Flat Bench Cable Flyes

Also called cable flyes, flat cable fly and lying cable fly.

Works

Chest

Equipment

Cable

Level

Intermediate

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Position a flat bench between two low pulleys so that when you are laying on it, your chest will be lined up with the cable pulleys.

1. Lay flat on the bench and keep your feet on the ground.
2. Have someone hand you the handles on each hand. You will grab each single handle attachment with a palms up grip.
3. Extend your arms by your side with a slight bend on your elbows. Tip: You will keep this bend constant through the whole movement. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. This is your starting position.
4. Now start lifting the arms in a semi-circle motion directly in front of you by pulling the cables together until both hands meet at the top of the movement. Squeeze your chest as you perform this motion and breathe out during this movement. Also, hold the contraction for a second at the top. Tip: When performed correctly, at the top position of this movement, your arms should be perpendicular to your torso and the floor touching above your chest.
5. Slowly come back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Bench between the low pulleys.
• Soft elbows, fixed the whole rep.
• Open wide to a chest stretch.
• Hug the hands together.

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows into a press.
• Going too deep and losing the shoulder.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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