If you’ve been training in any gym in America for more than five minutes, you’ve probably already discovered the draw that is standing cable crossovers. You will very rarely witness a crossover station sitting empty. For some reason, trainers are just drawn to this machine. It looks fun, it isn’t all that hard to complete, and it just seems like an enjoyable exercise. Unfortunately, many people complete the exercise incorrectly, and with incorrect goals in place. Let’s delve further into this exercise, and examine it purposes and variants.

If you’re looking to add mass to your chest, then you shouldn’t be using cable crossovers. This is a finishing movement, designed to stimulate the chest/shoulder tie-ins. Always start your workout with incline or flat bench presses and dumbbell raises, followed by a movement such as dips or pullovers. There are some instances when this movement can be completed before the bench press. If you’re specifically looking to pre-exhaust a muscle group, then you can use cable crossovers before bench pressing. However, in most instances, when building muscle is the goal, this movement should be performed last.

Always use a high repetition, light weight scheme when training with cable crossovers. Somewhere between 12 and 20 repetitions is desirable. You’ll want to include 3 to 5 sets at the tail end of your training. Anything less and you don’t stimulate that many fibers. Anything more, and you probably still have enough gas left in the tank for some more incline dumbbell presses!

You can find some success with varying the cable positioning in order to target different areas of your chest. Most bodybuilders train from the top cable position, and it leads to stimulation of the upper chest and shoulder tie-in. Moving the weight down to the floor will transfer some of the effort over to the lower pectorals, which is a problem area in many bodybuilders. Still some bodybuilders like to experiment with a mid-cable grip, which stimulates both areas equally. Most of the time, you’ll want to opt for the standard grip.

Always warm up before attempting this exercise. It may seem natural to just grab the bar and begin pumping, but there is always a small chance of a pectoral tear if you move directly to maximum poundage. Rather, complete 15 reps with a moderate weight, then move up to something heavier!

The movement is safe as long as you keep the weight safe and refrain from jarring the weight up. This isn’t an ego lift, as nobody in the gym is going to bat an eyelash if you are able to “crossover” with 200 pounds. Rather, this is a personal exercise which can only benefit you if you take the time to move through the exercise slowly and with great concentration. As you bring the cables together in front of you, flex the pectorals for a full second before slowly releasing the weight and letting the weight come to rest. Never fully lock out in the flexed position, or allow the weight to come to rest. Rather, keep it steady and firm the entire time and you will see the best possible results!

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