What to Wear
Toning Major Muscle GroupsCable Crossover Machines
Great equipment for the right situation
The cable crossover, or cable pulley machine, is a very basic looking piece of equipment that is anything but. With a structure made of metal that extends up on both sides and across the top, the basic models look a little like a soccer goal. A pulley is situated on each side and attached by cable to a resistance method, which in this machines is usually dual weight stacks.
Pros
- Saves space - Even though this type of machine is big in size, the way many are built makes it possible for them to fit in rooms with little free space. Some are streamlined enough that the stand can easily sit against a wall without protruding more than a few feet. Still, it’s best to check the measurements before you buy.
- Variety - There really are a lot of exercises you can do with a cable crossover machine. From two-armed moves like flyes, crossovers, lat pulldowns and triceps pushdowns, to single arm and leg exercises including hip adductors, kickbacks, curls and more. The only thing limiting what you can do is your own imagination.
- Price - Not only is the cable crossover machine itself pricey, but the attachments you’ll have to buy so you can do your favorite exercises are too. Not to mention that a workout bench is going to be necessary for many moves and you’ll need to buy weight plates separately for some machines. So that’s $500 to $1000 for the cable machine, about $200 for a decent set of attachments and another $200 for an adjustable bench. If you need weights count on spending another $100 to $500. All-in-all you’re looking at about $1000 minimum. A machine that comes with weight stacks included will cost well over $1000.
With cable crossover machines you’ll want to know about the quality of the pulley system and frame. If either are poorly constructed it can put a damper on your workout. One good question…does the design of the machine make it easy to move the pulleys from lower to middle and top positions?
The bottom line
If you can find a decent home gym that includes dual weight stacks and pulleys, such as the Life Fitness G7, you’re probably better off with it than a machine that only offers pulleys, because you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck. But if you’ve already got a bench and weight plates, it will be a lot cheaper to add a cable crossover machine than get rid of what you’ve got for an entirely new setup.