Standing Cable Chest Fly Exercise Guide: How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked, and Variations

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A broad and muscular chest has been the symbol of masculinity since time immemorial. Chances are, they come up with the term ‘masculine’ to refer to an individual with a wide and thick chest. 

Building an Arnold Schwarzenegger-like round and full chest is one of the top priorities for most guys that lift weights. It is no coincidence that Monday is international chest day. Consider yourself a very lucky man if there is no crowd on the chest training equipment in your gym on a Monday. 

Although many lifters prefer the bench press for building muscle and strength, ask someone which exercise is their go-to for achieving a muscle-ripping chest pump or ending their workout on a high, and they’ll most likely reply with a resounding standing cable chest fly!

The standing cable chest fly is everything that the bench press isn’t. It is not intimidating, and you are not at risk of getting trapped under a heavy bar if you fail a rep; you don’t need a spotter, it helps maintain constant tension on your pecs throughout the range of motion, and leaves you with a sick muscle pump every time. 

Whether you are a bodybuilder trying to improve your aesthetics or a powerlifter looking to improve your strength, you cannot go wrong with the standing cable chest fly. Besides your chest days, the cable chest fly can be an excellent addition to your push-day routines as it involves your chest, triceps, and anterior deltoids. 

In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about the standing cable chest fly to get the best bang for your buck, including the correct training techniques, its benefits, the muscles worked, the most common mistakes, and its variations and alternatives. 

What is a Standing Cable Chest Fly?

The standing cable chest fly is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the chest. However, since this exercise involves movement at the shoulder joint and elbows, it also engages the anterior deltoids and triceps. 

The standing cable chest fly is an excellent exercise for most lifters, irrespective of their training experience. It can help newbies establish a better mind-muscle connection with their pecs, translating to better performance on compound movements, like the bench press and dips. Conversely, it can help advanced lifters warm up for their chest workouts or achieve maximal pectoral muscle fiber recruitment at the end of their training session without increasing their risk of injury. 

Unlike free weight exercises, cables keep constant tension on your muscles throughout the range of motion, which can increase your time under tension and bias hypertrophy. Plus, since you must be standing upright while performing this exercise, it results in a greater core engagement than the barbell bench press, where you are lying on a bench. 

How To Do a Standing Cable Chest Fly

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to perform the standing cable chest fly with a picture-perfect form:

Step 1: Adjust the Cable Pulley

You can choose between two pulley positions while performing the standing cable chest fly. The first position involves setting the pulley at chest level and attaching D-handle bars on each end. This position allows you to mimic the lying dumbbell chest fly motion and bias the inner and middle pecs. 

The other option is the more popular choice and involves setting the pulleys at the highest setting. In this setup, you’ll press the handles diagonally toward the floor. The cable should be at 45 degrees throughout the range of motion. This setup biases the inner and middle, and lower pecs. 

Step 2: Take Your Position

Grab the D-handles with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip and position yourself in the center of the cable pulley machine. Now, take a big step forward and bring your hands to your chest level. Extend your arms to your sides so that your hands are in line with your chest while your elbows are slightly behind your torso. 

You can use a staggered stance or place both your feet together. Since the former option involves a much larger surface area, it will provide better stability. The latter, on the other hand, is the optimal choice if you want more core engagement. 

Step 3: Perform the Fly Motion

Lean forward slightly by bending at your hips to better isolate your pecs. Brace your core and initiate the movement by moving at the shoulder joint. Extend your elbows during the concentric phase for optimal chest muscle fiber stimulation. Your hands should be in front of your midsection or pelvis at the bottom of the range of motion.  

Bringing the elbows together during concentrics shortens the pecs to their fully contracted position. On the flip side, keeping your elbows bent prevents your chest muscles from moving through their full range of motion, hindering their activation. 

Step 4: Pause and Contract at the Top

Hold the isometric contraction at the top of the range of motion for a second and squeeze your pecs as hard as possible. Your head and neck should be in line with your torso. Dropping your head back or pressing your chin into your upper pecs can be a bottleneck while contracting your pecs at the static contraction point at the top. 

Step 5: Control the Eccentrics

Maintaining your torso in a straight line, slowly return your arms to the starting position while feeling your chest muscles engage. Pause at the bottom for a second before repeating this process for the recommended reps. 

Standing Cable Chest Fly Tips:

1. Avoid squeezing the handles too tight, as it can lead to forearm and biceps recruitment. Switch to a false (thumbless) grip if you feel too much arm engagement while performing this movement.
2. Your feet should be bolted to the floor throughout the exercise. Avoid moving your feet or tapping your heels, as it can take tension off your chest.
3. Avoid lowering your hands way too far behind your body during eccentrics. Contrary to what many people think, it doesn’t lead to greater muscle stimulation but can strain your shoulder joints.
4. Keep your core braced while performing the standing cable chest fly. This can help eliminate the possibility of employing momentum.
5. Optimize your breathing to maximize your performance. Breathe in during eccentrics and breathe out during concentrics. You must hold your breath during the isometric contraction at the top before breathing in again during the eccentric phase.

Muscles Worked During Standing Cable Chest Fly

Here are the muscles worked during the standing cable chest fly:

Chest

The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are the primary target muscle of this exercise. Your pecs are responsible for horizontal shoulder adduction, which involves bringing your arm inward toward your body. Since this is exactly what the standing cable chest fly does, maintaining a strict form on this lift will target only your chest. 

You can target different areas of your chest on this exercise by changing your angle of pull. Moving your arms straight forward will target the inner and middle pecs. Performing this exercise diagonally from top to bottom will work your inner, middle, and lower pecs, and an upward diagonal movement will train your lower pecs. 

Shoulders

Since most of the movement in this exercise is limited to the shoulder joint, it can lead to anterior deltoid engagement. Leaning forward excessively can lead to greater shoulder engagement than maintaining an upright torso. 

Triceps

The elbow flexion during eccentrics and extension during concentrics can lead to triceps engagement. Avoid locking out your elbows and maintaining a slight bend in your arms if you feel too much triceps engagement at the top while performing this exercise. 

Core

This exercise requires standing in the front and center of a cable pulley machine. You must resist the pull of the cables throughout the exercise, which will lead to core engagement. A staggered stance recruits your core to a lesser degree than a parallel stance. 

Benefits of Standing Cable Chest Fly

Adding the standing cable chest fly to your exercise arsenal entails the following benefits:

Build a Bigger and Stronger Chest

While the muscle conditioning benefits of standing cable chest fly are well-known, many lifters assume that isolation exercises don’t lead to strength or muscle gains. However, nothing could be further from the truth. 

Performing three to five sets of the standing cable chest fly in the 8-12 rep range will bias hypertrophy. On the other hand, lifting close to your one-rep max for three to six sets of one to five reps will help improve your upper body strength. [1]

Excellent For Lifters of All Experience Levels

Cable isolation exercises are beginner-friendly. They can help novice lifters develop a robust mind-muscle connection, which can carry over to compound exercises. On the other hand, experienced lifters can use this exercise to warm up or train their chest to failure. 

Low Risk of Injury

Unlike the barbell bench press, where the bar can end up on your chest on a failed rep, hitting muscle failure on the cable chest fly won’t expose you to an injury. You can just let go of the handles in the middle of the rep without a worry in the world. 

Cable and machines significantly lower the risk of injury while training. It is common to hear people getting injured training with dumbbells and barbells, but you’ll hardly ever come across someone who got injured training with cables.

Constant Tension

Cables keep constant tension on your muscles throughout the range of motion, which can help induce hypertrophy. Conversely, free weights remove the tension from your muscles and put it on your joints at multiple points throughout the exercise. 

Time

Cable exercises take significantly less time than free-weight movements, making them an excellent choice for adding them to high-volume workouts. They are also great for folks that have limited time to train. 

Common Mistakes While Performing Standing Cable Chest Fly

Avoid the following pitfalls to maximize your results and limit your risk of injury:

‘Pressing’ Instead of ‘Flying’

This is probably the most common mistake lifters make while performing the cable chest fly. They press the weight in front of their chest, using their triceps and shoulders. You must limit the chest fly movements to the shoulder joints, which helps focus on the pectoral muscles. 

Move your arms in a sweeping motion while performing the standing cable chest fly. There is a time and place for the cable chest press, but this is not one of them. That said, feel free to do partial pressing reps to annihilate your chest after completing your full ROM flyes. According to a Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study, “partial range of motion exercise is effective for facilitating muscle hypertrophy and function.” [2]

Do Not ‘Hug a Bear’

‘Hug a bear’ or ‘Hug a tree’ are the most popular cues given while trainers teach newbie lifters how to perform the standing cable chest fly. Here is my advice — don’t. Instead, you want to squeeze the bear’s head or the tree’s trunk between your elbows. Do this, and your chest pumps will be out of the world. 

Lifting Too Heavy

Many lifters let their ego get the better of them while performing the standing cable chest fly. You don’t need to move the entire stack to get those inner chest striations. Keep your rep slow and controlled, and focus on contracting your pecs throughout the range of motion. Furthermore, going too heavy on this lift will lead to greater core engagement as you will have to fight the weight to maintain your position. 

Moving Your Torso

You must keep an upright torso and avoid using momentum by swinging back and forth to maximize pectoral muscle stimulation. If you have to move your body to complete a rep, it is a sign that you are going a little too heavy. 

Variations of Standing Cable Chest Fly

Here are the best standing cable chest fly variations to add to your training regimen. These exercises will train your chest from different angles, ensuring overall development. 

Low Cable Chest Fly

I have covered the two most popular cable chest fly variations above — the high cable fly that involves setting the pulleys at the highest setting and the self-explanatory chest-level cable flyes. The former targets the inner, middle, and lower pecs, whereas the latter targets the inner and middle pecs. 

The low cable chest fly is another popular cable chest fly variation that involves setting the cable pulleys at the lowest setting. In this exercise, your arms should be at 45 degrees at the starting position as you hold the D-handles at your sides. Then, you raise your hands toward the ceiling while extending your elbows until the handles are in front of your chest. The low cable chest fly biases the lower chest. 

Cable Crossover

Some people use standing cable chest fly and cable crossover interchangeably. However, both exercises are different and involve a distinct range of motion. The range of motion of the cable crossover leads to great pectoral muscle fiber recruitment. 

How To:

1. Set the cable pulleys at the highest setting.
2. Grab a handle in each hand with a neutral grip and step forward.
3. Extend your arms at your sides while maintaining a slight bend in your elbows.
4. Brace your core and bring your arms in front of your body while extending your elbows.
5. Your wrists must overlap at the top of the range of motion. Pause and contract your pecs at this position.
6. Return to the starting position.
7. Rinse and repeat.

Check out our complete cable crossover guide here!

Single-Arm Cable Crossover

Unilateral exercises are incredibly effective at fixing muscle and strength imbalances. Since these movements involve working one side of your body at a time, it can lead to a better mind-muscle connection. Also, because this exercise requires only one pulley, it is an excellent cable fly variation for folks that work out during rush hours. 

How To:

1. Set the cable pulley at the highest setting.
2. Attach a D-handle bar and grab it with a neutral grip.
3. Take a step to your side and hold your hand on your side at your chest level.
4. Place your non-working hand on your hip for stability.
5. Brace your core and bring your arms in front of your midsection while extending your elbow.
6. Pause and contract your chest.
7. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.

Alternatives of Standing Cable Chest Fly

Given below are some standing cable chest fly alternatives:

Dumbbell Fly

The dumbbell fly is a staple in most chest training regimens. It is one of the best free-weight exercises to target the inner pecs and build the covered striations. However, most people leave gains on the table by following an incorrect form. 

How To:

1. Lie on your back on a flat bench. Maintain the natural curvature of your spine.
2. There should be enough gap between your lower back and the bench for your hand to pass through.
3. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip and hold them over your chest. Your arms should be at 90 degrees at the starting position.
4. Contract your pecs and slowly lower the dumbbells toward the floor. Your upper arms should be in line with your chest at the bottom, and your elbows should be slightly bent.
5. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. Focus on flexing your pecs throughout the range of motion for optimal muscle fiber engagement.
6. Repeat for repetitions.

Check out our complete dumbbell fly guide here!

Pec Deck Fly

The pec deck fly is the darling of the bodybuilding community. Many lifters prefer it over the cables as it has a fixed movement trajectory and involves sitting against a back pad, which helps you better focus on your pecs and removes your core stabilizers from the equation. 

How To:

1. Set the seat of the pec deck machine so that your chest is at the handle level. Place your back on the back pad.
2. Grab the handles at chest level. Your elbows should be slightly bent at the starting position.
3. Pull your shoulder blades back and down and maintain a proud chest.
4. Bring the handles in front of your chest while moving at the shoulder joint and extending your elbows.
5. Drive your elbows together at the top of the motion and contract your pecs as hard as possible.
6. Slowly return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Check out our complete pec deck fly guide here!

Resistance Band Standing Cable Chest Fly

This standing cable chest fly alternative is excellent for folks that don’t have access to a cable pulley machine. You can do this in your garage gym or anywhere you can anchor a resistance band. However, I recommend using a squat rack and D-handle resistance bands for this exercise. 

How To:

1. Securely attach a resistance band to each pole of a squat rack.
2. Grab the D-handles with a neutral grip.
3. Take a step forward and assume a staggered stance.
4. Extend your arms at your sides and bend your elbows slightly. The bands should be taut at this position, and you should feel tension in your pecs.
5. Maintaining an upright torso, bring your hands in front of your midsection while extending your elbows.
6. Pause and contract your pecs at the top of the range of motion.
7. Slowly return to the starting position.
8. Repeat for recommended reps.

Bodyweight Flyes

Although this is a bodyweight exercise, it comes with a steep learning curve. Bodyweight flyes, also known as barbell roll-out flyes, involve using two barbells and demand significant core strength. This exercise is best reserved for intermediate and advanced lifters. 

How To:

1. Place two barbells on the floor parallel to each other.
2. Add a weight plate on the same end of both barbells. The other end should not have any weight.
3. Get on your knees between the barbells facing the weighted ends.
4. Grab the barbells below the collars and get into a push-up position.
5. The non-weighted ends should be right next to your feet.
6. Brace your core and slowly extend your arms outward.
7. Your chest should be in line with your upper arms at the bottom of the range of motion.
8. Reverse the movement while driving your elbows together.
9. Focus on contracting your pecs throughout the shoulder joint extension and flexion.

Check out our complete bodyweight fly guide here!

FAQs

Can I substitute the barbell bench press with the cable chest fly?

The barbell bench press is a compound (multi-joint) lift, whereas the cable chest fly is an isolation (single-joint) exercise. Compound exercises are great for building muscle mass and strength, whereas isolation lifts help improve muscle conditioning and fix imbalances. 

Both types of exercises are essential for building a balanced physique, and you shouldn’t choose one over the other. Most conventional bodybuilding programs involve starting the workouts with the bench press and finishing with the cable chest fly. 

Are standing cable chest fly and pec deck fly the same?

No. Although both exercises are isolation movements, the different angles of movement involved train your pecs differently. Many people make the mistake of using momentum on the standing cable chest fly by swinging their body back and forth. Plus, it involves your core for stabilization. 

On the flip side, since you must be seated against a pad to perform the pec deck fly, it eliminates the use of momentum and disengages your core, allowing you to focus on your pectoral muscles. However, this doesn’t mean you should favor the pec deck over the cables in each workout. Incorporate both into your training regime to ensure overall development. 

Why does the cable chest fly give a better chest pump than most other chest exercises?

Cables keep constant tension on your muscles throughout the range of motion. It accumulates to a greater time under tension, leading to better pumps. On the other hand, free-weight isolation lifts such as the dumbbell chest fly puts no demand on your chest at specific points during the range of motion. 

Furthermore, cables allow you to work your chest in the horizontal plane while standing, which is virtually impossible with free weights. Most lifters experience better muscle pumps performing isolation exercises with cables than free-weight single-joint exercises. 

Is the cable chest fly better than the cable crossover for chest development?

The cable crossover is a more extended version of the cable chest fly. While the cable chest fly ends when your hands are next to each other in front of your midsection, cable crossovers require you to stack your wrists on top of each other at the isometric hold at the top. 

Some lifters favor the cable crossover as it helps them achieve greater pectoral muscle fiber recruitment. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to prove if cable crossovers lead to better hypertrophic results. 

Wrapping Up

The standing cable chest fly is an incredibly effective isolation exercise to build muscle size, strength, and conditioning in your pectoral muscles. By altering the pulley height, you can bias different areas of your chest while performing this exercise. 

This guide has all the details you need to improve your form and maximize your results. Use the cable chest fly alternatives and variations listed in this article to add variety to your training regime and keep it interesting. So, what are you waiting for? Get to work on those coveted inner chest striations already. Best of luck! 

References

1. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.
2. Goto M, Maeda C, Hirayama T, Terada S, Nirengi S, Kurosawa Y, Nagano A, Hamaoka T. Partial Range of Motion Exercise Is Effective for Facilitating Muscle Hypertrophy and Function Through Sustained Intramuscular Hypoxia in Young Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 May;33(5):1286-1294. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002051. PMID: 31034463.