Decline Cable Fly is a great isolation workout for chest muscular development. It lets you to focus the workload on different portions of the pectoral muscles, such as the upper, lower, inner, or lower part, by performing it in different forms. Standing, laying on a bench, and pulling via high or low pulleys are the basic variations of Decline Cable Fly.
The decline cable fly is very effective in targeting the pectoral muscles in the lower half of your chest. The exercise is best performed as a supplement to large compound lifts.
This move can be incorporated into any chest, push, upper body, or full-body workouts.
In this article, we will discuss how to perform decline cable flyes, muscles used, contraindications, and, benefits.
How To Do Decline Cable Fly
- Attach the pulleys to the cable machine’s very top and grip one in each hand. Take one step forward from the center of the cable stand, keeping one foot in front of the other. Until your elbows are fully extended, press both arms down and in front of your body to a position just below your chest.
- Allow your arms to slowly open to the sides, moving upward and outward. Maintain a small bend in your elbows, a neutral wrist position (wrists aligned in a straight line with forearms), and don’t let your hands go past your body’s midline (level of your armpit).
- Squeeze your chest muscles gently and slowly to pull your arms forward until your hands meet below the level of your chest. Throughout the exercise, keep your elbows slightly bent, your wrists neutral, and your trunk vertically aligned.
- Pause for a brief moment, then slowly return to your starting posture, allowing your arms to slowly and steadily glide back outwards. Throughout the exercise, keep your elbows slightly bent, your wrists neutral, and your trunk vertically aligned. Repeat the movement again.
Pro Tips For Decline Cable Fly
- Avoid leaning forward during this exercise, as this adds to the tension on the shoulder joint, which occurs frequently when the resistance is too heavy.
- Lower the resistance, line your trunk vertically and follow the directions to safeguard your shoulders from harm.
- Don’t squeeze the handles too hard because this will over-recruit the forearms and biceps, decreasing pec activation.
- To sustain consistent tension on the intended muscle groups, avoid contacting or smashing the handles together during maximal contraction.
- Maintain a slight bend in your elbows and never lower the weight to the point where you feel pain or pressure in the front of your shoulder joint.
- Maintain some abdominal tension and avoid allowing your lower back to arch excessively.
Benefits Of Decline Cable Fly
When you do the Declined Cable Fly, that is the timing when you incorporate this exercise into your workout can make a significant improvement in the development of your pectoral muscles. Because the activity is isolated in nature, this exercise is perfect for learning how to effectively engage the pecs. Other chest workouts may not have the shoulders and triceps effectively turned off from the activity.
The Declined Cable Fly is usually done near the finish of a chest workout to get the best pump. The workout consists of a wide range of reps, ranging from 12 to more than 100. It’s more crucial to feel the expansion and contraction of the pectoral muscles than it is to know your working weight.
Contraindications
If the lifter has any of the following conditions, it is not recommended that they do the Declined Cable Fly:
Neuritis of the brachial plexus; tendon bursitis; tendinopathy
Excessive stretching of the pectoral muscles at the lower point can put undue tension on the shoulder joints and ligaments, perhaps resulting in persistent pain. This is less true for the High Cable Chest Fly, although excessively heavy training weights should still be avoided.
The Low Cable Chest Fly is not suggested for beginners (as per ACE) because it is a very tough exercise to master in terms of technique. For a beginner, the Incline Bench Press and Bench Dumbbell Fly movements are the finest ways to improve the upper chest. You can gradually begin executing the Declined Cable Fly if you observe an increase in muscle mass.
Decline Cable Fly Variations
Exercise Variations: There are various ways to progress this exercise, including:
- Bringing both feet together increases the demand for core stability.
- Standing on an unstable surface and repeating the same activity (e.g., balance training device).
- One footed standing position.
- Unilaterally (one arm at a time) performing the exercise while avoiding any trunk rotation.
Decline Cable Fly Alternative
Because 100% of the load is always on the pectoral muscles during the whole set, working out with the cable crossover machine provides a very unique workout and workload experience that no other exercise with a free weight can match. If you’re not satisfied with any of the versions of this exercise, the Pec Deck Butterfly is the sole other option. Because it’s a pulley machine, the load will be nearly the same. The only difference in the “Pec Deck” is that the position is already set. As a result, varying the weight and focusing it on a specific area of the chest is nearly impossible.
