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Exercises

Cable arm exercises for biceps, triceps and forearms

Published October 19, 2026

The best cable arm exercises are the cable curl and overhead cable curl for your biceps, the triceps pressdown and overhead cable extension for your triceps, and the cable kickback for the triceps at lockout. A single pulley with a rope and a straight bar covers all of those except the overhead curl and the cross pushdown, which need a two-stack crossover. Pair one curl with one pushdown and one overhead extension, and a cable machine gives you a full arm day.

  1. Cable Curl Biceps
  2. Cable Triceps Pressdown Triceps
  3. Overhead Cable Triceps Extension Triceps
  4. Overhead Cable Curl Biceps
  5. Cable Triceps Kickback Triceps
  6. Cable Twisting Curl Biceps
  7. Cable Cross Pushdown Triceps

Cable bicep exercises

Low-pulley curls load the biceps from a straight arm, the high double-pulley curl loads it with the arms raised, and the twisting curl adds forearm rotation. The underhand pulldown is the heavy compound option for days you train back too.

Biceps, low-pulley curl

Cable Curl

Biceps

The cable keeps load on your biceps from a straight arm all the way to the top, so there is no dead spot where you rest mid-rep. It is the default bicep exercise on a cable machine and the one to progress first.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar or EZ handle low, hold it palms-up, and take a step back so the stack rises off its rest.
  2. Stand upright with knees soft and elbows by your hips.
  3. Bend your elbows to bring the handle up toward your collarbone.
  4. Return slowly to straight arms, keeping a little tension so the plates never touch down.

Cues

  • Plates never touch between reps
  • Upper arms stay vertical
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows creep forward at the top: that hands the load to the shoulders, so stop the curl where the elbows want to move.
  • Leaning back late in the set: end the set when your torso starts to help.

Swap for: Cable Twisting Curl, Overhead Cable Curl, Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Cable Curl

Biceps, high double-pulley curl

Overhead Cable Curl

Biceps

With both high pulleys pulling your hands out to the sides, you curl toward your head with your upper arms raised. The biceps finishes in its shortest position under load, which a low-pulley curl cannot match, so it pairs well as the second curl.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys on a crossover station to the top position and attach a single handle to each.
  2. Stand centered between them, holding a handle in each palm-up hand, upper arms lifted sideways to about shoulder level.
  3. Bend the elbows to bring both hands toward the sides of your head.
  4. Extend back out slowly until your elbows are almost straight.

Cues

  • Elbows level with shoulders
  • Hands to your ears
  • Squeeze one second

Common mistakes

  • Elbows sinking toward your ribs: that loses the angle, so keep the upper arms up.
  • Stance too narrow: stagger your feet so the cables do not tip you.

Swap for: Cable Curl, Cable Twisting Curl, Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Overhead Cable Curl

Biceps, one-arm curl with supination

Cable Twisting Curl

Biceps

Starting thumb-up and twisting to palm-up as you lift trains both things the biceps does: bending the elbow and turning the forearm. One arm at a time also shows you if one side is weaker.

How to do it

  1. Clip a single handle to the low pulley and hold it thumb-up in one hand.
  2. Stand next to or facing the stack with the working elbow by your side.
  3. Curl up and turn your little finger toward the ceiling as the handle rises.
  4. Turn back to thumb-up while lowering to a straight arm; finish the reps, then change arms.

Cues

  • Rotate as you rise
  • Elbow pinned
  • Weaker arm goes first

Common mistakes

  • Twisting only at the very top: spread the turn over the whole lift.
  • Using body sway on a light handle: keep still and pick a lighter pin.

Swap for: Cable Curl, Overhead Cable Curl, Cable Wrist Extension

Build a session with Cable Twisting Curl

Biceps and lats, underhand pulldown

Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

Lats

Pulling a bar down with your palms facing you works the biceps hard alongside your lats, and the stack lets you use more weight than any curl. On an upper-body or pull day, it is the compound lift that makes your later curls go further.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the pulldown station with your thighs locked under the pad and take the bar palms-toward-you, shoulder width.
  2. Lean back slightly and lift your chest.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest, driving your elbows down beside your ribs.
  4. Let the bar rise slowly until your arms are straight and your shoulders are stretched upward.

Cues

  • Bar to the top of your chest
  • Elbows down and in
  • Full stretch on the way up

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back to row the weight: keep a slight lean and lighten the stack.
  • Stopping the bar at chin height: bring it to the chest for the full range.

Swap for: Cable Curl, Cable Twisting Curl, Overhead Cable Curl

Build a session with Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

Cable tricep exercises

Pushdowns load the triceps with your arms at your sides, the overhead extension with your arms raised and the long head stretched, and the kickback at full lockout. One from each position is the most complete triceps day you can build on a cable stack.

Triceps, high-pulley pushdown

Cable Triceps Pressdown

Triceps

Pushing a handle down from a high pulley lets you load your triceps heavily with almost no setup and no stress on the shoulder. The pin makes every small increase easy, so it is the triceps exercise most cable arm days are built on.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar, V-bar or rope to the top pulley and hold it with your elbows bent and tucked in.
  2. Stand close to the stack, lean forward slightly from the hips, and keep your shoulders down.
  3. Press the handle down until your arms are fully straight and the triceps is tight.
  4. Let the handle rise under control until your forearms pass level, elbows staying put.

Cues

  • Elbows glued to your sides
  • Lock out at the bottom
  • Only the forearms move

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows rise with the handle: it turns into a shoulder movement, so keep them fixed.
  • Leaning your whole bodyweight over the bar: if you need it, the stack is too heavy.

Swap for: Cable Cross Pushdown, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension, Cable Triceps Kickback

Build a session with Cable Triceps Pressdown

Triceps long head, overhead extension

Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Triceps

Raising your arms overhead stretches the long head of the triceps, the biggest part of the muscle, and loading it in that stretch is what pushdowns miss. A rope on the cable makes it easier to set up than any free-weight overhead extension.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to the high pulley, grab both ends, and turn to face away from the stack.
  2. Step forward into a split stance and lean slightly so the rope sits behind your head with your elbows bent and pointing forward.
  3. Straighten your arms forward and up until they are in line with your ears.
  4. Bend the elbows to let the rope travel back behind your head for a deep stretch.

Cues

  • Elbows point forward, not out
  • Reach long at the finish
  • Deep stretch behind the head

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows wide: keep them about shoulder width so the triceps does the work.
  • Moving the upper arms with each rep: only the forearms should travel.

Swap for: Cable Triceps Pressdown, Cable Triceps Kickback, Cable Cross Pushdown

Build a session with Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Triceps, crossed-cable pushdown

Cable Cross Pushdown

Triceps

Each hand holds the cable from the opposite high pulley and presses down and out, so your arms straighten in an arc rather than a straight line. Many lifters feel the outer part of the triceps more, and the free path is easy on the elbows.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys high with no handles or single handles, and grab the left cable with your right hand and the right cable with your left.
  2. Stand between them with your hands crossed in front of your chest and your elbows bent.
  3. Press both hands down and apart until your arms are straight beside your hips.
  4. Let your hands come back up and across to the start under control.

Cues

  • Down and out, like an X opening
  • Upper arms still
  • Pause at full lockout

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the hands too wide at the bottom: finish beside your hips, not out to the sides.
  • Hunching forward: stay tall with your chest up.

Swap for: Cable Triceps Pressdown, Cable Triceps Kickback, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Build a session with Cable Cross Pushdown

Triceps, bent-over cable kickback

Cable Triceps Kickback

Triceps

Bending over with your upper arm by your side, you straighten your elbow back against a low cable. It loads the triceps hardest at full lockout, the opposite of the overhead extension, and the cable makes the bottom of the rep count too.

How to do it

  1. Set a pulley low, grip the handle with one hand, and hinge forward with a flat back.
  2. Lift your upper arm until it is in line with your torso, elbow bent to roughly a right angle.
  3. Straighten your arm back until it is fully locked.
  4. Let the forearm swing back down slowly without moving the upper arm.

Cues

  • Upper arm stays parallel to your torso
  • Lock the elbow, then pause
  • Hinge, don't stand up

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the upper arm to move the weight: lighten the pin until only the elbow moves.
  • Standing too upright: the cable then pulls along the arm instead of against it.

Swap for: Cable Triceps Pressdown, Cable Cross Pushdown, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Build a session with Cable Triceps Kickback

Cable forearm exercise

Curls already train the forearm flexors. The wrist extension covers the muscles on the back of the forearm that most routines skip, and two sets at the end of an arm day are enough.

Forearms, wrist extension

Cable Wrist Extension

Forearms

Lifting the back of your hand against a low cable trains the extensor muscles on the top of the forearm, which most arm routines skip. The steady tension of the cable makes a small, high-rep movement easy to control.

How to do it

  1. Attach a short bar to the low pulley and hold it palms-down.
  2. Rest your forearms on your thighs or a bench so only your wrists can move, hands hanging past the edge.
  3. Raise the backs of your hands toward you as far as the wrist allows.
  4. Lower slowly until your knuckles point down, then repeat.

Cues

  • Forearms stay flat
  • Lift with the knuckles
  • Small weight, many reps

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows to help: keep the forearms pinned and lighten the pin.
  • Bouncing at the bottom: lower slowly through the full stretch.

Swap for: Cable Twisting Curl, Cable Curl, Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Cable Wrist Extension

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

One adjustable pulley, no crossover

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable

You have a single cable column, at a home gym or a functional trainer you share, with a straight bar, a rope and a single handle.

One pulley rules out the overhead curl and the cross pushdown, so each session uses moves that need only one stack: a curl, a pushdown or overhead extension, a kickback or twisting curl, and the wrist extension. Swapping attachments costs a few seconds, so the plan alternates biceps and triceps to keep moving. Isolation sets end at 0 to 1 reps in reserve because cables are safe to push hard; each session is 11 working sets.

Arms A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable CurlStraight bar. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Cable Triceps PressdownRope or V-bar. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Cable Twisting CurlPer arm. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min
Cable Wrist ExtensionForearms on a bench. 2 × 15–20 1 45 s

Open Arms A in the session builder

Arms B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Overhead Cable Triceps ExtensionRope. Deep stretch. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Cable CurlEZ handle. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min
Cable Triceps KickbackPer arm. Pause at lockout. 3 × 12–15 0 45 s
Cable Wrist Extension 2 × 15–20 1 45 s

Open Arms B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Arms A and Arms B on separate days, twice a week each or once each with other training between.
How to progress
Move the pin down one plate when every set reaches the top of its rep range at the target reps in reserve. If your stack jumps in big steps, add reps or a slower lowering until the next plate is manageable.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Crossover station, dedicated arm day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets15 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable, Cable Crossover

You train at a gym with a two-stack crossover, have a year or more of lifting behind you, and give arms their own day once a week.

The crossover adds the overhead curl and cross pushdown, so each superset pairs a biceps and a triceps exercise that share one setup: one muscle rests while the other works. Heavier pairs come first at 1 rep in reserve, and the session closes on the kickback at 0. It is 15 working sets, enough for one big arm day a week.

Cable Arm Day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Cable CurlLow pulley, straight bar. 3 × 8–12 1 1 min
A2 Cable Triceps PressdownHigh pulley, same column. 3 × 8–12 1 1 min
B1 Overhead Cable CurlBoth high pulleys. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
B2 Cable Cross PushdownSame pulleys, cables crossed. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Cable Triceps KickbackPer arm. 3 × 12–20 0 45 s
How to run it
Do this once a week, at least two days from your heaviest chest or back session. Do each superset back to back, then rest.
How to progress
Add a rep per set each week. When the top of a range comes at the target reps in reserve, drop the pin one plate on that exercise only.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Arms inside an upper-body day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentLat Pulldown, Adjustable Cable

You run an upper and lower split and only have 15 minutes for arms at the end of the upper session.

The reverse-grip pulldown counts as both a back and a biceps exercise, so it replaces your regular pulldown and frees time. The overhead extension covers the triceps head that presses barely load, and the twisting curl finishes the biceps. Three exercises at 1 to 2 reps in reserve fit after heavy pressing and rowing without wrecking the next session.

Upper Day Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse-Grip Lat PulldownReplaces your usual pulldown. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
A1 Overhead Cable Triceps ExtensionRope. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
A2 Cable Twisting CurlPer arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do this block at the end of each upper day, twice a week. Use the pulldown in place of your usual vertical pull.
How to progress
Progress the pulldown by adding weight when every set reaches 12 reps at 2 in reserve. On the two isolation moves, add reps first, then a plate.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are good arm exercises using a cable machine?

The cable curl and triceps pressdown are the two staples. Add the overhead cable triceps extension for the long head of the triceps, and the overhead cable curl or twisting curl as a second biceps move. The kickback and wrist extension round it out.

Are cables good for building arms?

Yes. A cable keeps the load on through the whole rep, the weight changes in seconds, and the movements are easy on the joints. Arms grow well from cables alone if each set is taken close to failure.

Are 4 exercises enough for arm day?

Yes. Two for biceps and two for triceps, 3 or 4 hard sets each, is plenty. The crossover plan here uses five only because the supersets keep it short.

Should I do cable arms before or after free weights?

After. Do heavy barbell or dumbbell work first while you are fresh, then use cables to add volume with less fatigue. If you train arms only on cables, do the heaviest pair first.

Which cable attachment is best for triceps?

A rope lets your hands spread at the bottom and is easiest on the elbows. A straight bar or V-bar lets you lift more. Use the rope for overhead extensions and either one for pushdowns.

Can you build big arms with only cable exercises?

Yes. Arms respond to hard sets, not to the equipment. Cables cover every position the biceps and triceps work in; what limits most home cable machines is the top of the stack, not the exercises.