Cable Shoulder External Rotation
A cable-based isolation exercise designed to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles, specifically the infraspinatus and teres minor, to improve shoulder stability. This movement is essential for shoulder health and injury prevention, particularly for those who perform heavy pressing exercises.
Because this is a corrective exercise, using the correct load is far more important than lifting heavy. The AI analyzes your RPE and performance data to ensure you stay in a moderate intensity zone that targets the small rotator cuff muscles without forcing larger muscle groups to compensate. Additionally, if your recovery metrics (HRV or sleep) indicate high systemic fatigue, the app can recommend this as a low-stress activation movement to maintain joint health without taxing your central nervous system.
Form Cues
- Pin your working elbow firmly against your ribcage
- Keep your wrist straight and neutral throughout the movement
- Squeeze your shoulder blade back and down before starting
- Rotate your hand away from your body until you feel a deep contraction in the back of the shoulder
- Control the weight slowly as you return to the starting position
- Don't let your elbow drift away from your side
- Don't use your torso to swing or momentum to move the weight
- Don't bend or curl your wrist to fake a larger range of motion
- Don't shrug your shoulder up toward your ear
- Don't rotate so far back that your lower back arches
Common Mistakes
- Elbow flaring out from the body
- Using excessive weight
- Compensating with body english
- Flexing the wrist
- Shrugging the shoulders
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily isolates the infraspinatus and teres minor, the external rotators of the rotator cuff which provide dynamic stability to the shoulder joint. The posterior deltoid and rhomboids act as secondary stabilizers to keep the scapula retracted, ensuring the rotation occurs purely at the gleno-humeral joint.
Primary
Secondary
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