What is a wire crossing?
ACE Science Education Content Manager Chris Gagliardi explains that “cable crossing refers to the hands crossing over the midline of the body and across each other.” In other words, it involves standing in the middle of a cable machine, with a cable in each hand.
Where some moves are designed with heavy weight and massive amounts of power in mind, Tonal trainer jared rodriguez, founder of the Inspired Method, says cable crossovers are all about creating highly defined pecs through slow, steady movement.
“The cable crossover is a chest isolation exercise intended to shred the inner and outer parts of the pectoral muscles,” he explains, noting that unlike a typical cable chest fly, cable crossovers challenge the athlete. by expanding your range of motion.
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The benefits of a crossover cable
When it comes to chest exercises, most people’s first thought is the barbell chest press. While those are absolutely effective, Gagliardi says cable crossovers effectively target the pecs at roughly the same level of muscle activation.
“Cable crossovers get roughly the same RPE rating as the barbell bench press and pec deck machine,” he explains. “This means that when performing this exercise, it feels just as difficult as performing exercises with a similar level of muscle activation.”
But that’s not the only reason cable crossovers are an engaging exercise, they’re also great for your core. “The benefits of cable crossovers range from chest sculpting to full-body stabilizing power,” explains Rodriguez. “Since your body is standing, in a split stance, our core muscles need to be active throughout their full range of motion.”
Since it requires a lot of core power, not to mention support from the shoulders, biceps, and triceps, Rodriguez recommends incorporating cable crossovers at the end of your workout so you don’t burn out by the time you walk into the gym (or even your home equipment, like the Tonal Home Gym, $2,995).
Beyond their muscular benefits, Gagliardi notes that cable crossovers are especially good thanks to their ease of setup and change in weight load. “Because this exercise requires a cable system, you’re using a weight stack that allows for easy transition in loading and from one exercise to the next if you’re doing circuit training or a superset,” he explains.
GarmentHow to make a cable crossing
Although cable crossovers are easy to set up in the grand scheme of weight equipment, it helps to know how to do it in the first place.
1. Start by adjusting the cables.
“Set the handles at a level that is in line with your shoulders,” Gagliardi instructs. “Do not position the cable handles above head level or below shoulder level for this exercise.”
2. Customize the weight.
Next, Gagliardi says to choose your weight. “Select an appropriate weight based on training experience, goals, and muscular fitness level,” he says.
3. Take a staggered stance.
With your feet shoulder width apart (meaning one slightly in front of the other), Gagliardi says to lean forward from the waist while keeping your spine stable and your back and head in a straight line. “It’s important to lean forward keeping your body aligned upright,” he explains. “You don’t bend at the waist making your torso perpendicular to your legs, but instead keep your body vertically aligned as you bend over your lead leg.”
4. Make the cable crossing.
Once you’re in position with your core braced, Gagliardi says to gently exhale and slowly squeeze your chest muscles to pull your arms forward until your hands meet in front of your chest. “Maintain a slight bend in your elbows, a neutral wrist position, and stable trunk alignment throughout the movement,” he says, pausing momentarily before slowly returning to the starting position.
To further illustrate proper form, Rodriguez says imagine hugging a huge tree. “Then maintain that same form as you open back up to your standing position,” he explains.
Do you realize that they don’t recommend crossing your hands over each other, but rather crossing the cables over each half of your body? There is a reason for that. “Crossing the two handles over and under each other to pass the midline contributes little to muscle conditioning, and there is a risk of hand injury when the handles pass so close to each other,” explains Gagliardi. “In other words, bringing the hands together in the midline of the body is just as effective as crossing the hands and avoids the risk of injury to the fingers and hands.”
5. And repeat.
For best results, Gagliardi says do two to four sets and aim for eight to 12 reps if you hope to improve power and strength; or between 15 and 25 repetitions if your goal is muscular endurance.
Wire crossing mistakes to avoid
When making cable crossovers, there are a few things to keep in mind, and they are related to each other.
1. Don’t rush.
As much as you want to be done with the exercise, Rodriguez says that rushing through your reps can cause you to lose chest tension, drop proper form, and forget to breathe the whole time. As such, it says to keep it slow and steady when performing the move. “There’s a time to move fast and there’s a time to slow down,” he explains. “This is not a move to rush or run. Momentum and force are not friends. Work at a moderate pace in both the concentric and eccentric directions of this exercise. Slowing down does not mean that you become passive and relaxed. I still want you to bring your power. Just do it at a moderate speed.”
2. Keep tension on the cables.
Even if you move intentionally, the cables and weight may dislodge you. “An even bigger mistake is letting the weight control you when you should be controlling the weight,” Rodriguez says. “Don’t let the tension of the cable pull your arms back, force you off balance, or get careless; focus on starting and keeping tension in your chest and arms. That way momentum can never crash your profit party!
3. Don’t forget to breathe.
“Our muscles and body need oxygen and when we are so focused on the task at hand, we sometimes forget to breathe,” says Rodrigues. “The problem is that not only do we lose energy that way, but everything else in this motion gets sloppy and fast.” With that in mind, it says to exhale as you squeeze the handles (and if you choose to cross them) and inhale as you open.
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