Intermediate

Cable Push Press

A shallow dip of the knees and a hard drive from the legs launch the handles overhead, letting you press heavier and train explosive overhead power. The cables keep constant tension so the shoulders stay loaded even at lockout. It is a good bridge between strict pressing and Olympic-style jerks, building athletic overhead strength without a bar.

Equipment
Cables
Body part
Quads, Shoulder
Type
Functional, Strength
Browse by movement
Vertical Press
Muscles worked
Target
Deltoid Anterior, Deltoid Middle
Secondary
Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Tertiary
Gluteus Maximus, Upper Rectus Abdominals, Erector Spinae

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set two low pulleys and hold a handle at each shoulder, elbows down, facing away from the stack.

  2. 2

    Stand tall with feet hip-width and brace your trunk.

  3. 3

    Dip by bending the knees a few inches while keeping your torso upright.

  4. 4

    Drive up hard through the legs and use that momentum to press both handles overhead.

  5. 5

    Lock out with the arms extended, then lower the handles back to your shoulders.

  6. 6

    Reset your stance and repeat, exhaling on the drive.

Tips

  • Keep the dip short and vertical; do not let your chest fall forward.
  • Time the press to fire the instant the legs finish driving.
  • Finish every rep with a full lockout and the ribs stacked over the hips.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Cable tension drags the handles back behind your head at lockout and the lower back arches to allow it; finish with the handles above the shoulders and the arch taken out.
  • Standing too far in front of the pulleys angles the cables backward, so they drag the handles behind your head and pull you into a lean; stand close enough that the cables run nearly straight down.
  • On the way down the stack yanks the handles back to the shoulders faster than you meant, which is where shoulders get tugged; lower them at the same speed you pressed.
  • Constant tension slowly drags the elbows out of position between reps, so rep four starts from a lower rack than rep one. Reset the elbows under the handles each time.
  • Leaning back into the cables to make the press easier turns it into an incline press; if you cannot stay stacked over your feet, the weight on the stack is the problem.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the cable push press should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Because the cables hold tension the whole way, this version takes reps better than the barbell one: 3 sets of 10 to 12 with 60 to 75 seconds of rest. Pick a load that lets the last two reps still lock out fast. If the stack jumps in large increments, add a rep or slow the lowering rather than taking the next plate.
What can I do instead of the cable push press if the pulleys are busy or I train at home?
A resistance band anchored under both feet and held at the shoulders keeps tension on at lockout and packs into a bag, though its tension rises toward the top instead of staying even like the cable's. Dumbbells or kettlebells give you the same dip and drive with the load coming from gravity, which makes the top of the rep easier than the cable version. Choose the band if keeping the shoulders loaded at lockout is what you were after.
What is the cable push press for?
It builds explosive overhead pressing while keeping the shoulders loaded at lockout, which a barbell does not, and it trains the pattern without a rack or a loaded bar over your head. It is a poor choice for testing power, since the stack and the pulleys blunt the top-end speed, and a poor choice if the cables pull you off balance; fighting to stay over your feet means the load is too heavy for the setup.

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