Workout of the week: 20-min strength cable workout

ALLY NJAMA

Personal trainer at EVO Fitness in Bern

Ally is a former professional boxer and a former natural bodybuilder. He specializes in correcting and treating muscle imbalances, which cause pain and a limited range of motion. Ally has over 20 years of experience as a personal trainer and will help you achieve any personal fitness goal.

Follow him on Instagram: @njama3

Book a PT session: ally.njama@gmail.com

20-MIN STRENGTH CABLE WORKOUT

ALL LEVELS / strength cable workout / 20 minutes

Equipment: Kinesis One

Among the many types of equipment we have in our gyms, Kinesis One is one of our favourites. This cable-cross equipment lets you explore an infinite range of natural movements and exercises. But there’s a twist (pun intended): unlike regular machines that focus only on particular isolated muscles, Kinesis One resistance cables require more awareness to control your movement. Plus, it’s super versatile: just one piece of equipment will enable you to target all planes of motion. It’s the functional training dream gear!

And to prove you can have a great training session in one of these machines, our personal trainer from EVO Bern in Switzerland, Ally Njama, created this 20-minute strength cable workout. It consists of 6 exercises with 10 reps each in 3 rounds.

Cable close grip lats pull-down
Cable obliques twist
Cable alternate single-leg squats
Cable squats and shoulders press
Cable wide grip lats pull-down
Standing cable pull-over

When you’re ready, let’s do this!

WORKOUT SETUP

6 exercises
3 rounds
10 reps each exercise
20 minutes
Equipment: Kinesis One

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

The nature of this workout makes it almost impossible to replicate at home. You can save it for when you visit EVO next time. If you haven’t yet signed up for an EVO membership, you can do it here.

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 rounds

1 – CABLE CLOSE GRIP LATS PULL-DOWN

10 reps

Grab the close grip attachment with your palms towards you.
Sit on the lats pulldown bench or kneel on the floor facing the cable machine.
While leaning slightly backwards, brace your core, bring your shoulder blades down and back, and pull the attachment down until it touches your chest.
Pause briefly at the bottom, squeeze your lats, and slowly return to the starting position.
Maintain tightness in your core and repeat.

2 – CABLE OBLIQUES TWIST

10 reps

Kneel facing the cable machine with your left knee on the floor and your right foot flat on the floor.
Grab the cable handle with both hands on the right side.
Make sure you keep your arms at shoulders level.
Twist towards your left side.
Repeat at the opposite side.

3 – CABLE ALTERNATE SINGLE-LEG SQUATS

10 reps

Kneel with a single leg, facing away from the cable machine with your left knee on the floor and your right foot flat on the floor.
Start standing up by bringing your left foot toward your right one until they are together at a standing position.
Alternate left and right, and repeat.

4 – CABLE SQUATS AND SHOULDERS PRESS

10 reps

Stand inside the cable machine facing away.
Your hands facing out grab the cable handles.
Bring the handle to your shoulders.
Squat down, and as you go up, do overhead press.
Repeat.

5 – CABLE WIDE GRIP LATS PULL-DOWN

10 reps

Grab the wide grip attachment with your palms facing you.
Sit on the lats pulldown bench or kneel on the floor facing the cable machine.
While leaning slightly back, brace your core, bring your shoulder blades down and back, and pull the attachment down until it touches your chest.
Pause briefly at the bottom, squeeze your lats, and slowly return to the starting position.
Maintain tightness in your core and repeat.

6 – STANDING CABLE PULL-OVER

10 reps

Hold the bar or handle with an overhand grip over your shoulders.
Bend forward at your hips about 10 degrees while keeping your chest out and a natural arch in your lower back.
Arms should be straight out.
Begin the exercise by pulling the bar straight down until it touches your thighs, pause, then slowly return to starting position.
Very important, keep your back and arms straight throughout the entire exercise repeat.