Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Cable Chest Fly
The cable chest fly trains your chest by sweeping your arms together at chest height against cable resistance, with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Beginner
- Isolation
- Low injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Set both pulleys near shoulder height.
- Take one handle in each hand.
- Step forward into a staggered stance between the pulleys.
- Position your arms out to your sides with elbows slightly bent and palms facing forward.
- Sweep the handles forward in a wide arc until your hands meet in front of your chest.
- Open your arms back to the starting position, stopping when your upper arms line up with your torso.
Form cues
- Keep your ribs over your hips.
- Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
- Keep your wrists straight.
Common mistakes
- Turning the fly into a pressKeep the same elbow bend throughout the repetition rather than straightening your arms as the handles come together.
- Rushing the returnTake 2–3 seconds to open your arms instead of letting the cables pull them back.
- Rocking your torsoReduce the weight until you can move your arms without leaning forward or backward.
Safety
Excessive weight or letting your arms travel too far behind you can strain your shoulders. Cable tension can also pull you off balance when entering or leaving the position.
- Start with a light load to check your comfortable range before adding weight.
- Keep the floor around your stance clear of loose handles or other equipment.
- After the set, step back toward the pulleys and lower the weight stacks fully before releasing the handles.
If you have shoulder pain or a history of shoulder instability, use a shorter, pain-free range and seek advice from a physiotherapist before increasing the load.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Cable Crossover
- Single Cable Handle
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 10–15 reps
- Rest
- 1 min
Finish each set with enough control to perform about two more repetitions.