{"id":182303,"date":"2024-06-04T11:03:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T16:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=182303"},"modified":"2024-06-04T11:03:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T16:03:30","slug":"full-body-cable-machine-functional-trainer-workouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/health-fitness\/fitness\/full-body-cable-machine-functional-trainer-workouts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a Full-Body Workout on a Cable Machine\/Functional Trainer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Walk into any commercial gym, or even a hotel fitness center, and you\u2019ll probably see a cable machine and\/or a functional trainer.<\/span><\/p>\n

A cable machine features two weight stacks connected by a cross-beam. The weights in each stack can be adjusted by the user and are lifted through a system of pulleys and cables that travel up and down a track.<\/span><\/p>\n

A functional trainer sports a similar system, but is more compact in design, with the weight stacks sitting closer together. Most functional trainers also have a pull-up bar between the two weight stacks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cable machines\/functional trainers are pretty dang versatile. While a downside of weight-training machines is that they lock you into one position, a cable machine allows for movements that are more dynamic and exercise your balance and stability more than other machines. And with one machine, you can do multiple strength-training exercises and use movements that effectively isolate muscle groups and work them from a variety of angles. It\u2019s possible to use cable machines\/functional trainers to get an effective full-body workout.<\/span><\/p>\n

This advantage is particularly beneficial when you\u2019re traveling. Most hotel gyms are pretty basic: it\u2019s typically a small, poorly lit room with limited equipment. But they do often offer a functional trainer, which means you can get in a good all-around strength training session while you\u2019re on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn a full-body cable workout that can be used either at regular or hotel gyms, I turned to Chris Contois, my physical therapist at Vitality Therapy and Performance<\/a> here in Tulsa, OK. He\u2019s also a competitive bodybuilder and has been doing some bodybuilding programming for me the past year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris created a simple upper body\/lower body split that can be done with a cable machine or a functional trainer. He noted that in the last two hotels he\u2019s stayed in, the functional trainer had fixed handles; you couldn\u2019t swap out attachments and put on a rope handle, for example. So he designed this functional trainer workout assuming you might only have fixed handles available. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Also, one of the downsides of functional trainers is that they\u2019re not great for training legs. While you can do some leg exercises with a functional trainer, your options are limited. If you feel like you need a bit more lower body work, Chris recommends adding some plyos or some bodyweight movements, like air squats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upper Body\/Lower Body Cable Workout<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

For a full-body workout, do all the exercises for both the upper and lower body, resting 90 seconds to two minutes in between each set.<\/p>\n

Upper Body<\/h2>\n