Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Chest

Single-Arm Cable Chest Press

CableCompoundEasy to learnOne side at a time
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Chest

Also delts, triceps, obliques

You need

Cable station

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Arms extended
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Pulley at chest height, staggered stance
  2. 2Press straight forward without rotating your torso
  3. 3Let the arm come back until the chest stretches

Most common mistake

Twisting the torso to finish the rep.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Barbell Bench Pressvs Dumbbell Bench Pressvs Machine Chest Press
A
For chest
#12 of 32
See the full list →
Research
74
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 74
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionStrong
Low costExcellent

One arm at a time under constant cable tension: kind to the shoulders, slower to load heavy.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SPec DeckMachine
  • AIncline Machine PressMachine
  • AMachine Chest PressMachine
  • SCable FlyCable

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280