Cable CrossoverMuscles Worked
The cable crossover works your chest, mainly the middle and lower pecs when the pulleys are set high, with your front delts assisting. The cables keep tension on your chest all the way to the point where your hands meet.
How to do it
- Set both pulleys above head height, attach single handles and take one in each hand.
- Step forward so you stand between the towers, stagger your feet and lean your torso slightly forward.
- With a soft bend in your elbows, let the cables draw your arms out and back until you feel a stretch across your chest.
- Bring your hands down and together in a wide arc until they meet in front of your hips or lower chest.
- Pause and squeeze, then let your arms open back along the same arc under control.
Form tips
- Keep the elbow angle fixed so the movement comes from your shoulders rather than from pressing with your arms.
- Keep your torso still, because rocking forward to finish a rep means the weight is too heavy.
- Change the pulley height to change the angle: lower pulleys aim more at the upper chest.
Why it made the list
No. 6 of 13
Best Chest Exercises
Constant tension throughout ROM unlike flyes where tension drops at top. Great for mind-muscle connection. Cables are in every gym.
More chest exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Cable Crossover sets in KasMaker and watch your chest and shoulders fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
