10 Best Cable Crossover Alternatives For a Ripped Chest

Crossover exercises are effective because they engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, leading to more comprehensive upper-body muscle growth and core strengthening in the same workout duration.

According to one of the studies from the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, crossover exercises are effective because they trigger multiple muscle groups at the same time [1].

As a result, you can exercise more areas at the same time, achieving more upper body muscle growth with the same time spent in the gym. And then there’s the added bonus for your core.

While I generally look forward to a designated set of ab workouts, I find engaging the core muscles on a more regular basis helps to better keep the six-pack in shape.

The first of our cable crossover alternatives is a standard dumbbell fly on a flat exercise bench, which is also one of my personal favorites.

Many bodybuilders favor the bench dumbbell fly exercise as it isolates the pecs because your body is supported on that flat bench. Lie down on the flat bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand, your arms resting just above your chest. Stretch your arms upwards but maintain the position of a slight bend in your elbows.

Here’s another great alternative to the cable crossover, which I often implement to isolate my pecs.

It might seem like a minimal change to the setup from the flat bench flyes, but you’ll feel the strain on your pecs and shoulders is quite different. Let me show you. Adjust your bench to set the backrest to about 30 to 40-degree angle.

One of the studies from the National Center for Biotechnology Information website suggests that resistance training with elastic devices provides similar strength gains when compared to resistance training performed from conventional devices [3].

You’ll need a set of exercise resistance bands, ideally ones that attach to a handle, rather than looped bands. Try to find a good anchoring point like a piece of gym equipment or a solid hook on a door or wall.

Now, for this exercise you’ll find various sizes of dip machine that come with quite a price tag. But, some simple parallel bars should be more than enough to help you shape your arms, shoulders and pecs.

You have to be careful that you approach this exercise correctly, as it is very different from a standard triceps dip. Set yourself up on the dip bars with your elbows slightly bent and already pointing a little outwards.

Here’s another great alternative to a cable machine, where I often work on isolating one arm, shoulder, and chest area. For this bench press exercise, you’ll need a flat bench and some dumbbells in your home gym to do this cable crossover exercise.

Your starting position is flat on the bench with one dumbbell in your right hand just above your chest, elbow at 90 degrees. Push it straight up with your palm facing inward. Slowly lower the dumbbell to your chest and once you reach the lowest position, push it straight back up again.

The cable row is an ideal way to train everything from your chest to shoulders and upper back muscles, as a whole pectoral muscles and chest workout. And the great thing is that you achieve the same effect with a set of exercise resistance bands as you would with a cable machine.

Find a seated position on a flat bench on the floor level and attach your resistance bands to a solid anchor point in front of you. At your starting position, you should already feel a bit of tension on the bands so that the exercise counts from the very start.

This is another one of the cable crossover alternatives that can be highly effective and requires only a TRX suspension trainer. You’ve probably seen people using these thick bands at the gym that allow for raising parts of your body off the ground to create more intense bodyweight exercises.

Anchor the resistance bands to the ceiling or a suitable place high above you. Hold onto the handles in each hand and stretch your arms out in front of you, lifting them at 90 degrees, while leaning forward with your full body.

You’ll want to get a looped resistance band for this, as I find them easier to wrap around your wrists and concentrate your workout on your chest muscles. Stand up straight and loop the resistance band around your hands or wrists so that they are about shoulder-width apart with just a little bit of tension.

Now pull each end of the resistance band in opposite directions with your arms, as far as your hands will reach. If you cannot fully extend your arms, then you’ll need to use a thinner band.

Using the same looped band from the previous exercise, you can spice up your push-up exercises. It’s a great alternative for a home gym, especially once you build up enough strength to do 20 or 30 push-ups.

You’ll gain more for your pectoral muscles from doing fewer tough reps than constantly increasing the total number of reps. Lay down flat on the ground with one hand on each side of your shoulders. Loop the band around your hands and over your back, and then push yourself up to your regular starting position.

The final one of our exercises is called the Svend press, and I have no idea who or why it was called that. What you need are two weight plates that you hold by pressing them together with your hands from each side.

Hold the plates just in front of your chest, and then slowly stretch your arms out and slightly up. Then pull them back to your chest and repeat the movement.

Crossovers without a machine are still effective if you correctly use resistance bands and free weights. In my experience, the important thing is that you get the movements right to match what you would do during regular cable crossovers.

Make it a slow and high-quality movement that burns like hell after 8 to 10 reps, and there’s no reason you won’t achieve the same results without a cable crossover machine.