Upgrade Your Cable Crossovers
For A Better Chest
Do this one-arm version for better muscle development.
Cable crossovers are arguably the best exercise for developing the inner pecs because of the constant tension they provide through the entire range of motion. With standard dumbbell flys, you lose tension on the pecs near the top of every rep.
But not all cable crossovers are the same. By doing them one arm at a time, you can create even more tension on those hard to reach inner pec fibers.
The one-arm cable crossover is a great way to finish a chest routine for these three specific reasons:
1. Greater Range Of Motion
Two-arm crossovers are great, but oftentimes your intersecting arms limit each other’s ability to keep the rep going a few more inches. By taking one arm out of the exercise, the working arm can travel that much further across the midline of the body. As that range of motion increases, the inner pec fibers are called into play that much more.
2. Better Isolation For Each Side
Range of motion aside, when you perform an exercise unilaterally (one arm or leg at a time), it allows you to put 100% of your focus and intensity on that individual muscle – in this case, the right pec or the left pec. This increased isolation not only helps stimulate more muscle fibers on that side, but you’re typically able to use more weight when you do an exercise one limb at a time versus both. It could mean the difference between hitting each pec with 50 pounds on the cable stack rather than 40. That’s a 25% increase in weight right there! More overload equals more muscle and strength gains.
3. Better Mind-Muscle Connection
This is more of a psychological benefit, but it can definitely make a difference, especially with experienced lifters. This builds on the isolation concept. When you do crossovers one arm at a time, it’s likely that you’ll better connect mentally with that one side. Your brain and nervous system control everything you do in life, and that includes muscle contractions. The stronger brain connection you have with the muscles, the more stimulation that will occur.
So next time chest day rolls around, hit your flat-bench and incline presses, but then finish off with one-arm cable crossovers to stimulate every last pec muscle fiber. I recommend doing this as your last exercise for chest. Do four sets of 12-15 reps per side, going back and forth from left to right until all eight sets (four per side) are complete. Make sure you hit failure on every set, even if you drop below 12-15 reps.
I hope this exercise variation helps you build a bigger, more chiseled chest. Good luck everyone!