Exercise

Incline Cable Flye: How to Do It, Muscles Worked

Last updated 26 July 2026

What muscles does the Incline Cable Flye work?

The Incline Cable Flye primarily targets the chest, and also recruits the shoulders as secondary muscles. It's classified as a intermediate-level strength movement using cable.

What are the most common Incline Cable Flye mistakes?

• Cutting the stretch short at the bottom instead of feeling a full stretch across the chest.
• Letting the shoulders roll forward instead of keeping the chest up through the movement.
• Bending the elbows into a press instead of keeping a fixed, slight elbow bend through the arc.
• Using a weight heavy enough that the shoulder joint — not the chest — ends up limiting the set.

How should I program the Incline Cable Flye — sets, reps and frequency?

As a single-joint isolation exercise, it responds well to a higher 10-15 reps for 2-4 sets, usually taken close to muscular failure. It tolerates higher frequency than a heavy compound lift — twice a week for the same muscle group is common. Add small amounts of weight or an extra rep once every working set can be completed with good form — the same progressive overload principle behind every strength exercise in the library.

What are good Incline Cable Flye variations and alternatives?

• Flat Bench Cable Flyes — cable, intermediate level, chest
• Butterfly — machine, beginner level, chest
• Dumbbell Flyes — dumbbell, beginner level, chest
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes — dumbbell, beginner level, chest

Incline Cable Flye at a glance

Attribute	Value
Level	Intermediate
Equipment	Cable
Category	Strength
Primary muscles	Chest
Secondary muscles	Shoulders

How to do the Incline Cable Flye, step by step:

1. Step 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. Step 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. Step 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. Step 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. Step 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. Step 6. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.