Chest · Cable
Cable Alternative Fly
How to do the cable alternative fly, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set two cable pulleys to chest height and stand between them with a handle in each hand, arms out wide and elbows slightly bent. Bring your hands together in front of your chest in a smooth arc, squeeze, then return under control against the cable resistance.
- 1Feel the chest squeeze as the hands meet in front
- 2Keep a fixed soft bend in the elbows throughout
- 3Stay tall and let the cables pull the arms back under control
Common mistakes
- Avoid bending the elbows to press instead of fly
- Do not let the cables yank your arms back too far
- Avoid using your torso to swing the handles together
Muscles worked
The cable alternative fly mainly works the mid chest, with the front delts, upper chest, lower chest, and upper abs assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Front DeltsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the cable alternative fly for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.