10 Best Cable Low Fly Alternatives for Chest Strength

The Cable Low Fly is done standing with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Cable Standing Fly, the Cable Middle Fly and the Cable Cross-over Variation. Four harder versions, among them the Cable Crossover and Cable Standing Up Straight Crossovers, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The Cable Low Fly sweeps your arms together in front of your chest from a low pulley position, and most swaps happen because that low station is busy. The Cable Standing Fly is the closest one: it moves the pulleys up to chest height and still brings your arms together in front of your chest. Move the pulleys overhead instead and the Cable Crossover has you bend forward and pull the handles down and together before opening them back out to the sides until you feel the stretch in your chest.

Cable Low FlyWatch the Cable Low Fly

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Cable Low Fly

The steps for the Cable Low Fly itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Pectorals, with deltoids, triceps · Cable · Intermediate · Isolation

  1. Attach the handles to the low pulleys of a cable machine and select an appropriate weight.
  2. Stand in the middle of the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
  3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and extend your arms out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
  4. Maintaining control, slowly bring your arms forward in a sweeping motion, crossing them in front of your body.
  5. Pause for a moment at the peak of the movement, feeling the stretch in your chest muscles.
  6. Reverse the motion and slowly return your arms to the starting position, keeping tension on your chest muscles throughout.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Cable Low Fly Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Cable Low Fly on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Cable Standing FlyPlay demonstration

    1. Cable Standing Fly

    98% match

    Pectorals · Beginner · Isolation

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the pectorals.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Attach the handles to the cables at chest height.
    2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing away from the cable machine.
    3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, palms facing forward.
    4. Step forward slightly to create tension in the cables.
    5. Keep your core engaged and your back straight throughout the exercise.
    6. With a slight bend in your elbows, slowly bring your arms forward and together in front of your chest.
    7. Squeeze your chest muscles at the peak of the movement.
    8. Slowly reverse the movement, returning your arms to the starting position.
    9. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: chest fly, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Low Fly
  2. Cable Middle FlyPlay demonstration

    2. Cable Middle Fly

    95% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

    It uses the same equipment and still works the pectorals.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Attach cables to both sides of a cable machine at chest height.
    2. Stand in the center of the machine with one foot slightly in front of the other.
    3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and extend your arms out to the sides.
    4. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and maintain a slight forward lean.
    5. Engage your chest muscles and bring your arms forward in a sweeping motion.
    6. Pause for a moment at the center, then slowly return your arms back to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: chest fly, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Low Fly
  4. Cable Crossover

    Progression

    4. Cable Crossover

    94% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the pectorals.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. To get yourself into the starting position, place the pulleys on a high position (above your head), select the resistance to be used and hold the pulleys in each hand.
    2. Step forward in front of an imaginary straight line between both pulleys while pulling your arms together in front of you. Your torso should have a small forward bend from the waist. This will be your starting position.
    3. With a slight bend on your elbows in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon, extend your arms to the side (straight 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 and torso should remain stationary; the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint.
    4. Return your arms back to the starting position as you breathe out. Make sure to use the same arc of motion used to lower the weights.
    5. Hold for a second at the starting position and repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: chest fly, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Low Fly
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Low Fly

Why You Might Need a Cable Low Fly Alternative

The low pulley station gets busy, or someone else has both handles when you want to train chest. Every swap still comes off a cable stack, so what changes is where the pulleys sit and whether you stand between them or lie on an incline bench. The Cable Standing Fly moves the handles up to chest height, so you face away from the stack and bring your arms forward and together in front of your chest with the cable pulling from beside you rather than from below. The Cable Middle Fly keeps that chest-height setting too, so it works for the same reason. The Cable Crossover moves the pulleys overhead instead: you bend forward, pull the handles down and together in front of you, and open them back out to the sides until you feel the stretch in your chest.

How to Choose the Right Cable Low Fly Substitute

Pick the Cable Standing Fly when the low pulleys are taken: same machine, same chest work, with the handles set at chest height and your arms sweeping forward and together in front of your chest. Choose the Cable Middle Fly for the same reason, since it uses that same chest-height setting. For a different line of pull, move to the Cable Crossover: the pulleys sit overhead, you bend slightly forward from the waist, and you pull the handles down and together in front of you before opening them out to the sides until you feel the stretch in your chest. The Cable Standing Up Straight Crossovers add one more change, keeping your arms straight through the whole sweep instead of the slight elbow bend you use on the Cable Low Fly.

Cable Low Fly FAQ

What muscles does the Cable Low Fly train?

The Cable Low Fly works your chest: you sweep the handles forward from the low pulleys, pause to feel the stretch in your chest at the top, and return slowly while keeping tension on your chest the whole way. Every swap is a cable fly for the chest, so choose by pulley height and whether you stand between the stacks or lie back on an incline bench, not by muscle.

Why would I swap the Cable Low Fly for another cable exercise?

The low pulley station might be busy, or someone else could be using both handles when you want to train chest. Every swap still comes off a cable stack, so the machine stays the same and what changes is the pulley height and whether you stand between the stacks or lie back on an incline bench.

Which Cable Low Fly alternative uses the same pulley height?

The Incline Cable Flye and the Cable Incline Fly. Both keep the pulleys at the lowest setting the Cable Low Fly uses, but you lie back on an incline bench set between the stacks and sweep the handles together above your face instead of standing. The other standing swaps set the pulleys at chest height (Cable Standing Fly, Cable Middle Fly, Cable Cross-over Variation, Cable Upper Chest Crossovers) or overhead (Cable Crossover).

How do I make a Cable Low Fly alternative harder?

Move the pulleys overhead for the Cable Crossover, where you bend slightly forward from the waist and pull the handles down and together in front of you, then open them out to the sides until you feel the stretch in your chest. The Cable Standing Up Straight Crossovers add a further change, keeping your arms straight through the whole motion instead of the slight elbow bend you use on the Cable Low Fly.

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