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Exercise guide

Incline Cable Flye

How to do the Incline Cable Flye with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationCableIntermediatePush
Primary muscles

Chest

Secondary

Shoulders

Equipment

Cable

Step by step

How to do the Incline Cable Flye

  1. 1

    To get yourself into the starting position, set the pulleys at the floor level (lowest level possible on the machine that is below your torso).

  2. 2

    Place an incline bench (set at 45 degrees) in between the pulleys, select a weight on each one and grab a pulley on each hand.

  3. 3

    With a handle on each hand, lie on the incline bench and bring your hands together at arms length in front of your face. This will be your starting position.

  4. 4

    With a slight bend of your elbows (in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon), lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Keep in mind that throughout the movement, the arms should remain stationary. The movement should only occur at the shoulder joint.

  5. 5

    Return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles and exhale. Hold the contracted position for a second. Tip: Make sure to use the same arc of motion used to lower the weights.

  6. 6

    Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Incline Cable Flye set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap, so your chest volume is visible at a glance, and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More chest exercises

FAQ

Incline Cable Flye: common questions

What muscles does the Incline Cable Flye work?

The Incline Cable Flye primarily works the Chest. It also recruits the Shoulders as supporting muscles.

Is the Incline Cable Flye suitable for beginners?

The Incline Cable Flye is an intermediate-level exercise. It's best once you've built a base of general strength and movement control, beginners can work up to it.

What equipment do I need for the Incline Cable Flye?

To do the Incline Cable Flye you'll need a cable machine.

Is the Incline Cable Flye a compound or isolation exercise?

The Incline Cable Flye is an isolation exercise, it targets the chest through a single joint, which makes it useful for focused, targeted work.

How do I do the Incline Cable Flye with correct form?

To get yourself into the starting position, set the pulleys at the floor level (lowest level possible on the machine that is below your torso). Follow the full step-by-step above for the complete movement.

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