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

Per arm, two or three sets of 12 to 15, which is double the work of a two-arm fly, so budget around eight minutes for it. Set the weight so both sides can hit the same number. If the second arm falls two or more reps short every session, the weight is too high for that side rather than too light for the other.

What can I do instead of the single-arm cable fly with no cable machine?

A band anchored at chest height on one side gives you the same cross-body sweep and the same demand on the core to stop you turning, and it packs into a bag. A one-arm dumbbell fly on a bench works the pec but loses the cross-body finish, because gravity stops pulling once your hand passes over your chest.

What is the single-arm cable fly for, and when is it a poor use of time?

It is for evening out a stronger and weaker side, and for the longer arc across the midline that two arms cannot reach, with the trunk working to stop the cable rotating you. Reach for it when a two-arm setup never lets you feel the chest. It is a poor use of time in a short session, since every set has to be done twice, and it is not the movement to load heavily.

Intermediate

Single-Arm Cable Fly

Working one side at a time lets the pec travel a longer arc across the midline than a two-arm fly allows, and the cross-body finish delivers a strong peak contraction. Meanwhile your core braces against the cable trying to rotate you, adding a stability benefit. Use it to bring up a lagging side or to feel the chest working when a bar or two-arm setup does not connect.

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

How to do it

1
Set a single pulley to about shoulder or chest height and grab the handle with the arm nearer the stack.
2
Step out into a staggered stance with the cable taut and your arm out to the side, elbow softly bent.
3
Brace your core so your torso does not rotate toward the stack.
4
Keep the elbow angle fixed and sweep the handle across your body toward the opposite hip or shoulder.
5
Squeeze the chest hard at the finish, then return under control to the stretch.
6
Complete all reps on one side, then switch arms.

Tips

Lead with the hand and keep the elbow bend constant so it stays a fly, not a press.
Resist the rotation; keep your shoulders and hips square throughout.
Let the working arm cross the midline at the end for a fuller contraction.

Variations

Common mistakes

The rear foot is not set far enough back, so the cable pulls you off balance at the stretch and the set becomes a fight to stay upright.
The free hand grabs the frame and pulls, which braces the whole torso and hides the side-to-side gap you took this exercise on to find.
The working shoulder rolls forward as the cable drags the arm back; hold the blade set against your ribs and stop the arm before the shoulder gives up its position.
Pulley height gets left wherever the last person put it: too high and the handle finishes at your shoulder, too low and this becomes a one-arm crossover to the hip.
The stack is allowed to drag the arm back out between reps, which throws away the stretch and jerks the shoulder; the return should take as long as the sweep.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the single-arm cable fly should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Per arm, two or three sets of 12 to 15, which is double the work of a two-arm fly, so budget around eight minutes for it. Set the weight so both sides can hit the same number. If the second arm falls two or more reps short every session, the weight is too high for that side rather than too light for the other.
What can I do instead of the single-arm cable fly with no cable machine?: A band anchored at chest height on one side gives you the same cross-body sweep and the same demand on the core to stop you turning, and it packs into a bag. A one-arm dumbbell fly on a bench works the pec but loses the cross-body finish, because gravity stops pulling once your hand passes over your chest.
What is the single-arm cable fly for, and when is it a poor use of time?: It is for evening out a stronger and weaker side, and for the longer arc across the midline that two arms cannot reach, with the trunk working to stop the cable rotating you. Reach for it when a two-arm setup never lets you feel the chest. It is a poor use of time in a short session, since every set has to be done twice, and it is not the movement to load heavily.

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