A cable machine is an item of equipment used in weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

 or functional training

Functional training

Functional training is a classification of exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life.-Origins:Functional training has its origins in rehabilitation. Physical therapists often use this approach to retrain patients with movement disorders...

. It consists of a rectangular, vertically-oriented steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 frame about 3 metres wide and 2 metres high, with a weight stack at each end. The cables that connect the handles to the weight stacks run through adjustable pulley

Pulley

A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...

s that can be fixed at any height. This allows a variety of exercises to be performed on the apparatus. One end of the cable is attached to a perforated steel bar that runs down the centre of the weight stack. To select the desired amount of resistance, move the metal pin into the labelled hole in the weight stack. The other end of the cable forms a loop, which allows the user to attach the appropriate handle for the exercise. Most cable machines have a minimum of 20 pounds (~9 kilograms) of resistance in order to counter-balance the weight of the typical attachment.