Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound
Cable Standing Lift: How to Do It & Muscles Worked
The cable standing lift is an exercise targeting the abdominal muscles, especially the obliques and lower back, by using a cable machine to perform a rotational lifting movement.
How to do the cable standing lift
- Step 1: Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Step 2: Hold the cable handle with both hands and position it at waist height.
- Step 3: Engage your core and maintain a straight back throughout the exercise.
- Step 4: Keeping your arms straight, exhale and lift the cable handle up towards your opposite shoulder, rotating your torso.
- Step 5: Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the cable handle back to the starting position.
- Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Sets, reps and programming
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 | 3–6 | 3–5 min | 1–3 reps in reserve |
| Muscle growth | 3–4 | 6–12 | 2–3 min | 1–2 reps in reserve |
| Muscular endurance | 2–3 | 12–20 | 1–2 min | 1–3 reps in reserve |
Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.
Cable Standing Lift alternatives
More exercises that train the abs as their main target:
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Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs
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Arms Overhead Full Sit-Up (Male)
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Assisted Lying Leg Raise with Throw Down
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Band Alternating V-Up
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Band Assisted Wheel Rollerout
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Band Bicycle Crunch
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Band Jack Knife Sit-Up
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More abs exercises
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Dead Bug
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Hanging Leg Raise
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3/4 Sit-Up
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45° Side Bend
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Air Bike
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Alternate Heel Touchers
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Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.
Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.
This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.