The back muscles, which include your latissimus dorsi and trapezii, are essential for maintaining good posture and supporting your torso. The triceps are integral to bending and flexing your arms. Cable exercises can zero in on these two muscle groups, creating an intensive workout that strengthens the muscles, provides a more toned appearance and reduces underarm flab.
Benefits of a Back and Triceps Workout
You can strengthen and tone your back and triceps muscles in a number of ways, whether using free weights or your own body weight. According to BodyBuilding.com, cables are beneficial because you can isolate specific muscle groups and maintain muscle tension, which makes the target muscles work harder. You also can perform exercises more smoothly, preventing you from jarring your joints.
Triceps
Lie on your back on an exercise bench with a cable machine positioned behind your head, says ShapeFit. Make sure the cable has a horizontal hand bar attached to it. Reach back and grab the bar with both hands, using an overhand grip with your palms facing away from the machine. Start with the bar above your head and your arms straight, then bend your elbows to drop your hands behind you. Keep your upper arms as still as possible as you lower and lift your forearms back to the start position. Make sure your elbows don’t flop out to the side – they should remain pointing toward the ceiling throughout the exercise.
Latissimus Dorsi
Sit down on a bench facing the cable machine, which should have a wide-bar handle attached to it, says BodyBuilding.com. Position the kneepad so it is resting comfortably on top of your knees to stop you from lifting up and using your legs during the exercise. Take hold of the bar by placing your hands wider than shoulder-width apart and wrapping your fingers over the top of it with your palms facing forward. Lean back slightly and ensure there is a gentle curve in your lower back, then exhale as you pull the bar down to chest height. When performing the pull-down, squeeze your shoulder blades together and draw your elbows into your sides. This ensures you use your back muscles rather than your forearms. As you inhale, return the bar to the start position slowly and with control.
Trapezius Muscles
These muscles run across the back of your shoulders and along your spine. Two of their main functions are to shrug your shoulders and move your arms out from your sides. Stand facing the cable machine and take hold of the horizontal bar, positioning your hands about shoulder-width apart, says BodyBuilding.com. Start with your arms straight and palms facing inward against your thighs. From this position, bend your elbows to draw your hands up to chin height, keeping your elbows higher than your hands. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position and repeat. Be careful not to lean forward or backward during the movement, as this will make it easier on your traps.
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