Chest · Bodyweight
Lying Arm Crossover
How to do the lying arm crossover, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with your arms out to the sides and a slight bend in the elbows. Sweep both arms up and across so your hands meet above your chest, squeezing the pecs together, then lower them back out wide under control.
- 1Feel a stretch across the chest at the bottom and a squeeze at the top
- 2Keep a fixed slight bend in your elbows the whole way
- 3Bring your hands together directly over your chest
Common mistakes
- Do not let your lower back arch off the floor
- Avoid straightening or pumping the elbows to cheat the motion
- Do not drop the arms out so far that the shoulders feel strained
Muscles worked
The lying arm crossover mainly works the mid chest, with the upper chest, lower chest, front delts, and internal rotators assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Internal RotatorsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the lying arm crossover for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.