Single-arm cable fly

A unilateral fly: it lets the hand cross the midline, which is where the pec finishes shortening, and it makes side-to-side differences visible and fixable.

• Isolation
• Cable
• Intermediate

How to do it

• One step in front of the pulley, torso leaning slightly
• Keep a fixed elbow bend through the whole arc
• Take the hand past the centre of the chest
• Open resisting until you feel the stretch

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 10–15 reps · 0–2 RIR

Tempo: 2 s on the way down, squeeze 1 s at the peak and stay in control, no swinging

Common mistakes

• Turning it into a press by bending and extending the elbow
• Rotating the torso to gain range
• Loading so much the shoulder rolls forward on the opening

Muscles worked

Primary

• Chest

Secondary

• Anterior deltoid

Alternatives

• Cable Crossover
• Low-to-High Cable Fly
• Flat Dumbbell Fly