Cable Fly

The cable fly is an isolation strength exercise for your chest. It targets your pectorals and also involves your front delts, using a cable machine to keep tension on the muscles through the whole movement.

Set both cable pulleys slightly above shoulder height. Stand in the center with your feet in a comfortable split stance or side by side. Grab a handle in each hand, step forward until the cables pull your arms slightly behind your body, and keep a soft bend in your elbows. Your palms should face each other or slightly downward.

Keeping that soft elbow angle, bring your hands forward and slightly downward in a wide arc, as if you are hugging a barrel. Squeeze your pecs together when your hands meet in front of your chest. Reverse the motion slowly, feel the stretch across your chest, and stop before your shoulders get pulled too far back. Aim for 10 to 15 reps with a strong mind-muscle connection.

Inhale as your arms open; exhale as you squeeze your hands together. Brace your core lightly so your torso does not rock. To make it easier, lower the weight or shorten your range of motion. To make it harder, pause for a second at the center squeeze or slow down the return.

Fault: You lock your arms straight and turn the fly into a press. Fix: Keep a soft bend in your elbows throughout and think about hugging a barrel, not pushing something away.

Fault: Your hands finish too high or too low, so you feel your shoulders more than your chest. Fix: Bring your hands together at chest height, keep your shoulders down and back, and focus on squeezing your pecs together at the center.

Fault: You jerk the weight or let the cables snap your arms back. Fix: Choose a weight you can control for 10 to 15 reps, feel the stretch at the bottom, and move through the arc smoothly on every rep.