Exercise Comparison
Cable Incline Pushdown vs Overhead Slam
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Instructions
Cable Incline Pushdown
Lie on incline an bench facing away from a high pulley machine that has a straight bar attachment on it.
Grasp the straight bar attachment overhead with a pronated (overhand; palms down) shoulder width grip and extend your arms in front of you. The bar should be around 2 inches away from your upper thighs. This will be your starting position.
Keeping the upper arms stationary, lift your arms back in a semi circle until the bar is straight over your head. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
Slowly go back to the starting position using your lats and hold the contraction once you reach the starting position. Breathe out during the execution of this movement.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Overhead Slam
Hold a medine ball with both hands and stand with your feet at shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
Initiate the countermovement by raising the ball above your head and fully extending your body.
Reverse the motion, slamming the ball into the ground directly in front of you as hard as you can.
Receive the ball with both hands on the bounce and repeat the movement.
Verdict
Both exercises target the lats. Cable Incline Pushdown is a beginner exercise using cable, while Overhead Slam is beginner and uses medicine ball. Choose Cable Incline Pushdown if you have access to cable, or Overhead Slam if you prefer medicine ball. Overhead Slam is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Cable Incline Pushdown isolates the target muscle for focused development.