maratoolCrucifix
How to do the crucifix
- In the crucifix, you statically hold weights out to the side for time. While the event can be practiced using dumbbells, it is best to practice with one of the various implements used, such as axes and hammers, as it feels different.
- Begin standing, and raise your arms out to the side holding the implements. Your arms should be parallel to the ground. In competition, judges or sensors are used to let you know when you break parallel. Hold for as long as you can. Typically, the weights should be heavy enough that you fail in 30-60 seconds.
Muscles worked
The prime movers are the deltoids, which raise and rotate the upper arm at the shoulder joint.
Nothing travels, but holding the position is not the target muscle’s job alone: the forearms hold the grip, which is often what gives out first.
How this movement works
You get into position and hold. One joint sets the angle and one muscle group takes the tension, so the load stays exactly where you put it. Hold for time, breathe normally, and come out the moment the position drifts: a shape that has quietly shifted is no longer training what you set it up to train.
It is filed under strongman, where the load is deliberately awkward rather than balanced. Most of the difficulty goes on holding on and staying braced.
What you need
These train the shoulders too, using equipment this one does not:
- Cuban Pressdumbbell
- Double Kettlebell Jerkkettlebell
- External Rotation with Bandband
- External Rotation with Cablecable
- Handstand Push-Upsbody only
Difficulty
Listed at beginner level: the pattern is simple enough to pick up without coaching, and a position that goes wrong mid-set is obvious enough to correct on the next repetition.
Of the 141 shoulders exercises in this database, 74 are listed at beginner level.
Photos: free-exercise-db — public domain (Unlicense) Full attribution →
ⓘ Informational only — not a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice.