4 Day Cable Machine Upper Lower Split Workout Routine (with PDF)

Many fitness enthusiasts have started testing cable workouts to grow in strength and hypertrophy. The advantage of using pulley-based systems for resistance training is that there is a decreased risk of injury.

When performing cable exercises, the path of motion is fixed. There is no possibility of you working out with incorrect form or technique. This also leads to a greater focus on the workout and maximizes gains.

As you don’t have to focus on improving the form and technique, there is a greater potential for better mind-muscle connection. This leads to an increase in the apparent strength of the muscles being worked out while performing a particular exercise ^[1].

Similarly, another advantage of performing cable machine exercises is that you can really focus on the muscles being worked and feel the contraction. According to studies, doing this can lead to higher muscle activation, improving it by 20%-60% in total ^[2].

Because of these scientific benefits, we have devised the perfect cable machine 4-day workout program to help you achieve your fitness goals.

To make things even more effective, we have used the upper-lower workout split as it offers several advantages over similar training routines.

4 Day Cable Machine Upper Lower Split Workout Routine

For any workout program to be effective, devising a well-structured split is crucial. According to a study, most competitive bodybuilders follow a distinct workout split approach that works best for their needs ^[3].

While there are many options available, an upper-lower cable workout plan could be the most effective. That’s because such a routine will allow you to train each muscle group twice a week, which is the recommended limit for optimal hypertrophy gains ^[4].

For athletes, it’s recommended that they include multiple training sessions in a week ^[5]. With our 4-day cable machine workout program, they can do exactly that. Moreover, our routine also provides sufficient time for the muscles to rest and recover.

So, whether you are an athlete looking to gain functional strength or a newbie who wants to embark on a bodybuilding journey, our cable pulley upper-lower workout can help you get where you want to be.

Without further ado, let’s move on to the actual workout schedule:

Day 1: Upper Body

On the first day of our training week, we will be focusing on the upper body muscle groups – the chest, back, shoulders, triceps, and biceps.

We will start with some simple cable chest presses, arguably the most effective exercise to target the pectoralis major and recruit most muscle fibers in the region.

Performing the bench press using the cable system is highly beneficial – since the stabilizing muscles (that keep your body and form steady during the movement) are not activated as much, the primary focus is on building chest strength only.

The low-to-high cable crossover is also meant to target the pecs. This exercise is primarily designed to bring more definition and shape to your chest. From there, we move on to leaning cable lateral raises, the perfect shoulder exercise for building the side delts.

Cable wide-grip rows target the lats, the biggest upper-body muscle. By using a wide grip, you are essentially emphasizing the outer portion of the back for optimal growth.

From there, we move on to some basic cable tricep pushdowns to grow our triceps brachii. Lastly, we will finish the workout with some cable curls to build the biceps.

• Cable chest press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Low to high cable crossover: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Leaning cable lateral raises: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable wide grip row: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable tricep pushdown: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 2: Lower Body

We will start our lower body routine with some cable squats. This exercise will primarily activate your quadriceps. In addition, it will also engage accessory muscle groups, including the hamstrings, glutes, and other lower back muscles.

The cable leg extension is also meant to target the quadriceps, but it’s more of an isolation exercise compared to squats. Similarly, lying cable hamstring curls are meant to work in isolation to promote growth in the hamstring region.

The cable pull-through is a very effective exercise for improving the strength of the glutes. It primarily activates the glutes and hamstrings among leg muscles.

Finally, we will top off our workout session with some cable calf raises to build our calves (gastrocnemius and soleus). It is a good exercise for building definition and strength in that region.

• Cable squat: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable leg extension: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Lying cable hamstring curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable pull-through: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable calf raise: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 3: Rest

After completing the first half-cycle of the training session, you can take a rest day to give your muscles some recovery time.

It’s important to remember that recovery is not just about muscle performance. It’s mostly related to the body’s capability of overcoming and adapting to stress after a gruelling workout session. For optimal results, keeping a gap of 48-72 hours between two consecutive training sessions of the same muscle groups is recommended ^[6].

With our 4-day cable workout, you can do exactly that.

Day 4: Upper Body

After resting, we will start with some upper-body exercises again. For the well-rounded development of all muscle groups, we have included multiple variations of the same exercises that were performed during the first half of the week.

For the chest, we will start with some cable incline chest presses. Performing this exercise on a platform that has an inclination of around 30 degrees will produce maximum activation of the upper pecs ^[7]. This will allow the chest muscle to grow consistently without producing any imbalance.

Next up, we have cable front raises. These are meant to work on the front heads of the deltoids. Similarly, cable rope face pulls primarily target the rear deltoids and upper traps. Apart from gaining definition and strength in the shoulder region, this exercise will also help you get better posture.

For the triceps, we will continue with some basic cable overhead tricep extensions. This is an effective isolation exercise to target the long head of the muscle. Finally, we will finish the workout with some cable rope curls to build the biceps brachii.

• Cable incline chest press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable front raise: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable rope face pulls: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable overhead tricep extension: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable rope curls: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 5: Lower Body

For the last day of our cable upper-lower workout plan, we will again work on the lower body muscles.

As squat is one of the most effective compound exercises, we will again start the session with some cable squats. From there on, we will move on to cable leg extensions to target the quadriceps.

Lying cable hamstring curls, again, are meant to develop the hamstring muscles. Kneeling cable kickbacks on the bench can help you build your glutes while also allowing you to add some strength to your buttocks.

Finally, we will end the workout with some cable calf raises to build our calves.

• Cable squat: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable leg extension: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• lying cable hamstring curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Kneeling cable kick-backs on the bench: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cable calf raise: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Days 6 & 7: Rest

During the last two days of our upper-lower split cable machine workout, you can simply take rest and give your muscles sufficient time to recover.

Cable Machine Upper-Lower Workout Program PDF

Our cable machine upper-lower workout is designed to provide the most efficient results while keeping the workout simple.

By training for only four days, you can target each muscle group twice per week and get maximum gains.

To follow this routine strictly, simply download the entire 4-day upper-lower cable workout program by clicking on the button below. The file is available in PDF format and can easily be printed or stored on any device.

Don’t miss:

Cable Machine Push Pull Legs Workout Routine
Cable Machine Full Body Workout Routine
Cable Machine Bro Split Workout Routine
Gym Machine Upper Lower Workout Routine

Final Words

We have given you the ultimate 4-day upper-lower cable workout plan to maximize your gains. This program is devised to help fitness enthusiasts accomplish their diverse goals at the gym.

Scientific principles and conclusive studies have been used as references to design this plan, ensuring optimal results.

References

1. Clark, B. C., Mahato, N. K., Nakazawa, M., Law, T., & Thomas, J. S. (2014). The power of the mind: the cortex as a critical determinant of muscle strength/weakness. Journal of Neurophysiology, 112(12), 3219–3226. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00386.2014
2. Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2015). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7
3. Hackett, D., Johnson, N. A., & Chow, C. M. (2013). Training practices and ergogenic aids used by male bodybuilders. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(6), 1609–1617. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318271272a
4. Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 46(11), 1689–1697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
5. Peterson, M. (2004). MAXIMIZING STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT IN ATHLETES: a META‐ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE DOSE‐RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/MAXIMIZING-STRENGTH-DEVELOPMENT-IN-ATHLETES%3A-A-TO-Peterson-Rhea/474fca21c496f489c26f4ea8c10e69a88d95f44b?p2df
6. Bishop, P. A., Jones, E. J., & Woods, A. K. (2008). Recovery from training: A Brief review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(3), 1015–1024. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e31816eb518
7. Baz-Valle, E., Schoenfeld, B. J., Torres-Unda, J., Santos-Concejero, J., & Balsalobre-Fernández, C. (2019). The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance-trained men. PLOS ONE, 14(12), e0226989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226989