Top Cable Crossover Machines for a Full Body Workout

A great physique has no downsides.

It feels great to have a good body, and along with it comes a healthy mind. Besides, a fit body can make you more confident and attractive to other people.

Total Body Conditioning

Bodybuilder Exercising with Cable Crossover

But getting a healthy physique can be a difficult task. Of course, it’s easier to munch on pizza while watching TV than to go to the gym regularly or pick up running.

Many fitness gurus, hence, advice getting exercising equipment right in your home.

A cable crossover machine can be one of the best devices you can get yourself for the perfect home workout. Which one should you buy?

Don’t worry; I’ve come up with reviews of two of the top rated cable crossover machines along some of the best exercises to perform if you want to get the perfect summer body.

Let’s do it!

1. Powerline by Body-Solid Cable Crossover Machine

It’s a bare-bone machine, but that’s good. If you are not going to spend hours on a crossover machine, then this one is perfect as it’s made for beginners!

In my experience, the vast space helped because I could get creative with it. I threw in a balancing ball and worked on my core.

One thing I loved about this machine, is the inclusion of a fixed high as well as low pulleys. It made working out on arms and legs on rotation convenient.

One of my parameters for good exercising equipment is the number of body parts I can work on using it. If it can help me exercise my entire body in a routine, then it gets a recommendation from me.

PROS

  • It has a vast space in between.
  • It has fixed high as well as low pulleys. The low pulley is good for working out calves.
  • It has a plate-loaded resistance system which is convenient to use.

CONS

  • It’s more suitable for beginners. 

With the wide space and the low fixed pulley, it’s excellent for a wide variety of exercises where you need to pull resistance. It’s perfect for toning muscles.

Another convenient thing about the product is that the resistance system is a pair of loaded plates. So, to adjust the resistance, just move the plates up or down. It genuinely helped while doing fast repetitions in my exercising routine.

2. Valor Fitness BD-7 Power Rack and Cable Crossover

This power rack and cable crossover combo is a beast! And it is made for beasts. It won’t disappoint any fitness enthusiast with a varied set of exercises.

It comes with a lat pull attachment and a chin up bar, and it’s all about making no compromises. The product is well equipped for professionals like bodybuilders and weightlifters.

I found it convenient because of the storage capacity of weights. There are 6 in total, and they can all fit standard size plates, which is fantastic if anyone has that many plates.

It also boasts a pull-up station and a lat pulldown station. It has an adjustable pulley extension with a lap bar and a low row bar.

I was able to work out any body part on this machine, and some of my more serious fitness friends found absolutely fell in love with it.

PROS

  • It has a lat pull attachment and a chin up bar.
  • It has incredible storage capacity. Ideal if many people are using this machine.
  • It also has a pull-up station. And its rigid framing won’t hurt from the weight.

CONS

  • This one is expensive. If you don’t know what you are really doing, don’t get this one.
  • Not suitable for a home gym

This product is the one to get if you are looking for one for a gym or are a serious fitness enthusiast. If you have the wallet for it, you are really not going to go wrong with this one.

Exercises To Do Using Cable Crossover Machines

One Legged Cable Kickback
1. Standing Cable Lift

This one is a classic. In my experience, beginners have found it comfortable and helpful. It’s an excellent exercise for the abdomens. It’s a straightforward exercise to get started with; make sure to twist your entire body for the best result.

Focus on getting maximal torso rotation and a strong clinch at the end of the movement. I recommend keeping the core tight throughout the whole session; otherwise, it’ll not work and cause cramps.

2. Seated Two-Arm Palms-Up Low-Pulley Wrist Curl

It works mainly on the forearms. Although I love doing it with both arms at the same time, there are some variations to it.

From time to time, I like to do it one arm at a time, especially when I am tired from the routine. It helps build up some muscle strength.

One can also go weights on one hand and cable on another depending upon the muscle growth on your arms.

3. Triceps Pushdown - V-Bar Attachment

There are not many exercises known to me that works better on triceps than this one. Even without any variation, it can make triceps ripped like bodybuilders’. It’s also a very straightforward exercise and needs little-to-no practice to pull off.

There is one classic variation though where you can do it reverse. That way, the resistance is evenly distributed in the forearms as well as triceps.

4. One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends

This one also works on the abdomens, but more importantly, it works on the sides. It’s also effortless to do and is perfect for beginners. But there is one thing to remember.

Always make sure that your movement is strictly perpendicular to your direction of vision. Otherwise, you’ll get horrible cramps, and it won’t work on the right muscles.

5. V-Bar Pulldown 

It is a tough one to pull off. It works on the lats, and that’s the primary job for a cable crossover machine. You need some strength in your forearms and biceps as well to work this out correctly. I have seen a lot of beginners do it wrong by using their entire body weight do the job.

I have done it as well in my earlier days. And not only it made me look hilarious but also was very bad for my body. It’d often cause me cramps on my sides.

6. Overhead Cable Curl 

This one is for the guns, a.k.a. Biceps. The task is simple as well. Pull the clamps with your hands over your head while standing. That’s it.

But many people easily screw up because they move it in the wrong direction. The movement should be strictly perpendicular to your vision. It doesn’t matter, doing with one or two hands.

7. One-Legged Cable Kickback

To work on glutes, I found this exercise to be the best. Although pretty straightforward in execution, it is difficult because you have to be good with the balance to do it correctly.

Final Words

Now I loved both of the machines I mentioned, and you might want to go with one or the other. Either way, there will be no regret.

It’ll last years before giving in, even with rough use. Also, remember some of the exercises I mentioned to get started.

With that, I hope you liked this guide! Stay fit. Stay strong!

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