Chest flyes are a popular chest isolation exercise that targets the pectoralis major, the largest muscle of the anterior chest wall. For those who can’t perform chest flyes safely or comfortably, there are several alternatives that work the same muscle group.
These alternatives may be safer and more effective at growing the chest muscles. However, it’s key to understand anatomy and why these exercises work to get the proper mind-muscle connection.
The Anatomy of the Chest
The chest consists of three muscle groups: the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, serratus anterior, and subclavius.
Upper Chest
The upper chest is where you’ll find the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, or the head that connects to your clavicle (collarbone). The upper chest is also home to the pectoralis minor, which is located beneath the pectoralis major muscle. This part of your pecs helps with horizontal adduction and shoulder flexion and is particularly targeted when performing exercises at an incline angle between 15-45º. It tends to be the least developed compared to the mid and lower chest, but it’s still critical to work for aesthetic muscle balance and full pec development.
Mid Chest
In your mid chest, you’ll find the sternal head of the pectoralis major, which connects to your sternum (breastbone). It’s the primary mover when executing horizontal adduction movements. It’s typical for this middle area to be the most developed through training programs, as it responds well to flat pressing and fly movements, which are common in upper-body programming. When you focus on your mid chest, you’ll notice more pec mass coming in. But it’s not the only important part of this area.
Lower Chest
The lower chest holds the lower sternal fibers of the pectoralis major, which can be neglected when bench presses are your go-to chest workout. You’ll need to integrate downward pressing motions or decline angles to hit the lower chest, which is vital for pec separation and muscle definition.
The Problem With Chest Flyes
If you’ve had trouble with chest flyes, you’re not the only one. These exercises can be troublesome for several reasons, from joint stress and high injury risk to lack of consistent muscle activation.
Progression Obstacles
This chest exercise may be challenging to progress on. With your arms out long in a standard fly, even a slight incremental increase in weight becomes challenging. Safety is key, and adding more resistance without putting your elbows and shoulders at risk is difficult.
Sloppy Form
When you do increase your weight, it’s common for form to slacken off, which is a safety hazard and may hinder your progress. If you’ve noticed a plateau in your performance of this exercise in particular, you’re not alone.
Safety Risks
As we briefly mentioned, another common issue is the inherent safety risks. The stretched position naturally puts you at a higher injury risk, with potential for shoulder impingement, especially in the bottom stretched form.
You also risk straining or tearing your pectoral muscles if the weight is too high. The best way to avoid injury is to perfect your form, but that can be difficult in itself.
Symmetry
Maintaining symmetrical movement throughout the exercise is challenging and requires a lot of stability from your core and shoulders. Compensatory movement patterns are common to take some of the strain off the shoulders, making form sloppy and making it hard to isolate your chest effectively.
Lack of Muscle Activation
Another potential experience may be that you don’t feel your muscles activating during the movement, or never feel sore after performing it in your workout. This could be due to the dead spots at the top of the movement that don’t require much muscle activation.
Your pec muscles don’t usually work in the exact same way at the exact same time in real life, so the way a chest fly requires you to move has limited real-world application.
Reduced Time Under Tension
Because of the nature of the exercise, it places the maximum resistance on your muscles when they are at their weakest length, which reduces the overall time under tension and may be why the move doesn’t feel effective to you.
Joint Stress
Finally, you may notice some joint stress on your elbows or shoulders. Not only is your lever long due to your arms being stretched out nearly straight, but gravity is pressing down on the weight, which can create excessive stress on the anterior capsule and shoulder joint.
Gravity makes the loading pattern a bit uneven, so you may notice one arm working harder than the other.
The issues of joint stress and overload difficulties play into each other. The more load you add, the more stress you place on the joint and ligaments. Yet, the more you focus on protecting your joints and ligaments, the harder it is to increase your load effectively and safely.
6 Chest Fly Alternatives To Try
Are you tired of struggling to perform chest flyes? These alternative moves work the same pec muscles without requiring the same form or movement pattern.
Many can be performed on a cable machine, which helps reduce joint stress and the extra force of gravity that comes with dumbbells or barbells.
Cable Chest Fly
Adjusting slightly from a standard chest fly to a cable chest fly using your at-home Speediance Gym Monster 2 can make a massive difference, for a few reasons.
You’re working with resistance, not pure weight, so you’ll feel less strain from gravity and won’t have to balance the weight in your hands. This change makes it safer and feels better. You’ll also increase your tension consistency throughout the range of motion.
You can also adjust your angle to hit different regions if you prefer. Overall, it’s a better option in terms of control and stability, and you may notice more muscle activation because of it.
To perform it, set the cables at chest height and grab the handles. Step forward slightly into a split stance and bend your arms slightly, palms facing forward.
Squeeze your pecs and pull the handles together toward your midline in a hugging motion.
Hold at the point of peak contraction and squeeze before controlling it back to the starting position.
Cable Incline Chest Press
A cable incline chest press is another option that uses a bench and cables to adjust the angle of the movement to target the upper chest fibers more specifically. Due to the stability of your pressing position, this variation is easier to progress with heavier loads.
Set the bench to an incline of 30-45º. Set the cables to shoulder height behind you.
Sit down, grip the cables' handles, and firmly plant your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your chest and press the weight up and slightly forward. Lower with control back to your pecs.
Dual Handle Bench Press
An alternative to the traditional bench press, this can be performed with dumbbells or cables to allow for independent arm movement. It’s a good option to address any muscle imbalances and create a more functional movement pattern overall.
To do this move, set the bench to a flat position. Either place your cable positions at the bottom or grab two moderate dumbbells. Start with the weights or cable handles at chest level and press both arms up simultaneously, allowing your arms to move naturally.
Lower with control back to your chest, maintaining tension in the core throughout to support balance and coordination.
Single-Arm Cable Crossovers
Switch things up with this unilateral move and reap extra benefits of core engagement, left/right imbalances, and control over your full range of motion.
Set your cables at chest height when standing. You only need a single handle for this, but setting the position for both sides may be helpful.
Pick your starting side and grab the handle. Step away from the cable to create extra tension, and then pull your hand across the body in an arc motion toward your midline and just past your other shoulder. Squeeze your pecs at the end position.
Complete all your reps on one side, then switch to the other.
Decline Pushup
Adding a decline element is an excellent progression from a typical bodyweight pushup that hones in on the lower chest fibers. You don’t need equipment for this one, just something to elevate your legs, like a bench, box, or chair.
Place your feet on the elevated surface. Your hands should be beneath your shoulders and flat on the floor, elbows slightly facing forward.
Hold a plank, keeping your core, arms, legs, and glutes tight.
Slowly lower your chest to the floor, then press through your hands to return to the high position.
Dumbbell Pullovers
Dumbbell pullovers are good to add to your chest routine for a unique pec stretch and contraction experience. This move also recruits a bit of your lats while activating your serratus anterior, or “boxer’s muscle.”
Lie perpendicular on a bench, keeping support beneath your upper back. Hold a single dumbbell or cable overhead and slowly lower it in an arc behind your head.
When you feel a full stretch in your pecs and lats, pull the weight back over your head toward your chest.
Keep a slight bend in your elbows the whole time.
The Benefits of Chest Fly Alternatives
Swapping out your basic chest flyes for the above alternatives can help you grow your muscles, feel your workouts more in the targeted muscles, and notice aesthetic improvements.
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Safer Joints: When you use cables instead of dumbbells or adjust your plane or positioning, you’ll reduce the risk of shoulder impingement and align your body so it moves more naturally without straining your shoulders or elbows.
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Progressive Overload: Adding more weights and tracking your improvements over time is easier.
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Improved Muscle Activation: Maintain consistent tensions throughout the range of motion so you feel the exercise more.
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Reduced Risk of Injury: Create more stable positions and use safer, controllable resistance to protect your joints and muscles.
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Versatile Training: Many different options for angles and resistance types.
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Efficiency: Use compound movements, like dumbbell pullovers, to work muscle groups simultaneously and get more work in the same amount of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Muscles Does the Chest Fly Work?
The chest fly movement primarily works the pectoralis major in all regions. It also recruits a bit of the anterior deltoids and serratus anterior. Small stabilizers like the core muscles and scapular stabilizers also get put to work.
Do Chest Flyes Work Upper or Lower Chest?
Chest flyes may work both, or just one or the other. It all depends on the angle at which you’re performing the exercise. An incline will target the upper chest fibers, flat hits the mid-chest, and decline focuses on the lower chest.
What Can I Substitute for Chest Flyes?
You have tons of options when it comes to substituting chest flyes. Some great choices include cable crossovers, chest presses, pushup variations, or machine flyes. These alternatives can reduce joint strain, work on different planes, and increase your load more easily.
Chest Fly Alternatives Promote Growth, Enhance Safety, and Support Progression
Chest flyes aren’t useless, but for many people who work out regularly, the struggles to increase load, risks of the movement, and stress on the joints leave them curious about what alternatives may be available.
The alternatives above can give you the same pec-building benefits without putting your shoulders at risk or leaving you stuck at the same weights for months.
Pick exercises that you can actually progress on and protect your joints, like those that use the cables from the Speediance Gym Monster 2. You’ll get the constant tension you’re missing and all the growth you’ve been chasing.
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