Flat Bench Fly (Cable)
The Flat Bench Cable Fly is an isolation exercise that targets the chest muscles using constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. Unlike dumbbells, the cables provide resistance even at the top of the movement, maximizing pectoral engagement.
This exercise relies heavily on constant tension rather than heavy loading, making proper intensity management crucial. By analyzing your previous recovery data and RPE, the AI ensures you select a weight that stimulates the muscle without overloading the shoulder joint. Furthermore, if the AI detects shoulder instability or pain in your history, it can suggest limiting the range of motion or swapping to a machine variation to protect your rotator cuff.
Form Cues
- Retract your shoulder blades and keep them pinned to the bench.
- Maintain a slight, fixed bend in your elbows throughout the arc.
- Imagine hugging a large barrel or tree as you bring the handles together.
- Squeeze your chest muscles hard for a full second at the top of the movement.
- Control the eccentric phase slowly, resisting the pull of the cables.
- Don't press the weight up like a bench press.
- Don't let your elbows lock out completely straight.
- Don't lower the handles past the point of a comfortable stretch.
- Don't allow your shoulders to roll forward at the top of the rep.
Common Mistakes
- Bending elbows too much (turning it into a press)
- Using excessive weight and losing control
- Hyperextending the shoulders at the bottom
- Rushing the negative portion of the rep
- Lifting the head off the bench
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the sternal head of the pectoralis major, emphasizing horizontal adduction to build thickness in the middle chest. By using cables, you also engage the anterior deltoids and biceps as stabilizers to maintain arm position against the continuous lateral pull.
Primary
Secondary
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