Cable machines are something you see in every gym and in constant use, often meaning you have to wait your turn because of their popularity. So why does everyone use cable machines? We’ve taken the key points of cable machine use due to their resistance path, use for strength, for rehab, and the considerations for a home gym. Take a look into our guide for cable machines here.
Resistance from a cable machine
Here’s the number 1 reason why people use cable machines instead of resistance bands. They provide constant tension. So the amount of resistance you set the machine to is the resistance you get throughout the whole motion. There is an advantage to cable machines over dumbbells in this sense as the tension from the cable machine pulls against the muscle you are working for the full range of motion, as you don’t need gravity to play it’s part, because of where the rope is anchored into the machine.
Dumbbells act against gravity. We don’t need to pretend we are Newton with his apple here but it’s a pretty basic concept, meaning some of your exercises will work your muscles for harder and for longer when using a cable machine instead of dumbbells. Let’s take an example of chest flys - dumbbells vs cable machine.
Chest flys with a dumbbell: you lie on your back on a bench and hold the dumbbells in a fly action. The resistance of the dumbbells are always trying to pull directly straight down as their resistance is due to gravity.
Chest flys with a cable machine: you can stand, lie down, sit, or however you want to perform it. Let’s take standing for example… the rope is anchored at the same height as your chest and the resistance is working exactly against your pectoral muscle throughout the whole range. The resistance is going against your muscle, putting your pectoral muscle under constant tension, directly against the movement.
So in this example, the ability to move where the tension applies (gravity vs height on cable machine), shows cable machines can be better than dumbbells. Not to say dumbbells don’t have their place (they do), but in this scenario they don’t.
And yes, the Unitree PUMP shares the resistance curve when set on ‘standard mode’ to replicate the feeling of this, and you can anchor it at different heights like you would on a cable machine. Below, the purple line is constant tension, the orange is varied which is what you get in a resistance band.
Cable machines for strength
The good thing about cable machines is how easy they are to change the resistance to help with your strength training. No need to go to the dumbbell rack or to change resistance bands, simply pick the pin out and put it in your next weight up or down. Super easy to do and keeps for a tidier gym (if you are one of those people who leaves weight plates lying around let this be your sign to clean them up.). The Unitree PUMP acts in a similar way to this but the resistance is controlled by your phone on the free app, where you can adjust the resistance there.
Changing resistance on a cable machine is very useful for different exercises. But also good within the same exercise. Whether that’s doing a pyramid set (starting lower to increase to a higher weight, then reducing again) or doing a drop set (continually dropping the weight throughout one set) to get a great burn, they provide that versatility to mix your workout up.
Cable machines for rehab
Often missed out as one of their key benefits. Cable machines reduce the risk of injury. They are great for rehab to build strength and to reduce stress on your joints that they experience with free weights. You can be more controlled throughout the range of movement with a cable machine with the resistance being constant.
The ability to easily change weight makes rehab worthwhile on a cable machine because, as you strengthen your injury, you slowly increase the weight. Resistance bands in this sense only get you so far due to their resistance curve being like an elastic band instead of constant throughout. You can read more about this in our article on comparing the PUMP to other like-for-like products.
Cable machine for a home gym
There’s hiding with a cable machine. Literally, they are massive. They take up a lot of space. Particularly when you want two anchor points. So practically, the ones you see in the gym aren’t going to work in your home gym, unless you have a very big space. More on this in our blog on home gym must haves.
Cable machines are one of the most expensive pieces of kit for a home gym, often costing £1,500 - £2,000 for a good one. A large amount of this expense is in the actual weights within the machine so there are a few solutions around this.
Firstly, you can have a cable machine which has poles to slide weight plates on in a similar way to slide plates onto your barbell (you should also get a dumbbell barbell instead of a dumbbell set to save £££). That’s one option, however most of these don’t have the adjustable height anchoring feature so you’re either set with it at the bottom or at the top and only for one anchor point. So good for things like lat pulldowns, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, and lateral raises. Not so good for fly based exercises and rows.
You can do some hunting on the market for different brands that have tried to solve the issue of cable machines for a home gym. Our answer is the Unitree PUMP - you can adjust the height and resistance and place you anchor it too, so essentially have 2 anchor points (if you purchase 2) in minimal space. With the added benefit of being able to take it anywhere.
So are cable machines worth it?
It depends who you are, what kind of space you have, and how you want to exercise. For someone looking to vary their workouts they are a safe piece of equipment to try new things and you can train all muscles on a cable machine. So for the majority of us, yes you should be using a cable machine in some form of your workout to train your muscles in different ways whether that’s strength, toning, rehab, or maintenance.
Have a look through our review videos here where the Unitree PUMP is often compared to a cable machine.