How to Do Bent Over Cable Flyes: Form and Benefits
Master the bent over cable flye with our expert guide. Learn correct form, avoid common mistakes, and maximize chest hypertrophy with constant tension.
How to Perform
- Set the pulleys on a cable crossover machine to the widest and highest position available on both sides.
- Grasp the handles with a neutral grip and stand directly in the center of the machine with your feet staggered for balance.
- Hinge at the hips to lean your torso forward until it is nearly parallel to the floor, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- Extend your arms out to the sides with a slight bend in the elbows, feeling a deep stretch across the pectoral muscles.
- Exhale and bring the handles together in a wide arc until they meet directly underneath your chest.
- Squeeze your chest muscles at the point of peak contraction before slowly reversing the movement to the starting position.
- Maintain the same slight elbow angle throughout the entire set to ensure the chest performs the work.
Common Mistakes
- Using excessive momentum by swinging the torso up and down
- Pressing the handles forward instead of maintaining a wide arc
- Allowing the elbows to bend too deeply like a bench press
- Rounding the lower back instead of maintaining a neutral spine
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Chest
Stabilizers
- Anterior Deltoids
- Serratus Anterior
- Forearms
Related Guides
- Bench Press — Chest
- Benchpress Dumbbells — Chest
- Butterfly — Chest
Chest · Chest