Cable Shoulder External Rotation

oec:cable-shoulder-external-rotation

A standing cable isolation exercise that strengthens the external rotators of the rotator cuff.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Cable External Rotation, Standing Cable Shoulder External Rotation, Cable Rotator Cuff External Rotation, Shoulder External Rotation (Cable)

How to do it

Setup

Set the cable pulley to elbow height and attach a single D-handle.
Stand perpendicular to the cable machine with your working arm furthest from the stack.
Grasp the handle with your working hand, bending your elbow to 90 degrees and tucking your upper arm against your torso.

Movement

Keeping your elbow pinned firmly to your side, rotate your forearm outward away from the cable stack.
Continue rotating until your forearm is roughly perpendicular to your torso or as far as active shoulder mobility allows without torso twisting.
Pause briefly at peak contraction.
Control the weight smoothly back to the starting position across your stomach.

Breathing

Exhale as you rotate outward and inhale as you return to the start.

Cues

Pin your elbow to your ribs like a door hinge
Move the forearm, not the torso
Lead with the back of the hand

Common faults

Elbow drifting away from the side of the body.: Keep the upper arm glued to your ribs; place a small rolled towel between your elbow and torso to maintain contact if needed.
Rotating the torso to swing the weight.: Keep your hips and shoulders squared forward throughout the entire movement.
Extending the elbow or flexing the wrist to generate false range of motion.: Lock the elbow at a strict 90-degree angle and maintain a rigid, neutral wrist.

Safety

Use very light loads; the rotator cuff responds best to high control and moderate-to-high repetitions.

Muscles

Infraspinatus prime mover
Teres minor prime mover
Rear deltoid synergist
Rhomboids stabilizer
Middle trapezius stabilizer

Joints

Shoulder: External rotation
Shoulder blade: Isometric stabilization
Elbow: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Rotation
Modality: Rehabilitation, Strength, Hypertrophy
Mechanics: isolation
Force: pull
Laterality: unilateral
Kinetic chain: open
Level: beginner
Equipment: Cable machine
Record: Repetitions and Load
Load: external, weight stack

variation of Cable External Rotation
substitute for Cable External Rotation
substitute for Dumbbell Side-Lying External Rotation
substitute for Side-Lying Dumbbell External Rotation

Sources

wger: Shoulder External Rotation (Cable), by barry (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

cable-shoulder-external-rotation.json