Crossover is an isolated exercise for the chest muscles. Reduction of arms in a crossover lying on a horizontal bench Reduction of arms in a block frame

This isolated exercise, which perfectly pumps the chest. It differs from dumbbell flyes in that there is constant tension in the chest muscles throughout the entire amplitude of the exercise and allows you to work out better inner part. Crossover crossovers place less stress on the elbow joints than dumbbell flyes.

Depending on the tilt of the bench, different muscles work:

lying on a bench upside down puts more stress on the lower pectorals;
lying on horizontal bench loads the middle of the pectoral muscles;
Lying on a bench at an angle of 30-40 degrees loads the upper chest.

Initial position

Take a bench that suits you and place it in the center of the crossover. Lie on a bench so that the middle of your chest is level with the middle of the blocks. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and rest them on the floor. For a more isolated option, raise your legs up, place your heels on the bench or keep them crossed, the weight in the machine that you will lift will be less, but the isolation will be reduced. pectoral muscles it will become much bigger. Another option is to press your lower back completely into the bench, this will increase the isolation of the pectoral muscles and remember to elevate your legs on the bench. The back, pelvis and neck are pressed against the bench, the shoulder blades are together, the lower back and legs are in the position of your choice. Grab the handles of the crossover and bring them together; if you feel uncomfortable, ask them to hand them to you. Only D-shaped handles should be used. Take the handles in a lock, with your palms facing each other. Bend your arms slightly at the elbows and keep it that way throughout the entire exercise.

Technique for performing crossover exercises while lying on a horizontal bench

We start the exercise from the top position. Inhale and begin to lower the handles down in an arc. You should lower it until the handles are at the level of your shoulders. The elbows look down and are always half bent. As you exhale forcefully, bring your hands together. As if hugging a small barrel on your chest. Hands should touch at the top point and stay there for a short period of time. Tighten your chest and lower.

It's a crossover! You can safely call him gym in the gym! In fact, this machine allows you to train any muscle group and perform isolation exercises. In the crossover you can train the muscles of the legs, arms, back, chest, as well as the abs and deltoids! Moreover, there are dozens of such exercises! This is an excellent multi-functional training base that is equally capable of developing the body of men and women.

Advantages and features of the crossover simulator

This trainer has everything two controversial drawbacks.

The first and very controversial one is its modest reserves of weight plates; usually the simulator has a reserve of up to 100 kg. Some athletes use dumbbells to increase the load, however, this is unsafe when increasing the working weight. In principle, for most gym goers, the reserve plates are quite enough. The simulator is designed for maximum muscle development and serves as an additional load to exercises that are performed with free weights.
The second, also very controversial drawback is the lack of opportunity to train with consolidated weights. But as mentioned, this machine is a great addition to free weight training for athletes of any level.

And here advantages This simulator has a lot:

This type of exercise, such as deadlifts, can be performed in different ways.
The blocks can be pulled standing, sitting, using a bench, or even kneeling. Each method of performing exercises allows you to work the muscles to varying degrees. Each version of one exercise can have different effectiveness.
Working in a crossover can replace many exercises on various machines.
The crossover gives the muscles a clearer outline and better shape.
Also, an undeniable advantage of this simulator is the constant tension of the muscles during exercises.
When performing many exercises, they are used, which is a definite plus.
The crossover design allows the muscles to stretch as efficiently as possible, which supplies them with blood and oxygen.
Crossover allows you to perform various exercises on the same muscle group. You can perform exercises at different angles, position the cable lower or higher, selecting the required amplitude.

Another advantage of using a crossover is the installation, as well as the use of a block to improve jerking technique. For example, American football players make short accelerations and jerks from their seats using a lower block and a belt with a carabiner. Yes, such an exercise cannot be called ordinary or traditional for this simulator, but, nevertheless, it allows you to develop other sports qualities.

Top 20 crossover exercises

1. Reduction of arms while standing

This crossover exercise is highly effective for working the pectoral muscles. The technique works well on the bottom of the pectoralis major muscle and its inner part. By moving the body and changing the vector of arm movement, you can change the emphasis on other parts of the pectoral muscles.

2. Pullover in a crossover

This exercise forms and. But this exercise is secondary and is performed for maximum load and stretching of the chest muscles. Usually performed at the end of a set of exercises.

3. Horizontal pull

This exercise is performed while sitting and is aimed at developing the back muscles, namely latissimus muscles. This crossover exercise eliminates the dangerous load on the back, or rather the spine and, in particular, the lumbar region.

4. Lowering straight arms from the upper block while standing

The exercise is designed to strengthen the back. Lowering the arms should only be done using the efforts of the back muscles; bending the elbows and using the shoulder muscles should not be allowed. This exercise requires a straight handle. It is important to keep your back straight.

5. French press on the lower block

This is a highly effective exercise that allows you to train your triceps in a concentrated manner while lying on a bench. To qualitatively work out a separate bundle of the triceps brachii muscle, you can perform various options exercises using different positions brushes

6. Leg adduction in crossover

Allows you to tighten the adductor surface of the thigh. To do this, a special belt is fastened to the lower block using a carabiner to secure the lower leg.

7. Taking the leg back in the crossover

The exercise is performed in the lower block of the crossover to work the buttocks and hamstrings. This exercise can be performed on a bench or while standing.

Standing leg abduction in crossover

8. Extension of arms on the upper block while standing with a reverse grip

The exercise effectively works the lateral head of the triceps muscle of the shoulder and forearm. The disadvantage of this technique is the heavy load on thumbs hands

9. Extension of arms from the upper block

This exercise can be called the most effective for training triceps in a crossover. This exercise allows you to work out all the heads of the muscle, and the emphasis on a specific bundle is carried out using different positions of the hands on the bar-handle (medium, narrow or vertical grip). The exercise can also be performed using a rope handle. This method allows you to train the lateral part of the muscle. This exercise gives the triceps excellent definition.

10. Bend the arms from the lower block

This exercise can be done different ways. You can attach a handle-bar to the cable and adjust the grip width, and you can also perform the exercise with a handle-rope; with this type of handle you can train your biceps individually as concentratedly as possible. Bends with a vertical or neutral grip are an excellent alternative curling arms with dumbbells "".

11. Standing lat pulldown for deltoids

Exercise serves as an excellent alternative. This crossover exercise effectively works and. To perform it, you need to grab a straight handle with a narrow grip, come closer to the block and lift the handle to your chin, aiming your elbows towards the ceiling.

12. Pull-ups with different palm positions

The simulator is equipped with a crossbar, with which you can train your back and biceps muscles by performing exercises with own weight bodies.

13. Abduction of the arm to the side in the lower block

This exercise is designed to train the middle part of the deltoid muscle and is an alternative exercise. This exercise can be performed by fixing the position, grasping a special handrail with your free hand, which will give better concentration and stability.

14. Cross abductions of the upper blocks with both hands

Exercise shapes the outlines of the posterior bundles deltoid muscles. No handles are needed to perform the exercise. You need to stand in the center, then with one hand you need to grab the edge of the upper block opposite to your hand, and with the other hand, accordingly, the edge of the second block. When performing it, it is important to bend back a little so that when doing cross abductions to the sides, your arms work in full amplitude.

15. Reduction of the lower blocks while lying down

The chest exercise is performed on a horizontal bench using a crossover, as well as on a bench at an angle of 30 and 45 degrees. With both hands you need to grab the lower blocks of the crossover using special handles.

16. Rear deltoid abduction

The exercise is performed in the lower block with one hand in a tilted position. In this case, you need to stand sideways to the crossover block, grasp the handle with one hand and raise your arm to the side, performing a swing using the rear delta.

18. Front swings from the lower block with two hands

Available with straight or rope handle. You need to turn your back to the crossover block, place the cable between your legs and swing your arms straight forward.

19. Extension of arms from behind the head from the lower block

Can be performed with a rope or a straight handle. You need to turn your back to the block and place your hands above your head, while maintaining a slight forward tilt.

Kneeling option

Conclusion

The crossover is a professional multifunctional and universal device for all muscles. Of course, you shouldn’t make up the entire program from exercises performed on a crossover. Despite all the advantages of the simulator, do not forget that the program should consist mostly of basic exercises with free weight, otherwise - on simulators.

Crossover exercise otherwise called bringing your arms together on a block (on block simulators). It does not belong to the basic ones, but to the isolating, forming ones, that is, its goal is not to hypertrophy (increase) the volume of the chest muscles, but to give them the necessary shape. Before you start training, we recommend that you read the article “”.

It is unlikely that you will be able to perform chest exercises in a crossover at home, because this requires a special (and very expensive) block simulator, which are equipped in gyms and fitness clubs.

This type of exercise machine looks like two vertical posts connected at the top by a frame. Adjustable weights (tiles) move on cables that are attached to vertical posts. At the upper ends of the cables there are handles, holding on to which bodybuilders perform hand clenches in a block.

Bringing the arms together in a crossover is usually performed at the end of a workout, after basic exercises aimed at developing muscle mass pectoral muscles (these include, for example, incline presses of barbells and dumbbells). And this is quite logical, because his task is to give this mass the required shape.

Almost the entire load falls on the chest muscles, that is, only the shoulder joint works: the pectoralis major muscle (upper and medium bun), as well as deltoid (anterior bundle). This allows you to focus on working the pectoral muscles and purposefully shape them. It should be especially noted that the elbow joint is not involved.

Options

This exercise has many options: you can perform a crossover while standing or lying down (and the bench can be either horizontal or inclined); bringing your hands together in a crossover of the upper or lower block , with different inclination of the body, one or two hands...

In short, there are a lot of options, which makes it possible to work the pectoral muscles from different angles, as well as intensify the approaches.

According to experts, when you first included this exercise in your training program, it’s worth starting with vertical stand, and then move on to different variations. The best illustration of bringing hands together in a crossover is the video and photo in this article.

Depending on the angle of inclination of the body and the level at which the side handles are located (at the top - in the classic version, at the bottom or in the middle), the load on the pectoral muscles will also be different.

The way your hands are brought together also matters – this shifts the main load. So, for example, if you bring your hands down and closer to yourself, the main emphasis falls on lower section breasts, etc.

Best exercises for chest muscles

From a technical point of view, the crossover - chest exercise is considered quite complex, although at first glance everything looks very simple.

First of all, we set the appropriate weight on both sides of the double block of a special simulator. For starters, 10-15 kg is enough, and then, when you gain experience, you can increase the weight if necessary. There is no point in chasing weight, because the exercise, as already said, is isolating, formative, and overweight will prevent you from doing it correctly.
In the classic version, we attach the handles to hooks on both sides of the simulator.
It is very important to take it correctly initial position in the center of the structure, otherwise the load will be distributed unevenly.
We take hold of the handle on the corresponding side with our hand, pull it towards ourselves and at the same time move to another rack and take hold of the handle attached to it. The starting position is clearly in the center, slightly moving forward - thanks to this, the pectoral muscles are slightly stretched.
Sometimes you can find recommendations to put one leg forward to make it easier to maintain balance, but this upsets the balance and does not allow the load to be completely symmetrical. If you can’t maintain symmetry, then you need to at least change legs on each approach so that both sides of the chest are worked equally.
So, in the starting position, ideally everything should be symmetrical (deltoids, pelvis and feet), the back is straight, the body is slightly tilted forward, the elbows are slightly bent behind the body. A stretch of the pectoral muscles should be felt, albeit not very strongly. Let us remind you that we're talking about about bringing your hands together in the upper block .
Slowly move the handles in a wide arc towards the center of the body, hold in this position for 2-3 seconds, and then return to the starting position, again slowly, controlling the movement. Only the shoulder joint is involved in the movement, the torso and arms are motionless, the back is straight. Elbows should not be pressed against the body

The technique for performing this exercise is shown in the video below:

It is recommended to perform this exercise in 3-4 sets with a slightly larger number of repetitions than usual - 12-15.

Sometimes the question is asked: how to replace bringing your hands together in a crossover? Lying dumbbell raises are suitable for this.

Crossover exercises for women

The chest, as you know, is a strategically important area of the body for women, so the formation of beautiful, strong breasts is one of the goals of training in the gym.

Bringing hands together on a crossover

Bringing hands together at Crossover

Chest muscle training can be very varied, so athletes often alternate exercises in their program. Among the effective ones is bringing your arms together on a block simulator. The simulator is also often called a crossover.

This exercise serves as a complement to heavy types of training. For example, it can be final after bench press in any position, work with dumbbells and weighted push-ups.

The exercise is isolating. It only works for the group of internal and lower muscle bundles. Although indirectly the load also goes to the deltoids and triceps of the arms. The exercise cannot be the main one, as it does not provide adequate load on the pectoral muscles. But it performs the task of stretching, which is important for muscle growth. At the same time, the exercise itself does not grow muscles, but shapes them, that is, creates reliefs and correct contours. For those who care most appearance body, exercise becomes an integral part of the workout.

Working in a crossover loads the outer and inner parts of the chest. This occurs depending on the position in which the arms are brought together. If the position is lying down, then the internal part works, if standing, then the external muscles of the chest are trained.

It is important to perform the exercise correctly from the technical side, as this is for the safety of the body. The load must be transferred to the triceps, so it will come off elbow joint, and the likelihood of damaging it will decrease to almost zero.

Those who are chasing muscle mass often ignore technique; they try to perform as many repetitions as possible, but it is worth understanding that repetitions, unlike their correctness, have less influence on the result.

The peculiarity of the crossover is that it becomes an almost complete replacement for any equipment used to work out the chest. It is also often used during injuries. Performing the exercises is easy, the machine allows you not to overload the muscles.

The simulator is practically non-hazardous, you don’t need a partner’s insurance, but to adjust your performance, the first ones are better Conduct training under the supervision of a trainer.

Crossover technique

If you are standing, then you should take the handles of the machine, your elbows should be slightly higher than your back. Move one leg back a little. The back is slightly bent forward. It is necessary to monitor the body: if you bend too much, there is an additional load on the lower back, which can negatively affect its condition.
The elbows should remain in one position, only the arms work. At the entrance, bring your hands to the maximum, stay in this position for several seconds.
This is followed by a return to the starting position, while exhaling.
The lying exercise is done on a bench. To do this, you need to press your back, lower back and head tightly against the back of the bench.
The bench is installed in the middle of the crossover.
Lying on a bench, you need to bring your arms together and spread them like dumbbells.
When finishing the exercises, you should not drop the load, otherwise you may injure yourself.

It is important to monitor your breathing: if it goes wrong, you can get tired too quickly and not meet the training requirement.

Using a crossover, you can work out the inside of the chest well. The exercise machine will be an excellent replacement for dumbbells. Today, crossover exercises are becoming one of the most popular for all people visiting the gym.

At first glance, it is difficult to perform a hand pinch, but once you learn correct execution, the athlete quickly and easily copes with a large number of approaches. A person with little experience can do crossover exercises; 4 sets of 20 repetitions are recommended: both standing and lying down.

The crossover crossover is an effective isolated exercise for developing the chest muscles. By performing it in different variations, you can focus the load on different parts of the pectoral muscles: upper, lower, inner or lower part. There are several basic variations of crossover hand movements: standing, lying on a bench, through upper or lower blocks. How to correctly do all variations of this exercise will be discussed in our article today.

Benefits and contraindications

Before moving on to the story about the technique of performing the exercise, we will briefly describe what advantages and benefits it gives the athlete, as well as to whom its implementation is contraindicated and for what reasons.

Benefits of exercise

With the help of hand movements in a crossover, you can make a huge leap in the development of the pectoral muscles. It is ideal for learning how to “turn on” them correctly, since the work is isolated, the shoulders and triceps are practically excluded from the movement, which cannot be said about other chest exercises.

As a rule, crossover exercises are placed towards the end of the chest workout to achieve maximum blood flow. The work is carried out in a wide range of repetitions - from 12 and above. The working weight is not particularly important; it is much more important to feel the stretch and contraction of the pectoral muscles.

Contraindications for performing the exercise

brachial nerve neuritis;
tendobursitis;
tendinitis.

Stretching the pectoral muscles too much at the bottom will overstrain shoulder joints both ligaments and chronic pain will be felt much stronger. To the classic information of hands in a crossover while standing through upper blocks This is less the case, but you still need to be careful not to use excessively heavy working weights.

Beginners are not recommended to crossover their arms through lower blocks. This is a very difficult exercise from a technical point of view, requiring an unreal neuromuscular connection. Newbies simply don't have this. Develop your upper chest better with incline presses and flyes, and when you notice an increase in muscle mass, you can smoothly begin to perform hand raises in a crossover.

What muscles work during exercise?

If you do everything correctly, then almost the entire load falls on the pectoral muscles. Some static tension is present in the biceps, triceps and front delts, but this should not interfere with your ability to concentrate on working your chest. If you feel that your shoulders and triceps are no less tired than your chest, then the working weight is too heavy.

The abdominal muscles and buttocks act as stabilizers, thanks to them we take the correct position.

Exercise technique

Below we will talk about the technique of performing several types of crossover exercises.

Classic version

The classic combination of hands in a crossover through the upper blocks is done as follows:

Grab the crossover handles and place your feet in line. Avoid taking a step forward, as this causes torque in the spine and can lead to injury.
Lean forward while keeping your back straight. The stronger the incline, the more the upper chest will work. It is best to maintain an incline of 45 degrees throughout the entire approach.
Smoothly bring your arms in front of you while exhaling. Try to make the movement only through the work of the chest muscles; your shoulders and arms should not participate in the movement; your arms should be bent quite a bit. At the point of peak contraction, pause briefly - this way you focus the load on the inner part (middle) of the chest.
As you inhale, slowly spread your arms to the sides. Stretch it a little outer part chest and do one more repetition.

Exercise on lower blocks

Bringing your hands together in a crossover through the lower blocks with an emphasis on top part breast is done as follows:

Grab the handles of the lower blocks and place your feet shoulder-width apart. The negative phase of the movement is not so important here, the stretch at the bottom of the amplitude is much less, so there is no need to try to “tighten” the outer part of the chest.
Bring your chest forward and up a little, and pull your shoulders back - this way you will remove most of the load from them and can concentrate on isolated work of the upper chest.
As you inhale, begin to raise your arms up and bring them together in front of you. The movement should be smooth. We do not strain our biceps under any circumstances, otherwise 90% of the load will fall on them. Pause for a second at the point of peak contraction to properly squeeze the chest muscles.
As you inhale, smoothly lower your arms down, maintaining a bend in the thoracic spine and not pushing your shoulders forward or up.

Crossover training while lying on a bench

Reduction of arms in a crossover while lying on a bench is performed as follows:

Take the handles of the lower blocks and lie down on the bench. The bench should be positioned exactly between the handles. Position it so that the exercise cables are level with your chest. Can be used both horizontally and incline bench or a bench with a negative incline. The greater the angle of inclination, the more load falls on the upper chest.
Lower your shoulders down, squeeze your shoulder blades together and don’t arch your lower back. If you wish, you can put your feet on a bench or raise them in the air so that you don’t want to press them against the floor with all your might and make your task easier.
Start bringing the handles together above you. Externally, the exercise is similar to dumbbell flyes, but only externally. Due to the design of the block simulator, additional resistance is created that constantly has to be overcome. Dumbbells don't do that.
Continue to bring your arms together until there is 5-10 cm between the handles. At this point you need to pause for a second and tighten your chest even more. It's the chest, not the biceps. If at this moment your chest muscles begin to cramp, then you are doing everything right.
Smoothly lower the handles down. At the bottom point, we also make a short delay in order to properly stretch the muscle fascia.

What to replace the exercise with?

Crossover work gives a very unusual load; no free weight exercise will give you 100% load on the pectoral muscles throughout the entire approach. If for some reason none of the variations of this exercise suits you, then the only thing you can replace the crossover with is the “butterfly” (peck-deck). This is also a block simulator, so the load will be almost the same. The only difference is that in the “butterfly” the position is already set, so it is almost impossible to vary the load and focus it on one or another part of the chest.

If your gym doesn't have a butterfly, you can use an abduction machine to rear delta, sitting backwards - the effect will be exactly the same.