Types Of Cable Flys
There are three main types of cable flys:
Standing Downward Cable Flys
This is the standard cable fly. It's performed by standing in the middle of a cable machine and pulling the cables in front of your body. When you stand, you want to make sure that one foot is slightly in front of the other. While it doesn't matter which foot is in front, it's important to stand in this position so you can stay balanced. You also want to keep your knees slightly bent. When you grab the cables and get ready to begin, make sure that you keep your arms straight. As you start to pull the cables down, you want to focus on pulling with your chest. You should feel tension in your chest the entire time you're pulling the cables down. If you don't, it likely means that you're jerking them too quickly. Using a fluid motion will allow you to get the best results from this exercise.
You should continue pulling the cables down until they meet in front of your body. Once you reach this point, hold the position for a moment. This will eliminate any momentum that could decrease the effectiveness of the flys. Then begin to slowly let the cables go back to their starting position. Many people overlook the fact that they can work their chest just as much on the way back up as they do pulling the cables down.
Standing Upward Cable Flys
You'll be in the same position for this exercise as you are for standing downward flys. The difference is you will need to move the cable handles to the bottom of the machine instead of the top. As with standing downward flys, it's important to have one foot in front of the other. When you grab the cables at the bottom of the machine, make sure you keep your arms straight. Begin the exercise by bringing the cables up at a controlled pace. The handles will eventually come together in front of your body. When they do, pause, then allow the cables to go back down at the same pace.
Lying Upward Cable Flys
This type of cable fly is significantly different than the other two. If you've ever done lying dumbbell flys, you will be familiar with how to do this cable fly variation. As with the standing upward cable flys, you will want the handles to be at the bottom of a crossover machine. You will also want to put a bench in the middle of the machine. Another option is to use an exercise ball instead of a bench. Once you grab both cables, you will want to lie back. To avoid putting stress on your shoulders, begin with the cables parallel to them. Bring the cables up until they meet in your line of sight. Then gradually lower them back down without going lower than their starting position.
