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Chest

High Cable Fly

The High Cable Fly is a strength exercise on a cable machine for your chest. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: mid chest 41%, lower chest 27% and front delts 15%.

Also known as: high pulley fly, high to low cable fly, high to low fly

Level: BeginnerEquipment: CableSingle-joint (isolation)

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the top and clip a single handle to each cable.
  2. Take a handle in each hand and step forward into the middle with a split stance.
  3. Lean slightly forward with the arms high and wide and the elbows softly bent.
  4. Pull the handles down and in until they meet in front of your hips.
  5. Let the arms rise slowly back up and out until they are in line with the pulleys.

Tips

  • Aim the hands toward your belt buckle to keep the lower chest working.
  • Keep the chest high so the shoulders do not roll forward.

Common mistakes

  • Hinging forward at the hips on every rep to add momentum.
  • Bending the elbows into a push down.
  • Shrugging the shoulders up as the arms come back up.

Muscles worked by the High Cable Fly

  • Mid chest Primary41%
  • Lower chest Primary27%
  • Front delts Secondary15%
  • Upper chest Minor6%
  • 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 downward line of pull matches the costal fibres. A fly is pure shoulder horizontal adduction with the elbow fixed, so the pec does nearly all the work and the triceps drop out.

High Cable Fly alternatives

Same equipment

Different equipment

Make it harder

Similar exercises

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the High Cable Fly work?

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

Is the High Cable Fly good for beginners?

Yes. The High Cable Fly is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.

What is a good alternative to the High Cable Fly?

For example the Cable Crossover, Decline Cable Fly and Cable Fly. They train mostly the same muscles.

How do you make the High Cable Fly harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the Decline Cable Fly and Flat Bench Cable Fly.

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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