Bringing hands together on crossover blocks. Bringing your arms together in a crossover: execution technique, advantages and common mistakes. Exercise options and technique

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.




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Contraindications for performing the exercise

• brachial nerve neuritis;
• tendobursitis;
• tendinitis.

Stretching the pectoral muscles too much at the bottom will overstrain the shoulder joints and ligaments, and chronic pain will be felt much more intensely. This applies less to the classic crossover while standing through the upper blocks, 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 performing crossover crossover exercises.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. As you inhale, slowly spread your arms to the sides. Stretch your outer chest slightly and do another rep.

Exercise on lower blocks

Bringing the arms together in a crossover through the lower blocks with an emphasis on the upper chest is done as follows:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. As you inhale, smoothly lower your arms down, maintaining a bend in the thoracic spine and not pushing your shoulders forward or up.

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Crossover training while lying on a bench

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

1. 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. You can use either a flat bench, an incline bench or a negative incline bench. The greater the angle of inclination, the greater the load placed on the upper chest.
2. 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 push them against the floor with all your might and make your task easier.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Smoothly lower the handles down. At the bottom point, we also make a short delay in order to properly stretch the muscle fascia.

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The crossover is a large block training complex that allows you to perform a wide variety of exercises for all muscle groups. One of these is bringing the hands together on the upper blocks, which is what we will talk about in detail today.

Description of the exercise

First of all, it can be noted that there are several varieties of this exercise that allow you to work the pectoral muscles. By varying the technique, you can focus the load on the middle, lower or upper chest area.

The exercise is isolated, which means that almost the entire load falls on the pectoral muscles, so it is best to perform this exercise at the end of the workout after basic exercises such as presses, push-ups, pull-ups, and so on.

The biceps, triceps and anterior deltoids are synergists, but the tension in these muscles is minimal if you do it correctly. If you still understand that both biceps and shoulders are very actively involved in the exercise and get tired, reduce the weight. Isolation exercises are done to “finish off”; there is no need to use heavy weights, since this will not lead to significant muscle growth.

If the exercise is performed standing, then the legs, abs and back act as stabilizers. If you need to exclude them, choose the option on the bench.

Benefits of Exercise

Let's look at what bringing hands together in a crossover gives:

1. This is one of the highest quality isolated exercises for working the chest.
2. The back is not pressed against the bench, as, for example, during a bench press, which reduces the load on it.
3. The chest muscles are well stretched, this saturates them with oxygen. At a young age, this allows the diaphragm to expand.
4. The load is present at all stages of the exercise - when you bring your arms together and when you spread your arms - the pectoral muscles actively work at each point.
5. This exercise shapes and refines the contours of the chest, making them more aesthetically correct.
6. Variability allows you to load different areas of the pectoral muscles.

Exercise options and technique

There are five ways to do this exercise:

• standing over the top blocks
• standing through the lower blocks
• lying on a horizontal surface
• lying down

Before starting the workout, you need to set the weight on both blocks and also make sure that the handles are suitable for the exercise.

If not, then you need to unfasten the carabiner, remove the handles and hang suitable ones. They look something like this:

Reduction of hands through the upper blocks

This is a classic version of the exercise.

Technique:

1. The crossover handles should be in the upper position. If they are in the middle or at the bottom, move them up.
2. Take one handle, then move to the other side and take the second one. Take one or two steps forward so that static tension is present in the pectoral muscles.
3. You can put one leg forward for convenience.
4. Bend your body forward with your back straight. The stronger the angle of inclination of the body and the angle between the arms and torso, the more actively the middle chest area will be involved in the work.
5. Inhale and as you exhale, bring your arms together in front of you. The task is to ensure that this movement is as isolated as possible. Do not bend your arms too much so as not to put stress on your biceps.
6. Tighten well at the point of muscle contraction to work on the inner chest area (sometimes this is a lagging area).
7. Inhale and gently spread your arms out to the sides.

To better familiarize yourself with the technology, we suggest watching the video.

Video: Bringing your arms together in a crossover over the top - pumping up the pectoral muscles

Reduction of arms through lower blocks

This option is not suitable for beginners; it is difficult, but it puts a good emphasis on the upper area of ​​the pectoral muscles.

Technique:

1. If the handles are located at the top or in the middle, you need to lower them down.
2. Take your hands and take a step forward. You will not feel the same stretch in the pectoral muscles as in the previous version - this is normal.
3. There is no need to lean forward. On the contrary, straighten your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together and push your chest forward.
4. As you exhale, you need to bring your arms in front of you, but now through the bottom. Why is this exercise not recommended for beginners? It is very difficult to focus the load on the pectoral muscles and not engage the biceps. Usually most of the load goes directly to him, and the exercise loses its meaning.
5. As you inhale, spread your arms out to the sides.

Reduction of arms while lying down

Depending on the purpose, the exercise can be performed on a horizontal or inclined surface.

This exercise is also performed with lower blocks.

Technique:

1. Set the weight and position the bench exactly in the center, this is important so that there is no skewing on one of the hands.
2. When you lie down, the handles should be at chest level.
3. Once you have prepared the bench, take the handles, sit down and lie comfortably on the bench. The back should be pressed tightly to the surface, there is no need to bend the lower back.
4. As you exhale, bring your arms above your chest, being careful not to bend your elbows. You can stop when there is about 10 cm between your hands. Tighten your pectoral muscles.
5. As you inhale, slowly spread your arms out to the sides.

This option will concentrate the load in the middle of the chest. In order to switch it higher, you need to perform a flattening on an incline bench.

Mixing on an inclined bench - how to do it correctly

Technique:

1. It is necessary to set the angle of the bench from 30 to 45 degrees, keeping in mind that the higher the slope, the more the upper pectoral muscles work.
2. Mixing is done through the lower blocks, so lower them down if necessary.
3. The bench should be located strictly in the center.
4. Grab the handles and sit on the edge of the bench.
5. Sit on the back of the bench without arching your lower back.
6. Inhale and as you exhale, bring your arms together in front of you, tightening your pectoral muscles.
7. As you inhale, gently spread your arms to the sides.

Reduction of hands while sitting

It is also permissible to perform this exercise while sitting, which allows you to exclude the leg muscles and other stabilizers from the work.

While sitting, you can perform the reduction with your back straight or bent over.

Technique:

1. The handles should be positioned approximately in the middle of the frame (focus on your height and feeling of comfort).
2. Grab the handles and sit on the edge of the bench. If necessary, tilt your body forward.
3. Exhale and bring your arms together in front of you.
4. Inhale and return to the starting position.

Remember to place the bench between the blocks in the center and slightly in front to feel the stretch in the pectoral muscles.

Common mistakes when doing the exercise

The exercise cannot be classified as technically very difficult, but there are, of course, a number of mistakes that beginners often make.

1. You need to keep your back straight. Do not try to bring your arms together at all costs, while rounding your spine.
2. Do not press your hands to your body.
3. Do not bend your arms, especially if there is a 90-degree angle at your elbow.
4. Do not throw your arms after mixing so that they spread under the weight of the weight. The movement must be controlled.
5. If the movements are not synchronous, then there is a lagging side. Lighten the weight to maintain your technique. Try mixing with each hand in turn.
6. Another mistake can be called improper muscle control during the exercise, but this is not entirely a technical mistake, rather a matter of experience. There is no need to quit the exercise if you feel like you are pulling with your arms or shoulders. Reduce the weight, perhaps it’s just difficult for you to perform the exercise with just your pectoral muscles. Repeat it constantly until you understand the principle.

If you still experience difficulties, then it makes sense to try an alternative - the butterfly simulator. The mixing occurs at a slightly different angle, but the principle is the same. The advantage is that the trajectory is set, and you will always perform the exercise accurately. But this also has a disadvantage, since you will not be able to emphasize the load on the upper or lower chest.

The crossover raise is an important forming exercise for the pectoral muscles. If you want to improve their shape and achieve an aesthetic effect, then perform this movement regularly, trying all its possible variations.

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The wide variety of exercise equipment today delights many strength training enthusiasts. Crossover is one of the popular exercises among bodybuilders, which is performed on two block-type exercise machines at once.

With the help of the crossover exercise, you can actively influence the inner and lower part of the pectoral muscles; the deltoids and triceps are also partially loaded. Already the first few workouts will demonstrate results.

Execution technique

Movements in a crossover do not require special technical skills.

When performing them, you should adhere to the following provisions:

1. Place yourself among two block devices: legs apart, hands on the rope handles, spread to the sides, back slightly tilted forward, pelvis abducted, resting on the full foot.
2. Perform the reduction to the level of the hips, with fixation at the bottom for a few seconds and tension on the chest. The pelvis, back and legs remain motionless.
3. You should return to the starting position smoothly, without sudden movements.
4. Perform the downward movement as you exhale, upward as you inhale. The arms should not straighten; there should always be a bend in the elbows.
5. After finishing, the handles are released one by one.

This is a classic version, but there are also variations. For example, doing it on your knees. This method can be used if you want to learn how to properly contract and isolate the chest muscles. For variety, you can try performing the information from a lying or sitting position.

There are several technical tricks that will add to the effectiveness of influence.

It is worth remembering that the weight of the weight plays an important role, but the effectiveness of the influence will depend on the form of execution, namely on the amplitude of movements and the strength of tension at the bottom point when the arms are brought together. Rational technique does not involve any impulsive, only controlled movements. The arms should move synchronously at an angle to the body, and constantly remain in the same plane.

The exercise is similar to the one on the stomach, but it provides more significant tension to the chest, and therefore trains them better.

Another advantage is that there is no need for partner insurance; work in this mode is completely safe if all technical requirements are met.

Typical mistakes when performing crossover mixing are:

• excessive slope of the body, “rounding” of the back; (similar to )
• too sudden movements;
• performing movements with straight arms;
• lowering the arms too deeply.

Inaccuracies in the technique of performing a crossover lead to the fact that the tension is distributed irrationally and falls mainly on the shoulder girdle and across, while the pectoral muscles remain secondary.

What muscles work

Bringing your hands together in a crossover resembles the flapping of a bird's wings. The main load falls on the chest. Only the shoulder joints work, the triceps are only lightly loaded. To be more specific, the lower head of the pectoralis major and minor muscles works with emphasis, and the serratus anterior and upper clavicular parts assist in performing movements as well as the delta.

Visually, inclusion in the work looks like this:

The function of the stabilizer is performed by the muscles of the upper shoulder girdle, forearm, abdomen and spinal extensors.

Nuances

Paying attention to the methodological features of performing information, it is worth remembering several important aspects, starting from your goals and experience in the gym.

Chest training for beginners should be included in the weekly training system twice. Experienced athletes can add two more. At the same time, in the schedule of one lesson it should be at the beginning of the main part. Performing an exercise against a background of increasing fatigue will not bring the desired results. You should perform no more than 3-4 approaches (depending on your experience in the gym). The adequacy of the influence of the information also depends on the number of repetitions in the approach: 10-12 times will ensure an increase in muscle mass, 6-8 repetitions will increase strength capabilities.

If the crossover is used to “wake up” the chest muscles or to get rid of extra pounds, you should perform a large number of repetitions, but do not use heavy weights. A good option would be to gradually increase weight and then lose it after reaching the maximum.

Cross-rover crossovers can also be performed using a power belt. It will help stabilize the core. This will allow you to add a few more reps to your total. If you have enough experience working in this mode, and there is a desire to continue to increase the weight, it is important to use wrist straps, this will reduce the stress on the joints.

To enhance the effect of the information, there are several small secrets.

Secret 1. Combine two exercises into a complex, performing them sequentially. First, do 30 classic push-ups, then work your chest on a crossover 10-15 times. The recovery period is 40-45 s, and then repeat two more approaches. The thoracic region will thus effectively warm up and begin a new cycle of adaptation to such loads.

Secret 2. Use a horizontal lava and perform cross-rover from a lying or sitting position. The effect on the chest will be enhanced by excluding the back and legs from the work. When performed this way, the load does not spread throughout the body, but is accentuated in the required area, that is, jeweler precision is observed in its effect on the chest.

One of the most famous isolation exercises for pumping up the pectoral muscles, but it doesn’t pump up the entire chest, as many people think. In general, the reduction can be performed at different angles; this angle will determine which part of the pectoral muscles the load will fall on. Accordingly, the load can be emphasized on different parts of the pectoral muscles, and since the exercise is performed with a light weight, then, in fact, what part of the pectoral muscles is trained depends on the angle at which the athlete performs the crossover.

The exercise is not a way to build muscle mass, but experienced athletes with at least one year of training experience can include it in their training program. The fact is that the less trained the athlete, the less work his muscles can do. That is why the first year you should perform only basic exercises. You, of course, can do more work, but this will lead to overwork, you will drive yourself into overtraining and reduce the effectiveness of your visits to the gym to zero.

Work of muscles and joints

Bringing the arms together in a crossover loads the outer or inner part of the pectoral muscles, which depends on how the athlete performs the exercise. If the exercise is performed standing, then the outer part of the chest receives the load, and if lying down, then the inner part. It should also be noted that with the correct technique, the biceps will also receive the load, which should relieve the load from the elbow joint. But you need to fix your shoulders and try to exclude them from the work.

If the technique is incorrect, when the athlete is chasing weight, bringing the arms together in a crossover can even lead to an injury to the elbow joint. But, if the athlete does everything correctly, then this can be avoided. Moreover, even when the exercise is performed standing, bending forward completely removes the load from the spine. And, in general, the exercise does not involve the use of large training weights and is performed in a simulator, so it is very difficult to get injured.

Bringing your hands together in a crossover - diagram

1) If you are performing the exercise while standing, then you should take the crossover handles and stand in the starting position, bending forward slightly and raising your elbows above your hands.
2) Without moving your elbows, bring your hands together so that your palms intersect, then return to the starting point.
3) If you perform the exercise lying down, then you will need a bench, which you should place in the middle of the machine.
4) Lie down on the bench, having previously taken the handles of the exercise machine in your hands, and then begin to move them in and out as if you were doing dumbbell flyes.

Crossover Crossover – Notes

1) When performing the exercise while lying down, it is best to use the help of a partner who will hand you the handles of the simulator.
2) The elbows should always be fixed when bringing the arms together in a crossover, which will help isolate the triceps and relieve stress on the elbows.
3) Again, when performing a flattening while lying down, it is best to keep your feet on the floor, firmly resting your heels, which will provide better stability.
4) In both cases, the head should be in the same position and look forward, do not lift it off the bench or lower it down.
5) Try to increase the range of motion, which will help to better engage those areas of the pectoral muscles that usually do not receive stress.

Anatomy

The crossover crossover allows you to stretch your chest, replacing the dumbbell fly, but, unlike the fly, by performing this exercise while lying down, the athlete gets the opportunity to better work the inner part of the pectoral muscles. The chest is a large muscle group, so it is difficult to steal a load from it, but if this part of the body is lagging behind, then bringing your arms together in a crossover can be very useful.

On the other hand, the exercise is formative, and it is also performed in a simulator, which does not allow the load to progress effectively. But the exercise is almost completely safe for joints. It is precisely these characteristics of bringing the arms together in a crossover that make this exercise indispensable during an injury, and is also well suited for those athletes. Those who have not yet learned to feel their pectoral muscles, which is why they do not receive enough load during more complex exercises.

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 for whom body appearance is most important, 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 needs to be transferred to the triceps, so it will move away from the 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 in order to adjust your performance, it is better to conduct the first training sessions under the supervision of a trainer.

Crossover technique

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. This is followed by a return to the starting position, while exhaling.
4. 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.
5. The bench is installed in the middle of the crossover.
6. Lying on a bench, you need to bring your arms together and spread them like dumbbells.
7. 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 having learned how to perform it correctly, 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.