Cable crossover alternative

April 12, 9 min read. For those of us chasing gains, cable crossover alternative, there are some myths that come back again and again… and again. But you may still find yourself believing that the only way to achieve a chiselled chest and cable crossover alternative upper body strength is by spending your days and nights at the cable crossover.

Home » Alternatives. Firstly they rely on a cable machine which is an expensive and often not practical indulgence for lots of home gym owners. There are more functional and effective exercises out there. A full-range crossover allows you to go from a wide pectoral stretch to the full contraction of the muscle. The internal rotation at the shoulder can be very useful for some people — throwers and swimmers in particular.

Cable crossover alternative

The cable crossover is a pulley machine based exercise commonly found in many bodybuilding training splits for the purposes of inducing muscular hypertrophy in the chest muscles , especially in the capacity of an isolation exercise. However, despite its relative safety and ease of performance, the cable crossover may require substitution in a training program due to a variety of issues either characteristic of the exercise itself, or of that related to the exerciser and their training goals. The cable crossover has a variety of similar alternative exercises that do not possess the same issues commonly complained about by cable crossover performers, allowing for its alternating out with little to no change in training stimulus or end results. As such, a majority of intermediate to advanced level gymgoers and athletes will often seek out a more intense free weight exercise capable of overloading the pectoral muscle group in a manner otherwise difficult to achieve and maintain with just the cable crossover exercise. In certain instances, the cable crossover may be impossible to perform for certain exercisers due to their lack of access to a cable machine — requiring that an exercise of similar training stimulus but different equipment usage act as a substitute. However, for individuals seeking a specific training stimulus, increase in training intensity or athletes looking for a more practical alternative exercise — the most important factor to pay attention to is the muscle group activation set and the intensity therein of any potential alternative exercise candidate. Primarily, the alternative exercise should activate the pectoral muscles to a moderate intensity as an absolute minimum — with the addition of other muscle groups either acting as a detriment or a bonus depending on the training structure and goals of the exerciser. Lastly, individuals wishing to substitute out the cable crossover due to a history or risk of injuries in the shoulders, elbows or clavicles may be better served utilizing lower intensity exercises that do not present the same angle of resistance so as to prevent any worsening of said health conditions. These individuals must, of course, consult a licensed medical professional prior to making a decision so as to avoid any untoward incidents from occurring. As a constant time under tension is one of the defining characteristics of the cable crossover a form of training stimulus otherwise difficult to recreate , the most suitable type of alternative exercise involves the usage of a cable machine or similar exercise machine so as to induce a similar kind of resistance. Fortunately, many pectoral muscle group isolation exercises can make use of the cable crossover, with such exercises like the pec deck machine and cable machine fly recreating not only the training stimulus of the cable crossover, but also its angle of resistance and level of intensity to an extent.

Great cable crossover alternative exercise for stretching the pectorals, and one that you can perform in your home. This involves the same movement, but with a more limited range of motion. The internal rotation at the shoulder can be very useful for some people cable crossover alternative throwers and swimmers in particular.

The cable crossover is one of the most commonly performed exercises for isolating the chest muscles. It is great for keeping constant tension in the pecs throughout the range of motion. However, you may want to choose an alternative if you get bored or do not have access to a cable machine because your gym does not have one or you train at home. In this article, I will go through what makes a good cable crossover alternative, how to perform each exercise, and how to make the most out of each variation. I have included alternative exercises that use machines, dumbbells, Olympic rings, suspension trainers, free weight plates, and your own bodyweight so you can isolate the pecs regardless of what kind of equipment you have. The primary muscles used in the cable crossover are the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, which are the main chest muscles that you can see on a body. The pectoralis minor assists in the stabilization of the scapula your shoulder blades and helps you bring your shoulders down and forward.

Updated On: April 04, You've knocked out your bench press sets and are looking to finish off your chest workout with a serious burn. Cable crossovers are always a great option, but what are the alternatives? The cable crossover is a chest isolation exercise that uses a cable crossover machine to target the pectoral muscles. The most common variation will be the high-to-low crossover, but you can do this exercise low-to-high and at a middle angle as well. The cable crossover mainly targets the pec major, with emphasis on the lower and inner fibers of the muscle.

Cable crossover alternative

Garagegympower is reader-supported. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. These 9 cable crossover alternatives will help you build mass and definition in your pecs, without the need for an expensive and space-hogging cable crossover machine. The resistance band low fly is an alternative to low pulley cable crossover, which focuses on your inner upper pecs. This move uses two resistance band with handles, like this one.

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Increasing the variety of exercises that you know will help to prevent boredom. Slightly bend your arms, and then pull the handles up and together as if you are performing a huge clap. The floor slider pec fly is an advanced alternative to the cable crossover and is a variation that can be performed at home or in the gym. Must Reads. You will perform the same exercise using a resistance band instead of cables. This means whereas some exercises work many muscle groups compound movements , an isolation exercise will target one muscle group. There should be a slight bend in your elbows. For those of us chasing gains, there are some myths that come back again and again… and again. Anterior deltoid: The deltoid is the muscle of your shoulder that sits on top of your upper arm and has three heads. Are you sure you want to delete this wishlist? Place it right in the middle of the cable station and set the seat to a degree incline. Its main job is to isolate the chest as much as possible, and it does just that in a movement similar to the crossover. The machine counterpart to the barbell bench press , the chest press machine is also an excellent alternative to the cable crossover for exercisers seeking a distinctly more intense substitute exercise that activates more than just the pectoral muscles in a compound movement fashion.

Home » Alternatives. Firstly they rely on a cable machine which is an expensive and often not practical indulgence for lots of home gym owners.

Breathe out and drive the dumbbells back up in a large arc. The cable crossover gives you more even tension through the range of motion. Use dumbbell fly variations to precision-target your chest goals. You've knocked out your bench press sets and are looking to finish off your chest workout with a serious burn. Greenland DKK kr. Single arm dumbbell bench press Cable crossover alternatives — the bottom line. Pause when your chest is almost touching the ground. Choose a moderate to heavy weight that will allow you to do a low to mid number of reps with good form. More often than not, an effective chest day workout includes the cable crossover. In terms of its ability to act as a potential alternative exercise to the training stimulus of the cable crossover, the dumbbell pullover activates much the same muscle groups in a similar level of intensity — though with a significantly different type of resistance, alongside an angle of resistance that trains an entirely different function of the pectoral muscles. This makes the machine pec fly a good exercise to push closer to failure as there is less demand on focusing on stabilization. During the whole execution of a cable crossover, the control and loading on the arms on each side are independent. The wide grip stretches the pectoral muscles more, helping to mimic the stretching element of the cable crossover.