One common issue gym-goers face is difficulty tracking performance on machine and cable exercises, particularly if they visit multiple gyms and use equipment from multiple manufacturers.
For instance, you might only be able to bicep curl 50 lbs (22.5 kg) on one cable pulley machine but 75 to 100 lbs (~35 to 45 kg) on another pulley in a different gym. There are countless examples, and you’ve probably noticed this inconsistency first-hand.
Why This Is the Case
This results from the way each machine is manufactured. For machines with cables, it mainly depends on the number of traveling pulleys (those that move up and down and aren’t fixed in place) and their positions, which determine the cable ratio.
The cable ratio determines how much weight you feel at the handle compared to the weight you’ve selected on the stack.
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1:1 cable ratio - this is when the weight you select is the weight you lift*; put the pin on 100 lbs (45 kg), and get 100 lbs worth of resistance.
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2:1 cable ratio - this is when the weight you select is half the weight you lift; put the pin on 100 lbs, and get 50 lbs worth of resistance.
- 4:1 cable ratio - this is when the weight you select is a quarter of the weight you lift; put the pin on 100 lbs, and get 25 lbs worth of resistance.
The 1:1 ratio is typically seen in simpler machines with only one pulley for the cable. The 2:1 and 4:1 ratios are generally found on newer machines with multiple pulleys. This is why the same load selected on a stack can feel vastly different depending on the machine.
Manufacturers can account for the cable ratio and adjust their weight labels accordingly. So, whether the ratio is 1:1, 2:1, or 4:1, you may lift what you select. The problem is, some manufacturers adjust their labels accordingly; others don’t.
The Problem:
It’s hard to track performance and tell if you’re actually doing better than before. And if you use Hevy to log an exercise you’ve done across different machines, your graph can look inconsistent.
Plus, let’s say you do 90% of your workouts at one gym and 10% at another. The machines at your second gym can mess up your long-term data on the exercises you do most often.
2 Solutions We Recommend
1. Stick to the Same Machines
To state the obvious, this is the best way to track long-term improvements. If you always use the same cable pulley or lat pulldown, you’ll log and track progress more accurately.
That said, this limits you to one location, which isn’t always an option, so here’s an alternative:
2. Create Custom Exercises for New Machines
Let’s say you visit 2 gyms and do seated cable rows in both. However, one gym has an old-school cable row with a 1:1 cable ratio, and the other has a new, fancy cable row with multiple pulleys that feels smoother but has a 2:1 cable ratio.
Log your preferred cable row variation while training at one gym, and create a duplicate custom exercise for the second gym. That way, you can log the exercise separately and have consistent data for each machine.
To do that, navigate to Profile > Exercises and find the movement you want to duplicate. Open it and tap the three-dot icon in the top right.
Select Duplicate Exercise and add a clarification in the name - for example, the gym itself (e.g., Equinox Gym) or the machine’s manufacturer (e.g., Technogym).
Now you have two versions of the same exercise to log at the two gyms you visit.