It’s not everyday bodybuilding legends like Phil Heath offer unique pointers for growing a body part. In his latest endeavor, shared to Instagram on July 31, 2024, ‘The Gift’ unveiled his three secret tips for building the chest with cable crossovers.
Sporting cartoonish muscle density and ‘3D’ delts, Phil Heath’s reign atop the Mr. Olympia stage was one of the most dominant of any titleholder. He held the prestigious honor for seven consecutive years (2011-2017) and in that time, denied countless bodybuilding staples from ever touching the Sandow trophy, including his arch-rival, Kai Greene.
While Heath hasn’t tested himself on stage since 2020 (3rd place 2020 Mr. Olympia), his knowledge of exercise and body mechanics gives him a huge edge in training even today at 44 years old. If cable crossovers make up part of your chest routine, you’re in luck, as Heath laid out three well-kept tips on how to accelerate progress.
Phil Heath’s 3 ‘Secret’ Tips for Growing the Chest With Cable Crossovers
Check out Heath’s three tips below:
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- Foot position
- Lower back tight, raise the chest up
- Good stretch and bear hugging the weight
In addition to foot position, Heath states that the lower back should be tight with the chest raised up. Lastly, he says to aim for an effective stretch and bear hug the weight.
“Three things you need to do for your cable crossovers. Number one: foot position. I’m not standing shoulder-width apart. I’ve got one foot slightly in front of the other.”
“Number two: you want to actually have your lower back tight, raising your chest up.”
“Number three: getting a good stretch here and bear hugging the weight.”
He also provided additional guidance on the three tips he offered:
“3 Tips For Growing Your Chest! 🏋🏻♂️
Be sure to give this a try.One of my favourite movements when training chest is cable crossovers and here is my secrets to performing it properly.
🔥 FOOT POSITION.. so many people stand with there feet together ❌.. you need to have one foot in front of the other as this allows a solid base and ensures more focus on the muscle.
🏋🏻♂️ ENGAGE THE RIGHT MUSCLE.. the lower back should be engaged this allows you to lift and raise your chest up for the ultimate squeeze.
✅ BARE HUG.. it should feel like you are bare hugging the movement not behind the elbows so much and allowing for the chest to open nice and wide giving the best contraction of the muscle because that what it’s all about.” Heath shared.
This wasn’t Phil Heath’s first specialized tip for a specific exercise. In the past, he detailed how to properly execute the dumbbell concentration curl for exploding arm gains. He explained how to guide the dumbbell through an effective range of motion and also offered guidance on how to twist the wrist throughout each repetition.
As a credentialed bodybuilding champion, Phil Heath’s tips for a better cable crossover could help you take your chest to an even higher level. The next time you’re pushing the pace at the gym, give his secret pointers a try.
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