Press Around (Cable)
A unilateral cable exercise that combines the mechanics of a chest press and a fly to maximize pectoral contraction. By pressing across the body's midline toward the opposite hip, it targets the middle and inner chest fibers more effectively than standard bilateral movements.
Since the Press Around is an accessory movement where form often degrades under excessive load, the AI ensures you stay within an optimal RPE range to maximize the "squeeze" without recruiting momentum. By tracking your chest recovery from heavy compounds like bench press, the app can adjust volume on this isolation exercise to prevent overuse injuries. Additionally, if you report anterior shoulder pain, the system can instantly recommend regression alternatives like machine presses that place less stress on the joint capsule.
Form Cues
- Stagger your feet and lean slightly forward to create a stable base.
- Press the handle across your body in an arc toward your opposite hip.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbow throughout the entire movement.
- Squeeze your chest muscles hard at the peak of the contraction.
- Control the cable slowly as you return to the starting position.
- Don't rotate your torso or hips to swing the weight across.
- Don't lock your elbow out completely at the end of the press.
- Don't let the weight pull your arm back too far, hyperextending the shoulder.
- Don't use momentum to initiate the pressing movement.
Common Mistakes
- Twisting the torso instead of isolating the chest
- Pressing straight forward rather than across the body
- Using a weight that is too heavy to control
- Rushing the eccentric (return) phase
- Flaring the elbow too high and engaging the shoulder
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the middle chest (pectoralis major) by allowing for extreme adduction past the body's centerline, which activates the inner fibers intensely. While the anterior deltoids and lateral head of the triceps assist in the pressing motion, the unique angle helps isolate the pecs more than standard pressing variations.
Primary
Secondary
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