Chest · Cable
Cable Bench Press
How to do the cable bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set the cables to chest height and lie on a flat bench between them, holding the handles with an overhand grip. Press the handles forward until your arms are fully extended, squeezing your chest at the top. Slowly return to the starting position with control.
- 1Lying between the cables, press the handles straight out from your chest; you should feel your chest, shoulders, and triceps engaging
- 2Keep your shoulder blades pinched together and your wrists neutral
- 3Lower the handles slowly to feel a stretch across your chest before pressing again
Common mistakes
- Don't flare your elbows too wide or press the handles too high
- Avoid arching your lower back or lifting your head off the bench
- Don't let the cables snap back, control the eccentric phase
Muscles worked
The cable bench press mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Cable Bench Press strength standards
See how your cable bench press ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM20 lb
Silvere1RM42.5 lb
Golde1RM62.5 lb
Platinume1RM100 lb
Diamonde1RM160 lb
Champione1RM205 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the cable bench press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed April 2026.