versatility leads toserious shoulder growth, as long as you have the right exercises to perform, which is where we come in!

Lookingfor a workout program to put onmuscle mass? Check out our SFS Hypertrophy Program by Garett Reid (NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S).

16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises For 3D Delts (2)

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

16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises

  1. Cable Shoulder Press
  2. Cable Alternating Press
  3. Kneeling Shoulder Press
  4. Cable Bent Over Single Arm Lateral Raise
  5. Cable Cross Over Reverse Fly
  6. Lying Reverse Fly
  7. Single Arm Front Raise
  8. Cable Standing Front Raise Variation
  9. Single Arm Lateral Raise
  10. Side Lying Lateral Raise
  11. Cable Upright Row
  12. Cable Y Raise
  13. Cable Twisting Overhead Press
  14. Cable Face Pulls
  15. Cable High Rows
  16. Cable Shrug

These 16 shoulder cable exercises will hit all three deltoids, plus the rotator cuff and upper back muscles. Let's discuss how to perform each.

1. Cable Shoulder Press:

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In this exercise, the angle of the cable overhead press results in the force pulling down behind you, which helps recruit muscle fibers that other shoulder presses aren't able to.

You can control the angle of the press, so if you step further away from the cable machine you will be pushing your shoulder joints through a more horizontal range of motion to hit the front delts more.

How to do the cable shoulder press:

  • Set up the stirrup at the lowest point
  • Stand facing away from cable machine, grab stirrups with overhand grip
  • Start with your hands at ear level with your elbows bent at 90 degrees
  • Press straight up until your arms are fully extended
  • Slowly return to the starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Make sure to stand tall throughout the movement and refrain from using your leg power to help press the weight up.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Triceps, Traps, Serratus Anterior, Pec Major, Triceps

2. Cable Alternating Press:

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Thealternating overhead press is one of the best cable machineexercises because of its versatility and effectiveness. You can perform this move onearm at a time using one cable, or you can alternate your deltsusingtwo cables. Either way, you'll pressup with a neutral grip to target the front delts and triceps more.

Some cable machines will have a distance that is too far away from each other to perform this exercise properly, in that case just perform with one arm at a time. The single arm cable shoulder press not only works your delts but the core is also engaged to keep yourbody vertically aligned, preventing you from leaning to one side.

How to do the cable alternating press:

  • Set up stirrups at lowest point
  • Stand facing away from cable machine, grab stirrups with a neutral grip
  • Start with your hands at shoulder height with your elbows bent at 90 degrees tucked in front of you
  • Press straight up one arm at a time until your arm is fully extended
  • Slowly return to starting position then press up with other arm
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: If you change your grip to overhand you will move more tension back to the side delts which is more simialr to the overhead press mechanics.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Triceps, Traps, Serratus anterior, Pec Major, Triceps

3. Kneeling Shoulder Press:

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This version forces you to usestrict form while doing the overhead press. By changing your body position, you can't rely on your legs at allto press the weight overhead, making this one of the bestcable machine shoulder exercises.

Pressing up with such a close grip will focus the stress onto the front delts, pecs, and triceps.

How to do the kneeling shoulder press:

  • Set up stirrup at the lowest point
  • Kneel facing toward cable machine, and grab stirrups with overhand grip
  • Start with your hands in front of you at your upper chest with your elbows bent at 90 degrees tucked in front of you
  • Press straight up until your arms are fully extended
  • Slowly return to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Don't lean back too far, try to keep your chest up and back straight throughout the movement.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Triceps, Traps, Serratus Anterior, Pec Major, Triceps

4. Cable Bent Over Single Arm Lateral Raise:

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This cable shoulder exercise mimics the dumbbell rear lateral raise but thecable version reigns supreme as itprovides constant tension on the muscles,ensuring a smooth movement and more time under tension on the rear delts.

Doing the single arm cable bent over lateral raise enables you to hone in on one shoulder at a time while also allowing you to lift your hand higher, resulting in a longer stretch at the bottom of the movement. Get ready to blast the rear delts with this one.

How to do the cable bent over single arm lateral raise:

  • Set up stirrup at a low point then stand to the side of it
  • Grab the stirrup using a neutral grip with the hand farther away from cable then hinge forward at the hips until your torso is almost parallel with the floor
  • Use your non-working hand for stability by placing it on your knee or hip
  • Lift the cable out to the side keeping a slight bend in the elbow until your upper arm is almost parallel with the floor
  • Hold briefly then slowly return to starting position
  • Repeat desired reps then switch sides

Note: Move arm directly out to the side to hit the rear delt and keep elbow far from body to discourage lat use. Perform in a smooth continuous movement and avoid using your triceps to finish off the movement.

Muscles Worked: Rear Delt, Side Delt, Rhomboids, Traps, Teres Minor, Infraspinatus

5. Cable Cross Over Reverse Fly:

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The rear delts don’t get enough love but we’re here to change that with the cable cross over bent over reverse fly. This exercise is the same movement as the previous exercise except you'll be working both shoulders at the same time.

How to do the cable cross over reverse fly:

  • Set up stirrups at the low point of both towers of the cable machine
  • Reach down to grab each stirrup with the opposite hands using a neutral grip
  • Hinge forward so that your torso is almost parallel with the floor with knees slightly bent and your arms hanging down
  • Pull the cables out to your side with your arms slightly bent at the elbows until your upper arms are shoulder level
  • Slowly lower to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Focus on the rear delts rather than the squeezing the shoulder blades. Keep your core engaged throughout the movement without rounding the back.

Muscles Worked: Rear Delt, Side Delt, Rhomboids, Traps, Teres Minor, Infraspinatus

6. Lying Reverse Fly:

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The lying reverse fly is the perfect exercise to hit the rear delts. Completing this exercise lyingon your back allows you to focus solely on contracting your rear delts as youpull the cables down to yoursides.

It’s important to keep your arms perpendicular to your trunk so that you reduce the chances of your lats helping to complete the exercise. Interested in additional variations of the reverse fly? Check out our article on the bestCable Rear Delt Fly Variations.

How to do the lying reverse fly:

  • Set up a bench in the middle of the cable machine then set the cables are a high point
  • Grab the cables using a neutral grip with each hand by reaching up and across your body
  • Lie down on your back on the bench
  • Starting with your arms slightly bent and up toward the ceiling and the cables crossed, pull down on the cables to your sides through your elbows until your arms are parallel with the floor
  • Slowly return to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Make sure your shoulders are lined up with the cables before starting the movement and perform with slow focused motion.

Muscles Worked: Rear Delt, Side Delt, Traps, Teres Minor, Infraspinatus

7. Single Arm Front Raise:

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The front raise is one of the most common shoulder exercises you'll see being done because it is effective in building the front delts. By performing this exercise unilaterally, you can focus on one side at a time, which can help you identifyany muscle imbalances that exist.

How to do the single arm front raise:

  • Set up the stirrup at the lowest point
  • Stand in front of the cable machine facing away while your working arm lines up with the cable machine then grab the handle with an overhand grip
  • Starting with your hand at your hip and with tension in the cable, exhale and lift straight up and away until your arm is level with your shoulder
  • Slowly lower to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps then switch sides

Note: Pause at the bottom off the movement to avoid using momentum to lift weight on next rep. You can raise your arm out to an angle if you want to hit your side delt a little more.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Traps, Serratus Anterior, Pec Major

8. Cable Standing Front Raise Variation:

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This variation of the front cable raise helps to engage your traps and side delt more by lifting up on one side of the bar at the top of the movement. This extra lift at the top of the movement makes it harder because of the short isometric hold.

How to do the cable standing front raise:

  • Set the cable at the lowest point with a curl bar attached
  • Stand facing away for cable machine, feet shoulder width apart. Reach down and pull the cable through your legs to grab the bar with both hands using an overhand grip, shoulder width apart
  • Lift up and away from your body keeping your arms straight until you reach shoulder level. Lift up on one side of the bar and slightly rotate your your shoulder out and up
  • Briefly hold then slowly lower to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps alternating each side for the top lifting motions

Note: Pause at the top of the movement to get peak trap contraction. Move in a slow controlled manner throughout the exercise.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Traps, Serratus anterior, Pec Major

9. Single Arm Lateral Raise:

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An incredible cable shoulder exercise thattargets the side delts, the cable lateral raise is a great isolation exercise that can humble you. It's important touselight weights to begin to ensure you perform the exercise with proper form.

There are multiple variations of the lateral raise but they all have the same common goal, to build the lateral delts. For maximum contraction during cable machine shoulder exercises like this one,pause at the top of the movement while turning your wrist, bringing your pinky toward the ceiling.

How to perform the single arm lateral raise:

  • Attach the stirrup or D handle at the lowest point then stand to the side of the cable machine
  • You can stand so that the cable runs behind your body (targeting the rear and side delts more), grabbing the stirrup with an overhand grip
  • With a slight bend at the elbow lift your arm up and away from your side while exhaling until your arm is level with your shoulder
  • Slowly lower to starting position while inhaling
  • Repeat for desired reps then switch sides

Note: To avoid bouncing or using momentum, pause briefly at the bottom before raising your arm again. You can also perform this lateral raise with the cable in front of your body if you want to hit the front deltoid a little more. To make this exercise more difficult, you can hold a safe place on the cable tower and then lean away from it so that there’s a larger range of motion to complete the exercise.

Muscles Worked: Side Delt, Front Delt, Serratus Anterior, Supraspinatus

10. Side Lying Lateral Raise:

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This variation of the lateral raise creates extreme isolation due to your body position - there’s no way to cheat with momentum. You can perform this side lying lateral raise on the floor or a bench.

This cable shoulder exercise helps build strength and stability in the side delt.

How to do the side lying lateral raise:

  • Set the stirrup at the lowest point
  • Lie down on your side with your feet toward the cable machine then grab the stirrup with an overhand grip using your upper arm
  • Brace your upper body with your elbow on the ground directly under your shoulder
  • Starting with your hand at your hip, lift up until your arm is parallel to your shoulder
  • Slowly return to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps then switch sides

Note: You can also try to pull off this exercise while lying on an incline bench to change the ROM.

Muscles Worked: Side Delt, Front Delt, Serratus Anterior, Supraspinatus

11. Cable Upright Row:

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The upright row is an excellent cable machine shoulder exercise to work the shoulders and upper back and is great to include in your shoulder workout routine.

The upright row can build some serious muscle in the front and side delts while also building your traps and rhomboids. In addition, this pulling cable shoulder exercise can help some of your other lifts like deadlifts.

People with shoulder impingement issues might be prone to injuring themselves with this exercise. If that's a concern for you,stick to some of the other cable shoulder exercises in this post.

How to do the cable upright row:

  • Set the cable at the lowest point then attach a bar
  • Grab the bar with both hands using an overhand grip shoulder width apart
  • Exhale while pulling up through your elbows so that the cable is close to the body until your elbows are shoulder level
  • Inhale while slowly returning to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: The EZ curl bar can make this exercise more comfortable on your wrists. Try switching up where you grip the bar if shoulder width is uncomfortable for you.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Supraspinatus, Traps, Serratus anterior, Biceps

12. Cable Y Raise:

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This cable shoulder exercise is an amazing exercise to blast all three delts. The cable Y raise will strengthen the external rotators that help to stabilize the scapula. Stand tall and avoid leaning back or rocking to help lift the weight. Start light with this one!

How to do the cable y raise:

  • Set the cable at the lowest point with the stirrup attachments
  • Stand in the middle of the cable towers
  • Reach down to grab each stirrup with your opposite hand using an overhand grip
  • Start with your arms down and hands crossed in front of your body
  • Pull the cables up and back with your arms slightly bent at the elbows until they reach up to your sides creating a Y shape
  • Slowly lower to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Keep elbows slightly flexed and your body upright throughout the movement.

Muscles Worked: All Delts, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, Traps, Subscapularis

13. Cable Twisting Overhead Press:

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This cool take on the overhead press includes some movement in the transverse plane due to the twisting motion. This is a truly functional movement that imitates daily life movements.

With this exercise, reaching, twisting, and pressing are all wrapped up into one smooth motion. Give ita try to work the shoulders, arms, core, and legs.

How to do the cable twisting overhead press:

  • Set the cable at upper belly height with the stirrup attachment then get into position slightly in front and to the side of the cable
  • Grab the stirrup with an overhand grip stand in wide stance in a quarter squat with your non-working hand on your hip
  • Starting with your hand at upper chest height, press up and across your body until your arm is fully extended while rotating the torso and pushing through your legs
  • Slowly reverse the motion to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps then switch sides

Note: Keep the rotation in the trunk of the body and not at the hips.

Muscles Worked: Front Delt, Side Delt, Triceps, Traps, Serratus anterior, Pec Major, Obliques, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus, TFL, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Psoas, Gastrocnemius, Soleus

14. Cable Face Pulls:

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Face pulls sometimes get a bad rap but this exercise is perfect for strengtheningthe muscles that are strained in daily life activities, such as looking down at your computer or driving your car.

When done right,this exercise strengthens the shoulders and upper back which can help straighten out a hunched-over posture. Face pulls can help with shoulder dysfunction and strengthen the rotator cuff.

Check out our article on theBest Face Pull Alternativesfor some greatvariations of this move!

How to do cable face pulls:

  • Set up cable at a high point with the rope attachment
  • Grab the rope with both hands with your thumbs pointing backwards
  • Keeping your elbows below your shoulders pull back and turn slightly to work the rotator cuff. Squeeze your shoulder blades at the end of the movement when your hands are next to your ears
  • Slowly return to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Pay particular attention to elbow height and don’t allow to go higher than shoulder level.

Muscles Worked: Rear Delt, Side Delt, Teres Minor, Traps, Infraspinatus, Brachialis

15. Cable High Row:

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This version of the row works the upper back and shoulders without having your arms straight over your head. This exercise is a great option for lifters with shoulder issues as you get the benefits of rows without straining your shoulders.

Being in a kneeling position will help to stabilize your body so that you’re not leaning too far forward or backward.

How to do the cable high row:

  • Set the cable up at a high point with the rope attachments
  • Grab the rope with both hands using an overhand grip then take a step back and get onto knees facing the cable machine
  • Starting with your arms stretched out and away, pull back through your elbows until your hands are just in front of your shoulders
  • Slowly return to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: Don't lean backwards to pull the weight toward you. Focus on the mind-muscle connection to pull down by using your back muscles.

Muscles Worked: Rear Delts, Lats, Rhomboids, Traps, Teres Major, Teres Minor, Infraspinatus,

16. Cable Shrug:

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While this is primarily a traps exercise, we decided it needed to be included as your traps are required for many shoulder exercises.With cable shrugs you can change up multiple variables to hit the traps in different ways.

How to do the cable shrug:

  • Set the cable at the lowest level then attach bar
  • Grab the bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder width apart then stand back until your traps are stretched a bit
  • Stand up straight while keeping your shoulders relaxed
  • Shrug your shoulders up and back as high as possible, briefly hold and contract traps at the top
  • Slowly lower your arms back to starting position
  • Repeat for desired reps

Note: If you’re not able to squeeze at the top, lower the weight a bit so that you can get maximum contraction.

Muscles worked: Traps, Forearms

Muscle-Building Cable Shoulder Workout

Here'san awesome delt workout featuringcable shoulder exercises, which can be completed solely using the cable machine.

While we believe free weightsshould have a role in everyone's resistance training program, this cable workout can help stimulate muscle growth, add some training variety to prevent boredom, and hit your shoulder muscles from new angles.

Cable Shoulder Workout:

  • Single Arm Overhead Press: 3x12
  • Cable Y Raise: 3x8-10
  • Cable Single Arm Bent Over Lateral Raise: 3x10
  • Cable Upright Rows: 3x12
  • Cable Face Pulls: 3x8

Interested in performing this routine, sans gym membership?Check out the Best Cable Machinesto find one to add to your home gym!

Cable Shoulder Exercises: Best Rep & Set Range

When performing cable machine shoulder workouts, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • The cable machine is best used for hypertrophy, rather than strength and power.
  • You won'tlift as heavy as possible but rather hone in on specific exercises with a mid to high rep range.
  • Work with a weight that is hard to finish off the last 1-2 reps in the set. Withcable machines,you can work to failure without fear of dropping the weights or not being able to control the weight, so push yourself!

If you need a refresher regarding rep ranges and desired outcomes, you can follow these guidelines:

  • 0-5 Reps: Power/Strength
  • 6-8 Reps: Strength/Hypertrophy
  • 8-15 Reps: Hypertrophy
  • 15+ Reps: Hypertrophy & Endurance

Tryto have a good mix of these reps ranges in your workout programming. You can learn more about this in our article:

16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises For 3D Delts (19)

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

Anatomy & Function of the Shoulders

The shoulder is made up of three muscles, the anterior deltoid (front), lateral deltoid (side), and posterior deltoid (back).We also included the rotator cuff muscles and the traps as they often work in unison with the deltoids.

  • Anterior Deltoid:The anterior deltoid, also referred to as the front delt, sits at the front of the shoulder and is often the most worked of the three delt muscles. The front deltsenable you to raise your arm in front of your body and turn your shoulders inwards. The front delt's main action is raising your arms overhead. Itis also the primary mover in vertical pushing movements like the overhead press, as well as horizontal pushing exercises that work the chest like bench presses.
  • Lateral Deltoid:The lateral deltoid,also called the side delt, middle deltoid, and medial deltoid, sits on the side of the shoulder andis responsible for moving your arm away from your body. The middle delt also plays a part in vertical pressing movements like the dumbbell shoulder press. If you want to specifically target it, a cable shoulder exercise like lateral raises isbest.
  • Posterior Deltoid:The posterior deltoid, also called the rear delt,sits on the back of the shoulder opposite of the front delt and tends to be the most neglected delt muscle. A strong rear delt acts as a stabilizer in some movements such as the overhead press, so if you want to hit it directly, you’ll have to do shoulder cable exercises like rear delt flys. In some pulling exercises, the rear delt isengaged.

16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises For 3D Delts (20)

Rotator Cuff Muscles & Trapezius

In addition to your shoulders, the exercises we went over will also work your four rotator cuff muscles and traps, as these muscles are vitally important to having strong well-functioning shoulders.

The four rotator cuff muscles are:

  • Infraspinatus
  • Subscapularis
  • Supraspinatus
  • Teres Minor

10 Benefits of Cable Shoulder Exercises

The cable machine offers an incredibly effective way to train the shoulders. Let’s have a look at some other benefits of cable shoulder exercises.

1) Versatile:

The cable machine offers almost unmatched versatility because you can change up the load, angle, grip positioning, and body positioning easily when performing shoulder cable exercises. With the ability to change all these variables, it’s less likely you’ll get bored with your training when using the cable machine.

2) Body positioning:

Body positioning simply refers to how you position your body during each exercise. You can combine the cable machine with the following body positions:

  • Lying on a bench
  • Kneeling on one or both knees
  • Sitting on a bench or stability ball
  • Standing in a staggered or bilateral stance

In essence, you will be able to hit all aspects of the shoulder with a good cable shoulder exercise or two, ensuring you don't create any muscle imbalances. The ability to hit the shoulder so well can be attributed to pairing your shoulder joint mobility with the cable machine's incredible range of motion.

3) Loading Angle:

The cable machine has pulleys that are affixed to vertical tracks so that you can easily raise or lower the starting point. This capability results in you being able to target your muscles in a slightly different mannerusing the same exercise.

For instance, you could do bent over rear delt flys with the cable set toward the ground. In this position, you will be using more muscles overall to complete the movement because you’re bent over in a hinged position.

You could do this same exercise standing up with the cable at shoulder level where the rear delt will be a tad more isolated because you only have to focus on the main movement of the reverse fly.

4) Grip:

When performing cable shoulder exercises, you can switch up your grip on the cable machine by using different attachments such as the stirrup or ropes.

You could change from an overhand to underhand to neutral grip rather easily with the cable machine. By switching up your grip, you can make small alterations in how you’re targeting the muscles you’re working.

5) Load & Tension:

With a cable machine, you can easily and quickly change the load you’re working with by pulling the pin and then reinserting it into a different weight in the stack. This ease of changing the load comes into play if you’re doing any drop sets, pyramids, or supersets.

The next amazing feature of the cable machine is that it puts constant tension on the muscles throughout a range of motion. This flat strength curve can work your muscles throughout the entire movement at the same rate which allows for more time under tension.

This is one of the main reasons why the cable machine is favored amongst bodybuilders and advanced trainees with the goal of hypertrophy when doing isolation exercises.

6) Unilateral Movement:

Performing shoulder exercises on a cable machine can highlight any weaknesses or shortcomings you may have on one side versus the other.

Like dumbbells, you can work one shoulder at a time but with the cables, the tension is in a smooth flat strength curve so it’s easier to identify if you’re weak in a particular exercise.

Iron out any muscle imbalances with a cable machine exercise or two before they become a bigger issue.

7) Smooth Motion:

The cable machine offers a smooth, controlled motion when performing cable shoulder exercises, which can be manipulated by the variables above to deliver the exact resistance you’re looking for. This is ideal for maximizing time under tension.

8) Safe & Efficient:

Cable machines are a safe and efficient tool to incorporate into your workout program. The smooth flat resistance results in less wear and tear on yourjoints, especially the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

You can efficiently change the load, angle, and attachment, makingit easy if you want to change up the exercise and other variables without having to move to another area of the gym to use other equipment.

Training to failure might be dangerous on barbell or dumbbell exercises but with the cable machine, you’re safe to push yourself to the absolute limits without fear of dropping a weight on yourself or injuring yourself.

9) Great For Isolation:

We generally recommend free weights for the large compound lifts to get the biggest bang for your buck, but when it comes to isolation exercises, the cable machine isa perfect choice.

One of the best perks of the cable machine is you cantarget muscles precisely how you want to and train them to failure, which is great for hypertrophy.

10) Beginner Friendly:

There’s often a learning curve to using barbells and dumbbells safely and effectively. But,beginners can quickly get thegist of movements on a cable machine withoutworrying about hurting themselves.

What’s The Best Exercise For Broad Shoulders?

The best exercises for broad shoulders are ones that work the side delts. Well-built side delts can add broadness to the shoulders. Lateral raises are a great exercise to hit the side delts andmultiple variations and angle changes can be done to help you thoroughly work your side shoulders.

Upright rows are another awesome exercise to add some size to the side delts, with research showing that when compared to 11 other shoulder exercises, the incline upright row activated the lateral deltoids the most1.

Just remember to train both the side and rear delts adequately in your workouts to develop full shoulders all around. The front delts usually are the most developed because they're involved in many horizontal pressing movements.

It's also important to rememberthat your genetics play a part in how broad your shoulders can become. You can put on some size by building up the side delts but if you have shorter clavicle bones then you might not be able to get your shoulders quite as broadas you'd hoped.

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Add Cable Machine Shoulder Exercises To Your Routine

All in all, the cable machine provides tremendous value when it comes to building big well-defined shoulders. Shoulder exercises on a cable machine can hit your shoulders from all angles, stimulating new muscle fibers to be activated for more potential growth.

Don’t just take our word for it. Next time you’re in the gym, try a few of these cable shoulder exercises. We’re sure you’ll be an advocate afterward. Shoulder on!

Looking for more great cable exercises? Check out theseCable Arm Exercisesand the bestCable MachineBack Exercises. Ready to set your home gym up, so you can perform cable exercisesanytime, anywhere? Check out these9 Best Cable Machines!

16 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises For 3D Delts (22)

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:

  1. ACE - ProSourceTM: September 2014 - Dynamite Delts: ACE Research Identifies Top Shoulder Exercises. www.acefitness.org. https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/prosource/september-2014/4972/dynamite-delts-ace-research-identifies-top-shoulder-exercises/
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