According to many, it would be one of the most effective for isolating the pectoralis major (target muscle) - provided, of course, that the technique and the overload are adequate.
of the shoulder, the muscles most activated in the crossover exercise are the pectoralis major, the anterior deltoid and the coraco-brachialis; the flexors stabilize the elbow, such as the biceps brachialis, the brachialis and the brachio-radialis. of the forearm and hands.The pectoral major covers the entire region of the chest, but this exercise mainly activates the central part; substantial differences are observed based on the inclination of the torso and the distance of the body from the pulleys.
The deltoid, on the other hand, covers the surface of the shoulder and is divided into three heads; the cross-overs only activate the front piece.
The coraco-brachialis is a small deep muscle located under the deltoid and the pectoralis major.
In the shoulder girdle, the main muscles activated are the great dentate (serratus anterior) and the pectoral minor.
The first located on the outer part of the ribs is covered by the scapula in the inner part and by the pectoral major in the anterior one. This works much less in bench presses than in crossover.
The minor pectoral is covered by the major.
In the "shoulder joint," the action of the cross-over is that of horizontal adduction, in which the arms are brought inwards, creating an angle close to 90 ° (135-45 °) between the humerus and the trunk.
Pectoral activation begins when the arms move downward. As they pass in front of the torso, the emphasis shifts to the middle and inner part of the pectoral major.
A passive abduction of the scapula occurs in the shoulder girdle, which is minor if supported by correct posture.
For further information: Pectoralis major muscle . Only after the invention of the specific pulley machine, namely the cable-crossover or cabel-cross-machine, was the cable cross-over introduced.
The main difference between the two is the type of resistance offered during the range of movement (ROM). While with the dumbbells the oppositional engagement is higher in the phase of maximum opening (eccentric peak) but lower in the phase of maximum closure (concentric peak), using the cables you can enjoy a uniform stimulus throughout the ROM.
By choosing the crossover to the cables, therefore, you work more in closing than in opening. This is to the advantage of those suffering from some painful conditions of the shoulder and of those who want to insert an isometric tension break in maximum shortening (widely used in hypertrophy protocols).
free and isotonic machines. This is because they have similar characteristics to one and the other.We have already mentioned the differences between cables and handlebars above.
Compared to strength machines, on the other hand, cables offer less "firmness" and therefore require greater neuromuscular stabilization - typical of free weights. This depends on the articulation of the pulleys, which also turn on their own axis.
Obviously, on the flip side, isotonic machines are more suitable for subjects who require as much stability as possible - such as, for example, in post-surgery rehabilitation.
in conditioning, both for difficulty in approach and for lack of specific muscle mass and strength of the isolated muscle.
Instead, it would be more correct to introduce the neophyte to resistance training by choosing the fundamental multi-joint, in which it is undoubtedly essential to focus more on the technique, but which offer the advantage of developing more joint muscles in a single complex gesture.
Working more in one phase of the ROM than in another, or at different angles and emphasizing some beams rather than others, undoubtedly represents a step to be faced only after the initial conditioning.
It is different for advanced subjects. The emphasis in maximum closure, that is the pause at the apex of the concentric phase, is decisive for the development of the transverse section of the pectoralis major.
, describing it in what are the "frames" necessary to understand the exercise.
- Posture: go to the center of the machine; legs spread approximately shoulder-width apart and toes turned forward or slightly outwards; knees not hyper-extended, therefore imperceptibly semi-flexed; pelvis naturally anteroverted; control of the lower abdominal belt and core well stabilized, to allow a good diaphragm work on inhalation but at the same time creating the necessary pressure; spine in a lordotic attitude, but not hyperextended; shoulder blades slightly adduced and depressed, but only enough to feel the full movement of the pectoral; note: another very used posture , especially when using very important overloads, is to bring one leg forward to the other, allowing you to take advantage of the weight of the body in maintaining an otherwise too demanding pronation;
- From here, grasp the stirrup handles of the two high pulleys with a pronation grip (palms facing down); the arms are slightly higher than the shoulders and the elbows are not hyperextended but semi-flexed, in order to reduce the joint stress against; on the other hand, flexing them excessively would result in excessive activation of the brachial biceps;
- Lean forward, to obtain the torso-pelvis inclination of the degrees required for the established work; since the pulleys are articulated and follow the direction of force, 15 ° may be sufficient but it can easily be doubled; the more the torso is erect, the greater the work on the medium and low beams, vice versa, the more we lean forward, the more we will involve the upper pectoral (clavicular bundles) and the anterior deltoid, for which the exercise on the bench is however more suitable;
- Inhale deeply before the contraction begins, maintaining control of the abdominal belt;
- With the arms in the "flight" position, and exhaling, we begin a "concentric action that almost exclusively affects the shoulder joint and, more precisely, a" horizontal adduction (bring the arms in front of the chest, not along the sides) ; many also choose to rotate the humerus inward, in order to take advantage of this action of the pectoral too; the elbow joint is stabilized by the biceps muscles brachialis, brachialis, brachioradialis, etc .; this so-called "active" phase ends at the moment of contact between the two hands in front of you; ATTENTION! A common "cheat" in case of inability to complete the rep is to support the movement by bringing the torso back, swinging back and forth while maintaining the ROM but releasing the tension on the pectoral;
- After a possible concentric pause, perform the inverse (eccentric) movement while inhaling; the opening can be maximal, provided that the shoulder joint does not complain of particular discomfort or pain, or that there is no excessive shortening of the large or even the small pectoral, which post to a "negative alteration of posture.
Note: the cross-over lends itself very much to the work of hypertrophy, therefore of increasing the transverse section of the muscle. The TUTs recommended are always high, with excellent relevance to the pause in maximum concentric phase and ratios in favor of the eccentric. Mostly used as a "filler", it is also excellent for constipating lactic acid fibers and for pumping.
For further information: Pectoral training on the bench.
In the first case, the handles fixed to the cables by the other pulleys of the machine are gripped, while in the second those of the low cables.
Both can be performed with different torso inclinations:
The standing ones simply require a different angle between the spine and the pelvis - which is always in anteversion, to stabilize the posture and give strength to the buttocks, to the square of the loins and to tension the hamstrings;
The supine ones on the bench, on the other hand, require the backrest to be adjusted from + 0 ° to + 45 °. In this sense, the postural measures are inferior to the previous case. In fact, it is not necessary to "go crazy" to adduce and depress the shoulder blades as much as possible - instead it is useful for moving large loads on a flat bench - which is why it is recommended to concentrate on breathing, on the stability of the humerus, on the position of the shoulder with respect to the pulleys. and elbow angulation (semi-flexed).
