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Chest

Flat Bench Cable Fly

The Flat Bench Cable Fly is a strength exercise on a cable machine for your chest. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: mid chest 45%, upper chest 16% and front delts 14%.

Level: IntermediateEquipment: CableSingle-joint (isolation)

How to do it

  1. Place a flat bench centred between two low pulleys and clip a single handle to each cable.
  2. Take a handle in each hand, sit on the bench and lie back with your feet on the floor.
  3. Start with the arms open wide at bench level, elbows slightly bent, palms facing up and in.
  4. Bring the handles up and together over your mid chest in a wide arc.
  5. Lower them slowly back out until your hands are level with the bench.

Tips

  • The cables keep tension at the top, so pause and squeeze for a second there.
  • Keep the shoulder blades pinned back and down on the bench.

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows into a press to move more weight.
  • Letting the hands drop well below the bench at the bottom.
  • Lifting the head or shoulders off the bench at the top.

Muscles worked by the Flat Bench Cable Fly

  • Mid chest Primary45%
  • Upper chest Secondary16%
  • Front delts Secondary14%
  • Lower chest Primary14%
  • Biceps (short head) Minor4%
  • Serratus anterior Stabilizer4%
  • Rotator cuff Stabilizer3%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

A fly is pure shoulder horizontal adduction with the elbow fixed, so the pec does nearly all the work and the triceps drop out.

Flat Bench Cable Fly alternatives

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Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Flat Bench Cable Fly work?

Mainly the mid chest and lower chest. The upper chest and front delts assist.

Is the Flat Bench Cable Fly good for beginners?

The Flat Bench Cable Fly is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Band Fly first and build up from there.

What is a good alternative to the Flat Bench Cable Fly?

For example the Band Fly, Dumbbell Fly and Cable Fly. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

Sources

  • Welsch et al. 2005, JSCR 19(2):449-452 (bench, incline, fly)
  • Solstad et al. 2020, J Sports Sci Med 19(4):645-651 (bench press vs fly)

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