Cable Fly

How to perform the Cable Fly

1. Lie back (or stand between the cables) with the shoulder blades retracted and depressed.
2. Hold the handles with a slight bend in the elbows — and keep that elbow angle fixed for every rep.
3. Open the arms out to the sides in a wide arc, letting the chest stretch but stopping before the elbows drop below shoulder level.
4. Reverse the motion by squeezing the chest to pull the handles back together along the same arc, keeping the elbow bend constant.
5. Stop before the hands clatter together at the top, holding the contracted position briefly without letting the shoulders roll forward.

Suggested working range: 12–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Bending the elbows further through the rep to turn the fly into a press.
• •Letting the elbows drop below shoulder level at the stretch, which loads the front of the shoulder.
• •Going too heavy and bouncing out of the stretched position with the torso.
• •Rolling the shoulders forward at the top of the rep instead of keeping them retracted.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.