Do You Make This Mistake When Performing the Cable Pec Fly Exercise?

How to Perform the Cable Pec Fly

The cable pec fly is an exercise that focuses on strengthening the chest muscles ^[1]. You will use a cable machine with a rope, and you will loop the cord under a weight plate. You’ll hold the rope in each hand, with your arms extended out in front of you then slowly lower the rope behind your head to your shoulders from this position.

You will then return to the starting position and repeat. The cable pec fly is a great exercise, but you will get the best results if you perform it correctly. If you don’t, you will waste your time working other muscles.

Can you spot what’s wrong with the picture below?

I am doing something that could lead to shoulder pain or injury.

Did you find it?

Let me help you out. I see people doing this all the time, and over time, this will lead to a shoulder problem, which I’m sure of.

What I’m doing wrong is called the “shoulder tuck”. I am demonstrating the incorrect finish (on purpose) of Cable Pec Fly. A shoulder tuck is when the shoulder joint ^[2] collapses toward the middle.

When you stand nice and upright, the shoulder is in great centration. But at the end of the cable pec fly exercise, tons of people will let their shoulders drop slightly in and to the middle.

This slight collapse puts unnecessary stress and strain on the shoulder. Over time this leads to some consequential damage to your rotator cuff.

Of the top 4 injuries to the shoulder, the rotator cuff is involved in 3 of them. That’s why you want to guarantee you have a healthy and robust rotator cuff. 

If You Do the Shoulder Tuck, Here’s How to Fix It

1. Next time you do a chest exercise, be sure your chest stays up and does not drop. Dropping your chest leads to shoulder tucking.
2. Keep your head in good alignment and look straight ahead; looking down will drop your head and lead to tucking.
3. Have your hands open to decrease stress and tension in the elbow and neck.
4. Move the hands to the middle of the body but have them stop just inside of being in line with the armpit. Do not let them come together or cross the midline, as this takes to the shoulder tuck.

These tips apply to all fly movements.

Conclusion

If you can’t do a full shoulder fly with cable pec fly, it might be because your shoulder is in too much of a neutral position. You can rotate your arm into the top position in Cable Pushdown. And then keep your arm straight as you lower it behind your body until your hands reach your lower back. The key is to keep your shoulders in a neutral position during the whole exercise.

The less you rotate your shoulders during Cable Pec Fly, the better off you’ll be. When you are in the top position, contract your triceps as hard as possible and think about pulling your elbows toward each other. Then lower your arms to the bottom position behind your body.

Keep your elbows straight. You should feel your upper arms being pulled toward the base of your back. If you don’t, you are rotating your shoulders at the end of Cable Pec Fly.

Use this quick tip to avoid any future shoulder issues. If you have any shoulder pain, I recommend you grab the brand new Fix My Shoulder Pain system. Don’t Avoid Shoulder Pain – Get Rid Of It. Right now, it’s on sale for just $19 and is jam-packed, full of helpful exercises and techniques you can use to stay pain-free and train with 100% intensity.

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Rick Kaselj, MS