Cable Crossover Alternative?

[jawadams]

I am a home gymmer and I have a lot of equipment, but no cables. I have a barbell, squat rack, dumbbells up to 75 lbs, bench, leg extension, leg curls, hyperextension bench, pull up bar, treadmill, ex bike, etc... anyway, I really like cable crossovers and was wondering an alternative exercise I could do for similar results.

Before anyone suggests buying or making a cable machine, that's not an option because my gym is jam packed.

The only thing I can think of is maybe sitting on an incline with dumbbells and crossing them over..?

Any suggestions would be great, also lat pulldown alternatives if anyone has some... (currently doing barbell/dumbbell rows, assisted pull ups)

[MR]

Do you have room for a "Total Gym"? It's a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment and doesn't eat up a whole lot of space. I use it for a seated cable cross-overs, lying tricep pull-downs, various cable delt "raises", cable flyes, reverse flyes, lat pul-downs, etc.

Mike

[jf1]

dumbell flyes should give you the stretch and the squeeze that you are looking for!

[jawadams]

Do you have room for a "Total Gym"? It's a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment and doesn't eat up a whole lot of space. I use it for a seated cable cross-overs, lying tricep pull-downs, various cable delt "raises", cable flyes, reverse flyes, lat pul-downs, etc.

Mike

I've thought of something like that, but overall I prefer free weights, and I'm jam packed as it is... plus it's money I don't have :P

dumbell flyes should give you the stretch and the squeeze that you are looking for!

OK sounds good then!

[Tyciol]

Dumbbell flies are not going to wholly duplicate what you get from doing cable crossovers. When you do flies, you lose tension when your arms are straight in front of you. This is different from doing crossovers, where the tension remains present even as you bring your arms further together, even crossing them over each other, thus the name 'crossover'.

Simulating it with a freeweight is tricky. I have thought of a way to do it but only one-arm at a time, because if you had to lay with your chest on a bench it'd be weird since your chest isn't compressed when you do pulley crossovers.

You need 1 dumbbell, and a floor. Assume the top of a pushup position with your arms locked out. Shift your weight onto 1 arm, and raise the other one. Pick up the dumbbell. Now, move the dumbbell towards your other arm as much as possible.

You won't be able to do this very much, when the fibrils overlap too much they get really weak.

I would recommend when you can't go up any further with a straight arm to bend it as much as you need to do keep the dumbbell moving. You might even work your bicep a bit.

This movement, when combined with doing dumbbell flies, will probably help better emulate the stresses you put on the pec when you do cable crossovers, moreso than doing only 1 of them.

I guess when you are doing this if balance is tough then you could bring one of your legs forward in a lunge to help support the arm you have on the ground, just as long as it doesn't interfere with the working arm and you maintain a prone position relative to the ground.

If anyone has any trouble understanding what I'm describing please say so.

[ExtremistPullup]

bent over DB raises and fly's

[/Thread]

[SluttySamantha]

bent over DB raises and fly's

[/Thread]

How does that work chest? That's what the OP is looking for - not back.

OP - There is no real substitute for cable crossover flys. You can only approximate the motion in a half ass way with dumbbells because cable crossovers give constant tension through a wide ROM on the pecs while dumbbell flys only stress them in a very limited ROM. Experiment with your dumbbells and find a ROM which hits your pecs while not stressing the shoulder too much. Everyone is a little different.

[BoDanger]

One thing to keep in mind is that you don't really have to cross you arms to get full flextion by the pecs.

[jawadams]

Alright well now I've got some things to experiment with anyway...

[mn391000]

Dumbbell flies are not going to wholly duplicate what you get from doing cable crossovers. When you do flies, you lose tension when your arms are straight in front of you. This is different from doing crossovers, where the tension remains present even as you bring your arms further together, even crossing them over each other, thus the name 'crossover'.

Simulating it with a freeweight is tricky. I have thought of a way to do it but only one-arm at a time, because if you had to lay with your chest on a bench it'd be weird since your chest isn't compressed when you do pulley crossovers.

You need 1 dumbbell, and a floor. Assume the top of a pushup position with your arms locked out. Shift your weight onto 1 arm, and raise the other one. Pick up the dumbbell. Now, move the dumbbell towards your other arm as much as possible.

You won't be able to do this very much, when the fibrils overlap too much they get really weak.

I would recommend when you can't go up any further with a straight arm to bend it as much as you need to do keep the dumbbell moving. You might even work your bicep a bit.

This movement, when combined with doing dumbbell flies, will probably help better emulate the stresses you put on the pec when you do cable crossovers, moreso than doing only 1 of them.

I guess when you are doing this if balance is tough then you could bring one of your legs forward in a lunge to help support the arm you have on the ground, just as long as it doesn't interfere with the working arm and you maintain a prone position relative to the ground.

If anyone has any trouble understanding what I'm describing please say so.

another way is too lay on your side on an incline bench, and using the arm closer to the ground fly inward. At least this way at the top of the motion, there is still tension, which there wouldnt be with normal dumbell flyes

[ronPaul]

interesting

[ExtremistPullup]

Aren't cable fly's just fly's with cables
and
cable cross overs are right hand left cable and left hand right cable.

[RBLOCK]

A great alternative to shelling out money for a big, complicated piece of equipment like a cable crossover is getting a TRX suspension trainer and a weighted vest...you can simulate all of the cable flies and lat exercises that way.

[rayr2010]

its really not gonna happen, need cables....cant do it with DBs cause they too big and you can go heavy with crossovers easily. the only thing id recomend as a close-to/quick fix is turning wrist inward completely as you approach top of lift. (if you ghost this movement in the mirror, you will see the additional muscle activation by doing this). it will provide a fuller squeeze and does help inside chest somewhat. however, it is not a sub for cable crossovers.

on the other hand you could get some rubbers bands and do it with those....

[Donnie Bennett]

I am a home gymmer and I have a lot of equipment, but no cables. I have a barbell, squat rack, dumbbells up to 75 lbs, bench, leg extension, leg curls, hyperextension bench, pull up bar, treadmill, ex bike, etc... anyway, I really like cable crossovers and was wondering an alternative exercise I could do for similar results.

Before anyone suggests buying or making a cable machine, that's not an option because my gym is jam packed.

The only thing I can think of is maybe sitting on an incline with dumbbells and crossing them over..?

Any suggestions would be great, also lat pulldown alternatives if anyone has some... (currently doing barbell/dumbbell rows, assisted pull ups)

If you can buy a resistance band,( like at newyork barbell, or someplace like that, not walmart ), take it around the upright post on your cage, it will work like a cable crossover.

[Tyrbolift]

If you can buy a resistance band,( like at newyork barbell, or someplace like that, not walmart ), take it around the upright post on your cage, it will work like a cable crossover.

I would hope that after like 3 years, the OP would have figured something out.

[pit123]

dumbell flyes should give you the stretch and the squeeze that you are looking for!

God punished us for sinning not for eating a piece of fruit, sin is the issue not the fruit. And yes he promises eternal life because of what Jesus did.

[pit123]

If you can buy a resistance band,( like at newyork barbell, or someplace like that, not walmart ), take it around the upright post on your cage, it will work like a cable crossover.

Thanks - Good Idea

[PinkDumbells]

God punished us for sinning not for eating a piece of fruit, sin is the issue not the fruit. And yes he promises eternal life because of what Jesus did.

[mmafighter1294]

God punished us for sinning not for eating a piece of fruit, sin is the issue not the fruit. And yes he promises eternal life because of what Jesus did.

huh?

[kavin69]

I am a home gymmer and I have a lot of equipment, but no cables. I have a barbell, squat rack, dumbbells up to 75 lbs, bench, leg extension, leg curls, hyperextension bench, pull up bar, treadmill, ex bike, etc... anyway, I really like cable crossovers and was wondering an alternative exercise I could do for similar results.

Before anyone suggests buying or making a cable machine, that's not an option because my gym is jam packed.

The only thing I can think of is maybe sitting on an incline with dumbbells and crossing them over..?

Any suggestions would be great, also lat pulldown alternatives if anyone has some... (currently doing barbell/dumbbell rows, assisted pull ups)

there is an exercise which is an alt to cable crossovers. you take a set of light dumbbells a hold them over head as if you were doing a flyes. you perform a flye but when you come up you cross your arms as much as you can feeling a squeeze. it is a good alt to cable crossovers. you can find this exercise in bill pearls keys to the inner universe the bible for bodybuilding.

[andersmusician]

there is an exercise which is an alt to cable crossovers. you take a set of light dumbbells a hold them over head as if you were doing a flyes. you perform a flye but when you come up you cross your arms as much as you can feeling a squeeze. it is a good alt to cable crossovers. you can find this exercise in bill pearls keys to the inner universe the bible for bodybuilding.

1.- side plank position

2.- right hand on inamovable bar (located above you) (maybe placed on a squat rack)

3.- left hand on dumbell

4.- lift


(make sure your 4arms, biceps, rotator cuff are not injured)

[lcmadama]

What about a resistance band wrapped around a leg of a bench a couple times or something similar to replicate a low crossover. Sure u don't have the weight but it's something.

[Shredzkent]

dumbbell flys

[Smurf1978]

Lol!