The pulley machine is one that you will surely find in all the gyms or fitness centers, and although it occupies a large space, it is also a good alternative if you want to set up a small gym in your house, since it admits infinite possibilities as we show then with 17 exercises to work the whole body on pulleys.

Exercises for the lower train

If you are looking for gluteus movements or leg muscles, these are the exercises that you can develop in the pulley machine, generally, using the low pulley of the same:

• Hip extensions in low pulley : to work mainly the gluteus maximus and to a lesser extent, muscles of the legs and the middle area of ​​the body, this is an excellent exercise that we can perform by raising the leg at different angles so that hip extension work your glutes completely
• Adductor in low pulley : placing the side to the low pulley and holding the same to the ankle on the same side, we can perform a hip adduction by bringing the leg in front and in the body. We will intensely work the inner side of the thigh.
• Abductores in low pulley : holding in the same way as in the previous exercise the pulley but on the opposite side, we can perform a hip abduction, that is, bring the leg outward slightly bent to work the outer face of the thighs.

Exercises for the middle area of ​​the body

To work abdominals in a different way and as an alternative to the classic trunk lifts that we always do, we can perform some of the following exercises on the pulley machine:

• Lumberjack or woodchopper : it is a good alternative that we usually make the high pulley but also, it can be done in low pulley from top to bottom or horizontally. In all cases it requires the effort of the rectus abdominis and of the internal and external obliques of the abdomen.
• Press Pallof : it is ideal to request isometric contraction of the abdomen in order to stabilize the body while moving our arms. It also requests muscles of the lower back.
• Obliques in high pulley : to work mainly the internal and external obliques of the abdomen, we can position ourselves sideways to the pulley and pulling the high pulley with the hand on the same side we perform a trunk flexion with added weight.
• Abdominal abductions in high pulley : placing ourselves on the knee, facing the back and facing the high pulley, we will perform an abdominal shrinkage in this position while pulling the high loaded pulley with both hands and working the main rectus of the abdomen mainly, although to a lesser extent also Obliques are requested.
• Lateral flexion of trunk in low pulley : using the low loaded pulley as resistance to the effort of our muscles, we can work internal and external obliques of the abdomen as well as the rectus abdominus making this movement.
• Elevations of legs in low pulley : as we would do without any equipment , but to intensify the work of the greater rectus of the abdomen, especially the subumbilical portion of the same, we can hold both feet to the loaded low pulley.

Exercises for the upper body

In order to tone the muscles of the upper body train: back, arms, shoulders, neck and pectorals , we can perform the following pulley exercises:

• Triceps extension with an inverted grip, in a high pulley : to isolate the work of the triceps and intensely request it, we can perform this movement that demands both the internal and external portion of the muscle and, secondarily, it works extensor muscles of the forearm of the wrist.
• Rowing the neck in a low pulley : to work muscles of the shoulders such as the deltoid and trapezium, but also, involving the muscles of the arms, we can perform this movement using the low pulley.
• Rowing in low pulley : it is to my liking, one of the best exercises to work the back, because it requests muscles that offer a development to the width of the same one and in addition, to a lesser extent it works the shoulders.
• Alternate frontal elevations with low pulley : as we would with dumbbells, we can raise the arms frontally with the elbow slightly flexed to work the deltoids and thus, strengthen the shoulders.
• Face pull : to work intensely the shoulders, especially the trapezoids, we can execute this exercise that consists of pulling the loaded pulley to take it to our face.
• Biceps, arms in cross, in high pulley : to work in a different way the biceps , we can use the low pulley, holding it with both arms at the same time and from a cross position with them, we do a bending of elbows to work this arm muscle.
• Pullover with high pulley : with this movement we work the dorsal width and greater round, muscles that expand the back when they are developed. The long portion of the triceps is also worked to a lesser extent.
• Crossing of standing pulleys : it is a very demanding and complete movement that allows working chest muscles of the body such as the pectoralis major and minor.

As we could see, there are many exercises that we can do in the pulley machine to work the whole body in a different way.

In addition, the pulleys allow different loads to be used and this makes them a valuable tool to train independently of the previous strength and training time of each one.

If you want to work your entire body, here are 17 exercises you can do with pulleys.