Cable Fly Advice
Cable flys are a great exercise for any man who wants a bigger chest or woman who wants more definition in her upper body. While this isolation exercise can be very effective, there are some common issues that hold back many people's progress.
Tips for Doing Cable Flys the Right Way
The first piece of cable fly advice that will help you get the most out of this exercise is to stand so you aren't off balance. If you try to stand with your feet right next to each other, you will begin swaying as you do cable flys. This is why you want to stand with one foot slightly in front of the other. It doesn't matter which foot is in front, so experiment with both and see which feels the most comfortable to you. Not only will standing with one foot in front of the other allow you to stay balanced, but it will also make it easy for you to slightly bend your knees. Standing with your knees slightly bent will help you keep your cable fly motion moving on the right path.
Another important piece of cable fly advice is to control the speed of your movements. If you're blasting through reps as quickly as possible, you're not working as hard as you may think. You want to go at a slower pace so that your pectoral muscles can be fully engaged with the tension the exercise creates. This controlled speed applies when you're pulling the cables forward, as well as when you're letting them back up. If you're having trouble performing cable flys at a slower pace, it likely means that you're using too much weight. Although you may assume that more weight is better, that's only true when it doesn't compromise your form. By using slightly less weight, you will actually be able to work your chest muscles harder.
Use Cable Fly Variations to Increase Results
In addition to proper form, you can maximize the results you get from cable flys by alternating between different variations. The reason this is useful is because it will help you avoid a plateau. When you do the same exercise routine over and over, your body will eventually adjust. When this happens, it won't have to work as hard, and your results will slow down. By utilizing variety during your workouts, you can avoid this issue and continue making progress.
The first cable fly variation is to move the handles to the bottom of the crossover machine and pull them up in front of you. Use the same form and pace for this variation as you do for standard cable flys. In addition to working your chest, this variation will help strengthen your biceps. Lying cable flys are the other variation that can be useful to perform. This variation is also done by moving the handles to the bottom of the machine. But instead of standing, you will lie back on a bench that you put in the middle of the crossover machine.
