Standing Cable Crossovers Will Firm and Tighten Your Inner Chest Lines in Time For Summer
Written by Shoshana Pritzker Monday, 17 May 2010 20:11
Stephen E. Alway, Ph.D., FACSM
Forget the New Year’s resolution thing, it’s long gone. Who can live up to all those expectations anyway? After all, New Year’s Day is smack in the middle of winter and for many of us, the colder winter months can be, well, depressing. It’s at this time that those resolutions to eat better and train more consistently are all but forgotten. The bleak winter just seems to invite a justification for eating more than we should and exercising just a little bit less than we need. One result is that the shape and firmness of your torso can begin to slip a bit. Furthermore, the winter months force us to cover up and so we can hide the fact that things are going a little soft here and there.
At some point, it will hit you. Maybe it will be after a shower, or maybe when you’re trying on the newest infusion of spring clothing at your favorite retailer, but the reality will hit you in the face. Your chest, shoulders and arms aren’t as tight as they used to be and not nearly as firm as you would want them to be. Not that you don’t look great, after all— you’ve been exercising, but you know that you would be a knockout in any low cut top of your choosing this summer if your entire chest and torso were firmer. On the other hand, spring is a time of fresh new beginnings and it’s a wonderful time to reassess your physique, especially since as you read this article, you have time to make a difference in your upper body before the warmth of summer drapes your shoulders and chest. However, the next 12 weeks are going to be critically important in your preparation, at least if you want to be ready for that fabulous summer chest and body that you know you can have and deserve to possess.
Muscle Structure and Function
There’s one primary muscle that underlies the chest and gives the breasts their base and firmness. This is the pectoralis major muscle. This muscle is much like a fan with fibers having different orientations and angles of pull in the superior regions of this muscle as compared to the medial (midline) and inferior (lower) regions. Although this muscle is important and is anatomically associated with the anterior chest wall, its function is at the humerus bone of the upper arm, through manipulation of the shoulder (glenohumeral) joint. Thus, the arms must move if we are to activate the pectoralis. This large muscle covers the upper (superior) part of the chest and its outside (lateral) border forms the front (anterior) wall of the armpit (axilla). The pectoralis major muscle has two heads. The clavicular head lives along the anterior lower surface of the clavicle (collar bone). Don’t confuse this with the pectoralis minor, which lies deep to the clavicular head of the pectoralis major and attaches to the ribs and not the humerus bone of the upper arm. The pectoralis minor has no important role in shaping your chest. The sternocostal head takes its origin from the manubrium (the top portion of the sternum), the upper six costal cartilages (cartilages at the ends of the ribs that attach to the sternum) and from the tendinous-like portion of the superior part of the external oblique muscle (a lateral muscle of the abdominal wall). The clavicular and sternocostal heads converge on a groove near the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) near the shoulder joint. The sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle receives an extraordinary concentration of contractile effort in the standing cable crossover exercise. Both sternocostal and clavicular heads of the pectoralis major adduct the humerus (draw the arm toward the midline of the body) and they medially rotate the humerus at the shoulder joint. Both heads also flex the humerus by moving the upper arm anteriorly (or toward the front of the body) in standing cable crossovers. The adduction and flexion components of the pectoralis major are stressed in the cable crossover exercise.
The anterior deltoid muscle is also strongly activated by standing cable crossovers. The name "deltoid" is derived from the Greek letter delta (∆), which was inverted. The deltoid has three regions, the anterior, medial and posterior regions, because they attach to distinctly different areas along the bones making up the shoulder joint. Only the anterior deltoid is markedly activated by standing cable crossovers. The anterior fibers of the deltoid are anchored between the lateral part of the clavicle and the anterior and upper portion of the humerus bone of the upper arm. The anterior fibers produce strong flexion of the humerus at the shoulder (bringing the humerus bone of the upper arm forward), and also produce medial (internal) rotation of the humerus at the shoulder. The fibers of the anterior deltoid are primarily recruited to contract during the shoulder flexion components of the standing cable crossover exercise.
Standing Cable Crossovers
This exercise is rather intensive because there’s constant tension on the chest and shoulder musculature throughout the exercise, and this leaves no opportunity for the pectoralis muscles to rest until the set is over. Furthermore, the range of motion can be greater than with dumbbell versions of this exercise.
1. Stand midway between two high pulley cables. Take a pulley handle from the high pulley on the station in each hand and take a step forward, away from the cable machine.
2. Bend your elbows slightly to take any unnecessary stress off this joint and lock them in this position (the elbows should not flex and extend during the exercise, but should be locked in this slightly bent position).
3. In the starting point, your arms will be stretched out to the sides. You should feel a good stretch across the entire pectoral girdle and into the attachments of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle with the arm (humerus bone, near the armpit) and the anterior part of the shoulder musculature.
4. With the hands semi-pronated (knuckles should be turned toward each other) pull the handles from the pulley station forward toward each other in a line that’s approximately at shoulder level. Don’t stop as the hands come together, but completely cross the right hand over the left. This position is somewhat as if you where hugging someone else's neck (although you don’t have to bend the elbows to exaggerate the hug).
5. If you really want to activate and tighten the most medial parts of the pectoralis fibers that attach to the sternum (breastbone) and which run along the inside most medial section of each breast, hold the handles for a count of two at the end of each repetition (i.e., when one hand is crossed over the other). This really brings the level of intensity up a notch and you’ll experience the most intensive contractions along the middle sections of the pectoralis major and the most medial edge of each breast along the sternum.
6. Slowly move the hands backward out toward the starting position in a large arc. Inhale deeply as you move the handles backward and exhale as they come forward into the crossover position.
7. On the next repetition, cross the left arm over the right arm, then alternate on each repetition.
It’s not possible to completely deactivate non-chest muscles during this exercise. The anterior deltoid fibers will contract strongly to assist in moving the arms toward your body (adduction). The latissimus dorsi and the teres major muscles of the upper back will also assist in adduction of the arm toward the body's midline. The sternocostal head of the pectoralis major is most strongly activated by this exercise. The angle of the shoulder and arms activates the middle and inner fibers, with the greatest activation occurring in the muscle fibers, which lie beside the sternum. The inner area of the pectoralis is especially activated when one hand is crossed over the other as far as possible. The serratus anterior (a deep muscle on the front of the scapula that holds the scapula in place) will be activated during the positions with the arms abducted above shoulder level. The intercostal muscles of the rib cage (the small muscles positioned between your ribs) will be activated during the strong inspiration during which time the arms are abducted and also during expiration when the arms are adducted. Other muscles that will be active during extension of the humerus include the latissimus dorsi and teres major. Thus, in addition to firming your chest, you’ll activate a host of other muscles of your torso, which will only enhance the shape and firmness of your upper body this summer.
Try this exercise for a minimum of 12 weeks because the changes you seek won’t happen overnight. If you start now, there’s time for cable crossovers to make a major impact on your chest shape this summer. This exercise will begin to mold new and firmer chest contours as you train it this spring and by the time summer comes, you’ll look stunning!
References:
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