The Cable Ratio Guide: Which is Right for You?
Cable machines are some of the most popular in commercial gyms and home gyms. The constant tension that defines the cable pulley machines provides a highly-effective workout. This is due to the muscles working during the eccentric and concentric phases of the exercise. Cable machines also allow you to train muscles on movement planes that are otherwise harder to hit. A good example of this is standing cable chest press. You can do a standard chest press, tilt your arms to perform the exercise higher angle and hit the upper pectoral, decrease the angle and activate the lower pectoral. When buying a cable machine for your workout space, one of the often overlooked, but essential, features to consider is cable ratio.
In today’s blog, the Fitshop team will explain each of the cable ratios and the pros and cons of each type so you can decide which machine best suits your fitness goals.
What is a Cable Ratio?
Cable machine ratios are usually displayed as 1:1. 2:1, 3:1, or 4:1 in their descriptions in stores. But what do they mean? There are two things to consider, cable length and resistance. When using a machine with a 1:1 cable ratio, if you move the cable 1 meter, the weight stack will also move 1 meter vertically. At the same time, this means that if the weight stack is 100kg, you will feel the entire 100kg of the stack. Pretty self explanatory so far, right?!
Let’s take a look at a 2:1 cable ratio. Using a cable machine with a ratio of 2:1 the stack will move 1 meter for every 2 meters you move the cable. This also affects the resistance. With a cable machine ratio of 2:1, a stack of 100kg will provide 50kg of resistance.
Similarly, a 3:1 cable ratio will cause the stack to move 1 meter for every 3 meters you move the cables, and 100kg will provide 33kg of resistance. A cable machine ratio of 4:1 will move the stack 1 meter for every 4 meters, and 100kg will have a resistance of 25kg.
There are of course exceptions to this rule, where cable machines can have multiple ratios or reverse ratios, but machines such as these are niche products for specific design reasons.
So why would someone not use the full potential of their weight stack? This is where it is important to understand your training goals and needs before your purchase.
1:1 Cable Ratio
Cable machines with a 1:1 cable ratio are great for strength training, in particular compound movements such as lat pulldown, squats and chest press. With the 1:1 cable ratio you will get the full use of the weight of the stack as you lift. For people who lift above 45-50kg, 2:1 and above cable machines will not provide the resistance that will help you pass plateaus.
There are some drawbacks to this. Firstly, 1:1 cable ratios are great for heavy compound lifts done at slow speed, however this ratio suffers when trying to do quicker or explosive movements. As mentioned, 1:1 cable ratios are great for compound exercises, but they suffer when it comes to isolation exercises or smaller muscle groups. The jump between individual weights in a stack is usually around 5kg, whilst this may not seem like a lot for a chest press, adding 5kg to a bicep curl or tricep extension is a significant leap.
Our Top Picks:
- Inspire Fitness FT2 Functional Trainer – Smith bar
- BodyCraft XFT Functional Trainer – Press bar
2:1 Cable Ratio
2:1 cable ratios are, by far, the most common cable machine ratio to find on the market, and for good reason. They have a satisfying and smooth glide and are great for users of all ability levels. They are a jack of all trades, providing significant resistance for all exercise types. The smooth resistance makes machines incredibly versatile when performing exercise variations. With this in mind, 2:1 cable ratio machines are ideal for sports-specific training such as racket sports, golf, martial arts and football.
The drawbacks to 2:1 cable ratio machines are that for experienced gym goers the weight stack may not be ideal for your progress. If your machine has a 90kg stack, you are going to have 45kg maximum resistance. Whilst this will suit a lot of people, especially those new to the gym, experienced weight lifters may find that the 2:1 cable ratio is not enough for some exercises. It is important to view cable machines as functional trainers, and not necessarily strength trainers.
Our Top Picks:
- Taurus Pro Dual Adjustable Pulley – Twin stacks
- Taurus Design Line Single Pulley – Single stack
- Matrix FTR30 Functional Trainer – Functional trainer
- Taurus Elite Cable Crossover – Commercial crossover
3:1 and 4:1 Cable Ratios
Somewhat less common, cable pulley machines with 3:1 ratios are effective recovery and rehab stations. As we move into higher ratio differentials, you will be getting less resistance from the weight stack. However, where these higher differential ratios exceed is in smooth and explosive movements making them great tools for dynamic training.
With these cable ratios, we must also consider the length of cable available to perform exercises. The 3:1 and 4:1 ratios require more space, however, this does open up opportunities for rehabilitation. A good example is using the machine for lunges. Lunges can be both dynamic and explosive and tend to take more space to perform. Additionally, if you add a twist to your exercise, then that would require more cable. Machines with 1:1 ratio and 2:1 ratio may struggle to reach these lengths before hitting their apex.
Our Top Picks
- BodyCraft Cable Pull Station – Single stack station
- Taurus Design Line Dual Pulley – Dual pulley, single stack
- BodyCraft GXP Multi-Gym – Variable resistance multigym
- NOHRD SlimBeam Cable Machine – Ratio selected at purchase
Which Ratio is Right for Me?
Deciding on a machine featuring a cable pulley is a big decision. Functional trainers, all-in-one trainers and multigyms are big pieces of kit and can be a considerable investment. With pulley systems being versatile machines, they can fit into many niches and training methods. This can make them difficult to pin down, and there is no perfect answer. Here are some general thoughts on how to choose:
- 1:1 cable ratio machines are perfect dedicated strength machines ideal for compound exercise development.
- 2:1 cable ratio machines are the best all-rounder. They are the perfect balance of functionality and effective resistance.
- 3:1 and 4:1 cable ratios are great for rehabilitation or fitness beginners. They have the smoothest movement and excel at dynamic training styles.
Did you find this guide useful? Let the Fitshop team know below! Fitshop’s experts are always happy to help and answer your questions. Contact us here or in store. For commercial enquiries and gym design you can contact our team here.
Post Comment