Common gym lore says that if you want to build a massive, sculpted chest, the bench press is the way to go. This is why so many bodybuilding pec workouts start with the bench press. Push-ups are also popular, and dumbbell bench presses and the chest press machine aren’t far behind.
However, despite using different training implements, each of those movements is almost identical. So, if you build your workouts around compound pushing exercises, you’re basically repeating the same move over and over again.
This is not only boring but could make your training less effective than it ought to be.
For this reason, any well-designed chest workout should combine compound pressing exercises like the bench press with isolation movements such as crossovers and flys. This will allow you to hit different parts of your chest, ensuring you develop better-shaped pecs. Switching movements also helps to make your workouts more interesting.
But which supplementary chest exercises should you use? After all, there are plenty to choose from.
In this article, we discuss the benefits of the standing cable fly, explaining how to perform this great exercise and the alternatives you can also use to sculpt the perfect chest.
Standing Cable Fly – Muscles Worked
Standing cable flys are an isolation exercise, which means movement occurs only at one joint – the shoulder. However, despite this, the standing cable fly still involves several important muscles.
These include:
Pectoralis major
Known as the pecs for short, this large fan-shaped muscle makes up most of your chest mass. The pecs consist of three groups of fibers or heads: clavicular (upper), sternal (mid), and costal/abdominal (lower).
Together, the three pec heads are responsible for horizontal flexion and adduction of your shoulder joint. They are also medial rotators. All three heads play a part in standing cable flys; however, the sternal or middle portion is the most active.
Pectoralis minor
The Pectoralis minor is located beneath the upper part of pectoralis major. It works in conjunction with pec major to horizontally flex and protract your shoulder joint. While pec minor is largely out of sight, it still contributes to the shape and size of your chest.
Anterior deltoids
The deltoids are your most significant shoulder muscles. Like the pecs, they are separated into three heads: anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three deltoid heads are involved in standing cable flys, but the anterior head is the most active.
Serratus anterior
Serratus anterior is located to the side of your upper chest. Its primary function is keeping your scapulae or shoulder blades flat against your rib cage. As such, it’s an essential stabilizer of the shoulder girdle. A well-developed serratus anterior can add a lot to your upper body aesthetics, especially when you’re lean.
Core
With no bench to support you, you’ll need to use your muscles to stabilize your spine and stop your body from moving backward as you move your arms. Core is the collective term for the muscles of your midsection, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. During standing cable flys, you use your core to brace your lumbar spine, preventing unwanted movement.
Biceps and triceps
Standing cable flys involve little or no movement of your elbows. All of the action should occur at your shoulder joints. That said, you’ll still need to use your biceps and triceps to hold your arms rigid. However, they should be working isometrically, i.e., generating force without producing movement.
How to Do Standing Cable Flys
Get more from standing cable flys while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines:
- Attach D-shaped handles to an adjustable cable machine set to around mid-chest height.
- Take a handle in each hand and, with your arms slightly bent but rigid, take a step forward to tension the cables, arms extended somewhat behind you. Brace your core.
- Adopt a staggered stance for balance and brace your core to stabilize your torso.
- Keeping your body upright, bring your arms forward so your hands meet at chest level in front of you. Do not bend your elbows or lean forward at the waist.
- Open your arms and return to the starting position, making sure to stretch your chest.
- Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Pro Tips:
- This exercise works best with light to moderate weights and medium to high reps, e.g., 12-20 per set.
- Pause at the start and midpoint of each rep to maximally engage your pecs.
- Move smoothly and deliberately to avoid momentum and keep the tension on the target muscles.
- Imagine you are “hugging a tree” to reinforce the correct exercise technique.
- Switch leading legs set by set to avoid developing muscle imbalances.
Standing Cable Fly Benefits and Drawbacks
Not sure if standing cable flys are worthy of a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide!
A very safe exercise
Unlike barbell and dumbbell bench presses, there are no weights to drop on your chest during standing cable flys. As such, you can take your sets to failure with no fear of getting crushed under a heavy load. This means standing cable flys are ideal for solo exercisers.
Shoulder-friendly
With no bench behind your shoulder blades, your arms are free to move naturally and without putting unnecessary stress on your shoulder joints. If bench presses bother your shoulders, you may find that standing cable flys are more comfortable and forgiving.
Perfect for drop sets
Most cable machines have a selectorized weight stack, so you can change the load quickly and easily. This means that standing cable flys are perfect for muscle-building, pump-inducing drop sets. Rep out to failure, reduce the weight by 10-20%, and then rep out again. Repeat several more times until your pecs are thoroughly fatigued.
An excellent chest finisher
Standing cable flys are one of the best exercises for bringing your chest workout to a satisfying end. After bench presses, dips, and chest presses, your triceps will probably be more fatigued than your pecs. With less triceps involvement, you should find that you can still pump out a couple good sets of cable flys to ensure your chest muscles are completely exhausted.
While standing cable flys are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:
It can be tricky for beginners to learn
With no bench for support and the movement all but unguided, beginners may find this exercise tricky to learn. Their arms may not follow the correct movement path, and they may also find it hard to avoid using one arm more than the other. For this reason, some beginners will prefer a less challenging chest isolation exercise, such as pec deck flys.
Not suitable for heavy weights
Using heavy weights will invariably lead to cheating, as you’ll probably need to lean into the exercise to avoid falling backward. This takes tension away from the target muscles, making standing cable flys less effective.
Save the heavy loads for the multi-joint compound exercises in your workouts. Instead, stick to light to moderate weights and medium to high reps with standing cable flys, which reduce the need to cheat.
7 Standing Cable Fly Variations and Alternatives
Standing cable flys are a highly effective chest exercise, but that doesn’t mean you need to do them all the time. There are several variations and alternatives you can use to keep your workouts productive and interesting:
1. Cable crossovers
Cable crossovers and cable flys are easy to confuse as they’re very similar. However, where standing cable flys involve a horizontal arm movement, cable crossovers feature a diagonal motion, either going from high to low or low to high. This allows you to emphasize your upper or lower chest as preferred.
Steps:
- Attach D-shaped handles to an adjustable cable machine set to around head height.
- Take a handle in each hand and, with your arms slightly bent but rigid, take a step forward to tension the cables, arms extended somewhat behind you. Brace your core.
- Adopt a staggered stance for balance and brace your core to stabilize your torso.
- Keeping your body upright, bring your arms forward and down so your hands meet in front of your hips. Do not bend your elbows or lean forward at the waist.
- Open your arms and raise your hands to about shoulder height, making sure to stretch your chest.
- Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
- Hits a different part of the chest compared with standing cable flys.
- A very effective lower/inner pec exercise.
- Safe and shoulder-friendly.
Tips:
- Do this exercise with a single cable to work one side of your chest at a time.
- Use a resistance band if no cable machine is available.
- You can also do this exercise with a low-to-high movement to work your upper/inner chest.
2. Supine cable fly
One of the biggest disadvantages of standing cable flys is that your core and balance can limit your performance. Lying on an exercise bench means you won’t need to worry about your abs failing before your pecs, so you’ll be able to use more weight and push your muscles closer to failure.
Steps:
- Place a bench in the center of a cable crossover machine. Attach a D-shaped handle to the low pulleys.
- Take a handle in each hand and sit on the end of the bench. Lean back and extend your arms so they’re vertical, elbows slightly bent but rigid.
- Open your arms and lower the handles down and out to the side, getting a good stretch in your pecs.
- Squeeze your arms up and together so your hands meet above your chest.
- Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
- You should be able to lift more weight or do more reps than with standing cable flys.
- More back support, so a good choice for lifters with back pain/injuries.
- An excellent mid-chest exercise.
Tips:
- Pause at the top of each rep and squeeze your pecs for maximal muscle recruitment.
- Use a stability ball instead of a bench if preferred.
- You can also do this exercise on an incline bench to work your upper chest.
3. Dumbbell fly
You don’t have to limit yourself to using a cable machine for flys. In fact, dumbbells can be just as effective and may be more accessible and convenient, especially if you train at home. Muscle tension does tend to drop off as your hands come together, but despite this, dumbbell flys are still a good pec builder.
Steps:
- Lie on an exercise bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Press the weights up and hold them at arm’s length above your chest. Turn your palms inward, i.e., a neutral grip.
- With slightly bent but rigid elbows, open your arms and lower the weights down and out to your sides. Get a stretch in your pecs but do not hyperextend your shoulders.
- Squeeze the weight up and together, and then repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
- Less equipment-dependent than standing cable flys.
- An excellent old-school chest sculpting exercise.
- An ideal addition to home chest workouts.
Tips:
- Use an incline bench to target your upper pecs or a decline bench to work your lower pecs.
- Take care not to lower the weights too far, as doing so could lead to shoulder pain.
- No bench? You can also do this exercise on a stability ball.
4. Pec deck machine
Beginners often find it hard to control their arms and follow the correct movement path during standing cable flys. The pec deck machine guides your limbs, so you are free to focus entirely on pounding your pecs into submission. This is an excellent no-brainer alternative to standing cable flys.
Steps:
- Adjust the machine seat height so that, when you sit on it, your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Sit on the machine, grip the handles, and press your forearms against the pads.
- Squeeze your elbows together so they meet in front of your chest.
- Open your arms, get a stretch in your pecs, and repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids.
Benefits:
- An excellent exercise for beginners.
- Works great for drop sets.
- Your movements are guided by the machine, leaving you free to focus on pushing your pecs to their limit.
Tips:
- Press with your elbows, not your hands or forearms, to maximize chest recruitment.
- Pause at the midpoint of each rep to maximize pec engagement.
- Do not let the weights touch down between reps, as doing so takes tension off your chest.
5. Towel slide fly
You don’t need a cable machine or dumbbells to do flys – a towel and your body weight will suffice. That said, this is a very challenging exercise, especially for beginners and those with a larger-than-average build.
Steps:
- Adopt the push-up position with your hands resting on two towels or slider pads. Brace your core.
- Keeping your arms slightly bent but rigid, open your arms and slide your hands outward, lowering your chest down to within an inch of the floor.
- Squeeze your hands together and return to the starting position.
- That’s one rep – how many more can you do?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnZOLlxN4hs?feature=share
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, core.
Benefits:
- A very challenging bodyweight pec exercise.
- Minimal equipment required, so ideal for home workouts.
- Provides a great core workout as you train your chest.
Tips:
- Do this exercise while kneeling to make it easier.
- This exercise works best when performed on a smooth floor, e.g., tiles or polished wood.
- You can also do this exercise using revolving dumbbells or core wheels instead of a towel.
6. Ring/TRX fly
Gymnastic ring and suspension/TRX training are very popular at the moment. Using straps and handles will add a lot to your bodyweight workouts, making them more challenging and effective. Ring/TRX flys are an excellent exercise that can be modified to suit almost any strength and fitness level.
Steps:
- Attach your rings/TRX to an overhead anchor. Hold the handles and stand between them, arms extended in front of you. Adopt a split stance.
- Open your arms and lower your body forward. Use your front leg more or less to adjust the difficulty of the exercise.
- Squeeze your arms back together and repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, core.
Benefits:
- Less friction to overcome than with towel flys, so potentially easier to perform.
- An excellent supplement to other bodyweight chest exercises, such as push-ups and dips.
- A very functional, core-centric bodyweight chest exercise.
Tips:
- Bend your legs and rest on your knees to make this exercise easier.
- Shorten your straps to raise your body and take weight off your arms.
- You can also do this exercise on your toes and in the push-up position, which is VERY challenging!
7. Supine Svend press
The supine Svend press is a straightforward yet effective exercise that combines chest presses with flys. This creates a unique contraction in your pecs without using a cable machine or dumbbells. In fact, all you need to do this exercise is a single weight plate, so it’s ideal for home workouts.
Steps:
- Hold a weight plate between the palms of your hands and lie on an exercise bench. Push your palms together as hard as you can.
- Press the weight up to arm’s length, maintaining the inward pressure with your hands.
- Lower the weight back to your chest and repeat.
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, triceps.
Benefits:
- An effective exercise even when done with light weights.
- Far more effective than standing Svend presses.
- Very joint-friendly as you don’t need to use heavy loads.
Tips:
- You can also do this exercise with two dumbbells instead of a weight plate, i.e., close-grip dumbbell bench presses.
- No bench? No problem! Do this exercise on the floor or using a stability ball.
- The harder you press your hands together, the more effective this exercise becomes.
Standing Cable Fly Guide FAQs
Do you have a question about standing cable flys? No sweat because we’ve got the answers!
1. How many sets and reps of standing cable flys should I do?
Most people should be able to fully fatigue their pecs in 2-4 sets of standing cable flys. If you feel like you need to do more than this, you are a) resting too long between sets or b) not getting close enough to failure.
Remember too that standing cable flys are not the best stand-alone chest exercise, and are best done as part of a more comprehensive chest workout, i.e.,:
- Bench press 3 x 6-8
- Incline dumbbell press 3 x 10-12
- Chest press machine 3 x 10-12
- Standing cable fly 3 x 15-20
Regarding reps, standing cable flys work best with light to moderate weights and medium to high reps. As such, you’ll probably get the best results from doing 12-20 reps per set, although you can go as high as 30 reps and still build muscle.
2. I feel some of these exercises in my shoulders more than my chest. Is this normal?
The pecs and anterior deltoids always work together as they have shared functions. That said, exercises like standing cable flys and dumbbell flys are predominately chest exercises, and the anterior deltoids should be working as synergists or helpers.
If you feel your shoulders more than your chest, you may need to work on your mind-muscle connection. Try using less weight and flexing your pecs more purposely.
Be more mindful of your pecs, imagining them contracting and growing with every rep you perform. Flexing your pecs before a set of standing cable flys will also help fire up your chest and reinforce the mind-muscle connection.
3. Aren’t compound exercises enough to build a bigger chest?
Compound exercises are great for building basic mass and strength. However, while some only need bench presses, push-ups, and dips to build picture-perfect pecs, others require additional exercises to maximize pec size and shape.
So, by all means, try the compound-only route to building your best-ever chest, but if you are unhappy with your progress, add some isolation training to see if it helps.
4. I train at home and don’t have access to a cable machine; what exercises can I do instead of standing cable flys?
There are several ways you can isolate your pecs at home without a cable machine. For starters, you can use resistance bands to replicate most cable exercises, including flys and crossovers. You can also do TRX, dumbbell, and towel flys.
While having access to a cable machine makes chest isolation training very convenient, it’s not the only way to emphasize and shape your pecs.
5. Standing cable flys hurt my shoulders – what gives?
Standing cable flys are usually pretty shoulder-friendly, but if they hurt your joints, you may be using too much weight, extending your arms too far behind you, or have a pre-existing shoulder injury.
As with all exercises, if you feel unusual pain when you’re doing this movement, you should check your form, reduce the weight, and skip it entirely if the discomfort persists.
Wrapping Up
Most lifters LOVE bench presses and start each training week with what is arguably the most popular bodybuilding exercise in the world. However, as great as bench presses are, they’re not the only or even the best way to build awesome pecs.
Isolation exercises like flys and crossovers allow you to focus on your pecs with 100% accuracy, pushing your muscles to their limit in complete safety.
There are plenty of pec isolation exercises to choose from, but the standing cable fly is one of the best.
Add them to your next pec workout and take your chest development to a whole new level!