10 Best Cable Lying Fly Alternatives for Chest Isolation

The Cable Lying Fly is done lying on your back with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Cable Incline Fly, the Cable Middle Fly and the Cable Cross-over Variation. Six harder versions, among them Flat Bench Cable Flyes and the Cable One Arm Decline Chest Fly, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The Cable Lying Fly has you lie flat on a bench holding the handles above your chest, lower your arms out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch across your chest, then squeeze your chest to bring the handles back together above you. The Cable Incline Fly is the closest swap: you sit on an incline bench, hold the low-pulley handles out in front and open your arms to the sides. If the bench is busy, the Cable Middle Fly works standing, using only cables.

Cable Lying FlyWatch the Cable Lying Fly

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

How to Do the Cable Lying Fly

The steps for the Cable Lying 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 cables and lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Hold the handles with your palms facing each other and your arms extended straight above your chest.
  3. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lower your arms out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest.
  4. Pause for a moment, then squeeze your chest muscles to bring your arms back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Cable Lying Fly Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Cable Lying 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 Incline FlyPlay demonstration

    1. Cable Incline Fly

    94% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

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

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the cable machine to a low position and attach the handles.
    2. Sit on an incline bench with your back against the pad and feet flat on the floor.
    3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and extend your arms straight out in front of you.
    4. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, open your arms out to the sides in a controlled motion.
    5. Pause for a moment at the fully extended position, then slowly return to the starting position.
    6. 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 Lying Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
  2. Flat Bench Cable Flyes

    Progression

    2. Flat Bench Cable Flyes

    96% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

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

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Position a flat bench between two low pulleys so that when you are laying on it, your chest will be lined up with the cable pulleys.
    2. Lay flat on the bench and keep your feet on the ground.
    3. Have someone hand you the handles on each hand. You will grab each single handle attachment with a palms up grip.
    4. Extend your arms by your side with a slight bend on your elbows. Tip: You will keep this bend constant through the whole movement. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. This is your starting position.
    5. Now start lifting the arms in a semi-circle motion directly in front of you by pulling the cables together until both hands meet at the top of the movement. Squeeze your chest as you perform this motion and breathe out during this movement. Also, hold the contraction for a second at the top. Tip: When performed correctly, at the top position of this movement, your arms should be perpendicular to your torso and the floor touching above your chest.
    6. Slowly come back to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: chest fly, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
  3. Cable Middle FlyPlay demonstration

    3. Cable Middle Fly

    92% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

    The same equipment, done standing instead.

    • 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 Lying Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Body position: standing, not lying on your back
  4. Cable One Arm Decline Chest FlyPlay demonstration

    Progression

    4. Cable One Arm Decline Chest Fly

    91% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

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

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Attach a D-handle to a low pulley cable machine and set the bench to a decline angle.
    2. Lie down on the bench with your head towards the machine and grab the handle with your right hand.
    3. Extend your arm straight up above your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbow.
    4. With a controlled motion, lower your arm out to the side until your hand is in line with your shoulder.
    5. Pause for a moment, then reverse the motion and bring your arm back to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to your left arm and repeat the exercise.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: chest fly, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Fly
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Lying Fly

Why You Might Need a Cable Lying Fly Alternative

The Cable Lying Fly needs a bench set between two low pulleys, and that combination is exactly what gets fought over in a busy cable section: someone is stretched out on the bench, or both pulleys are already claimed by other lifters. Some lifters also want a different feel on the same fly, since lying flat sets one line of pull that standing up or changing the bench angle both change. All of these swaps still run on cables and still work your chest, so you keep the equipment and the muscle while changing your body position, the angle, or the arm you use.

How to Choose the Right Cable Lying Fly Substitute

Take the Cable Incline Fly first if an incline bench is free: it keeps you seated against a pad on low pulleys, so only the bench angle changes. The Cable One Arm Decline Chest Fly has you lie head-down on a decline bench with a single D-handle from a low pulley and work one arm at a time, lowering it out to the side until your hand is level with your shoulder, so reach for it when you want to train each side on its own. The Flat Bench Cable Flyes keeps the same lying position, and the Cable Decline Fly has you stand facing away from the machine, so pick whichever setup your gym has spare. When no bench is free, the Cable Middle Fly runs on cables and works your chest while you stand.

Cable Lying Fly FAQ

What muscles does the Cable Lying Fly train?

Your chest does the work. Lying on the bench, you lower the handles out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest, then squeeze your chest to bring them back together above you. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows through the whole arc keeps the load on your chest as you squeeze the handles back together above your chest.

What equipment do the Cable Lying Fly alternatives need?

A cable station, the same as the Cable Lying Fly itself: two pulleys for the two-handed swaps, one low pulley and a D-handle for the Cable One Arm Decline Chest Fly. Each swap changes your body position, the bench angle or the arm you use rather than the machine you need.

Which Cable Lying Fly alternative adds a stability challenge?

The Cable Incline Fly (On Stability Ball). You sit on a stability ball facing away from the machine with the cables on the high pulleys, lean forward slightly with your back straight and core braced, and open your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor. The ball replaces the bench, so you hold the incline yourself while you work.

What can I do if the cable bench is busy?

The Cable Middle Fly. It runs on cable equipment alone and trains the same pectorals as the Cable Lying Fly, so you can keep working the same muscle standing at the machine without waiting for a bench and pulley setup other lifters are using.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Search the exercise database and filter the ranked substitutes by the equipment you own.