How many reps of the seated cable fly should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Twelve reps, three sets, and hold the squeeze for a full second at the finish of each one. Sitting removes any way to cheat with your legs, so expect to use less weight than you would standing; that is the point of it. When that squeeze holds up on every rep of all three sets, add a plate.

What can I do instead of the seated cable fly?

A pec deck does almost the same job with less setup, if your gym has one. Without cables, sit tall on a chair with a band run behind the seat back, one end gripped in each fist, and bring your hands together in front of your sternum.

What is the seated cable fly for, and when is it a poor choice?

Sitting braces the trunk and leaves the chest with a long, evenly loaded arc, which makes it a clean isolation to close a chest day, especially if standing versions tempt you to lean and heave. Reach for something else when you want the deep stretch of a lying fly, since the arms cannot travel as far behind you, and it occupies two pulleys and a bench for light work.

Intermediate

Seated Cable Fly

Sitting braces the torso and delivers constant cable tension straight across the chest with no leg or trunk contribution. The horizontal path lights up the mid-pec through a long, even arc. It is an excellent controlled isolation option to close out a chest session.

Equipment: Bench, Cables
Body part: Chest
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Browse by movement: Horizontal Adduction

How to do it

1
Set both pulleys to shoulder height and sit on a bench centered between them.
2
Take a handle in each hand with arms open wide and elbows softly bent.
3
Sit tall with your chest up and shoulder blades set.
4
Bring both handles together in front of your sternum, squeezing the pecs.
5
Return the arms out wide under control until you feel the stretch, then repeat.

Tips

Keep the fixed elbow angle so the shoulders adduct rather than the arms pressing.
Do not lean back to move more weight; let the chest drive the arc.
Hold the peak squeeze for a second before releasing.

Variations

Common mistakes

The bench sits too far back, so the handles begin ahead of your shoulders and the stretch never arrives; slide forward until the cables run in line with your arms.
The two pulleys are pinned at slightly different heights, and the hands then finish stacked one above the other rather than meeting; match the pins before you sit down.
Feet come up onto the bench frame, which leaves nothing anchoring you and lets the torso rock with each rep; plant both feet flat and wide.
Shoulder-height pulleys pull straight across, so any drift of the hands down toward your belly turns this into a crossover and takes the mid chest out of it.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the seated cable fly should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Twelve reps, three sets, and hold the squeeze for a full second at the finish of each one. Sitting removes any way to cheat with your legs, so expect to use less weight than you would standing; that is the point of it. When that squeeze holds up on every rep of all three sets, add a plate.
What can I do instead of the seated cable fly?: A pec deck does almost the same job with less setup, if your gym has one. Without cables, sit tall on a chair with a band run behind the seat back, one end gripped in each fist, and bring your hands together in front of your sternum.
What is the seated cable fly for, and when is it a poor choice?: Sitting braces the trunk and leaves the chest with a long, evenly loaded arc, which makes it a clean isolation to close a chest day, especially if standing versions tempt you to lean and heave. Reach for something else when you want the deep stretch of a lying fly, since the arms cannot travel as far behind you, and it occupies two pulleys and a bench for light work.

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