How many reps of the cable lift should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?

Start light for 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side, and add weight only once the movement stays trunk-driven rather than arm-driven throughout the full range.

What can you do instead of the cable lift if you don't have access to a cable machine?

A resistance band anchored low and worked with the same upward diagonal sweep trains an almost identical rotate-and-lift pattern anywhere you can anchor it. A light dumbbell moved through the same low-to-high diagonal path also works if you have neither a cable stack nor a band.

What is the cable lift good for, and when should you skip it?

It works well as a core and shoulder builder or a dynamic warm-up before rotational sport work. Skip it if you cannot yet control a standing anti-rotation hold, since some rotational control should come first, or as a replacement for a big pressing or pulling lift, since this is assistance work, not a compound lift.

Intermediate

Cable Lift

The lift is the upward cousin of the woodchop: you start with the handle low by one hip and sweep it up and across to the opposite corner, driving rotation through the obliques while the hips and shoulders finish the arc. It trains the anti-flexion, rotate-and-extend pattern that shows up in throwing, swinging, and standing up from the floor with a load. Use it as a core and shoulder builder or a dynamic warm-up before rotational sport work.

Equipment: Cables
Body part: Abs, Shoulder
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Rotation

How to do it

1
Set a single handle on the lowest pulley and stand side-on with the machine to your right.
2
Reach both hands down to the handle at your right hip, feet a little wider than shoulder width.
3
Brace your abs and push through your right foot as you rotate and sweep the handle up toward your left shoulder.
4
Finish tall with arms extended high and your torso turned to the left, hips following the arms.
5
Reverse the path under control back to your right hip, complete your reps, then face the other way and repeat.

Tips

Turn from your trunk and hips, not just your arms; the handle should track a long diagonal line.
Keep your elbows fairly straight so the obliques do the work instead of the biceps.
Let your back foot pivot as you rotate so your knee is not forced to twist.

Variations

Common mistakes

Loading more weight than the trunk can rotate smoothly turns the first pull into an arm yank instead of a hip-and-trunk sweep.
The finish stalls with the arms short of full overhead extension, cutting off the top range where the obliques get their strongest contraction.
Standing too close to the pulley lets the plates rest on the stack at the bottom, so the first few inches of every rep move with no real resistance.
The return drops fast and uncontrolled back to the hip, letting the weight stack's momentum reset the rep instead of the obliques.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the cable lift should you do per side when you are new to the exercise?: Start light for 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side, and add weight only once the movement stays trunk-driven rather than arm-driven throughout the full range.
What can you do instead of the cable lift if you don't have access to a cable machine?: A resistance band anchored low and worked with the same upward diagonal sweep trains an almost identical rotate-and-lift pattern anywhere you can anchor it. A light dumbbell moved through the same low-to-high diagonal path also works if you have neither a cable stack nor a band.
What is the cable lift good for, and when should you skip it?: It works well as a core and shoulder builder or a dynamic warm-up before rotational sport work. Skip it if you cannot yet control a standing anti-rotation hold, since some rotational control should come first, or as a replacement for a big pressing or pulling lift, since this is assistance work, not a compound lift.

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