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Exercise library · Chest

Standing cable chest press

Horizontal press for the chest on a cable.

How to do it

1 of 3

One foot forward, handles at your chest

  1. Starting position

    Stand facing away from the cable machine with one foot forward and hold the handles by your chest.

  2. The movement

    Press the handles forward until your arms are almost straight, then return them slowly to your chest.

Most common mistake

Don't lean forward to move the handles, keep your body steady and let your arms press forward.

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Muscle group
Chest
Equipment
Cable
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The standing cable chest press is a bench press without the bench: your chest does the pressing, with help from your triceps and front shoulders. As you stand with the cables pulling backwards, your abs, glutes and legs must keep you still, and balance often limits the weight more than your chest does. The pulley height sets the direction. At chest height you press straight ahead, and from low pulleys with an upward press your upper chest usually gets more work. Press with one arm at a time and your trunk must also resist rotation.

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close to the machine. The plates then settle between reps, and the resistance vanishes with the handles at your chest. Take a step or two forward so the weight stays lifted for the whole set.
  • The cable pulls you into an arch. The resistance from behind tries to bend you backwards, and your lower back takes over. Bend your knees slightly, keep your ribs down and brace your abs before the first rep.
  • Your elbows drift far behind your body. Letting the cables pull your arms well back leaves the front of your shoulders exposed. Let the handles stop by your chest, with your elbows roughly in line with your body.

Variations and alternatives

  • The standing band chest press is the same movement with a resistance band, for home training.
  • The machine chest press has a backrest, so you can press heavier without balance holding you back.
  • Cable flyes on the same machine when you want to isolate your chest without help from your triceps.

Sets and reps

The cable press works best with 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps, for muscle growth or endurance. Heavy sets of few reps work less well, as you lose your stance before your chest tires. If you press one arm at a time, do the same reps on both sides and start with the weaker one. Read the sets and reps guide for how to pick the numbers.

Besides weight and reps, log the pulley height and how far forward you stood, so sessions can be compared. Add reps until every set lands on 15, then raise the weight one notch. That is what progressive overload looks like in a cable exercise.

Also called

  • cable press
  • bröstpress i kabel
  • cable chest press

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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