Cable Incline Fly

How to do the Cable Incline Fly

1. 1Set an adjustable bench to a 30–45° incline and position it centered between two cable stacks with the pulleys set to the lowest position.
2. 2Attach a single handle to each low pulley and grab one in each hand before sitting back against the bench.
3. 3Lie back with your feet planted, shoulder blades pulled down and together, and press the handles up over your upper chest with a slight bend in your elbows.
4. 4Keep that fixed, soft elbow bend and open your arms out and down in a wide arc until you feel a stretch across your upper chest.
5. 5Squeeze your chest to bring the handles back together over your upper chest along the same arc, leading with your elbows rather than your hands.
6. 6Pause briefly at the top with the handles nearly touching, focusing tension on the upper chest.
7. 7Complete your reps, then return the handles to the stacks one at a time under control.

Form tips

• Maintain the same slight elbow bend from start to finish so the movement stays a fly and does not turn into a press.
• Keep your shoulder blades retracted and your chest lifted to protect the shoulders and keep tension on the pecs.
• Move through a controlled arc and lower the weight slowly to make the stretched position do the work.
• Set the bench between 30 and 45° to bias the upper chest without overloading the front delts.

Common mistakes

• Bending and straightening the elbows to press the weight, which shifts the load off the chest and onto the triceps.
• Using too much weight and shortening the range, which cuts the upper-chest stretch and reduces the muscle-building stimulus.
• Letting the shoulders roll forward at the bottom, which strains the shoulder joint and takes tension off the chest.
• Setting the bench too upright, which turns the exercise into a shoulder-dominant raise instead of an upper-chest fly.

Frequently asked questions