Incline vs. Decline Cable Flyes: Which One Belongs in Your Workout?

Understanding which exercise targets what part of the body is an essential aspect of bodybuilding, but when you throw in opposing angles like incline and decline, the concept can feel all the more complicated. Fortunately, Dana Linn Bailey, who won the Women’s Physique title at the 2013 Olympia event, is happy to pass on her hard-earned wisdom when it comes to hooking you up on the humble cable fly.

The cable fly is primarily a chest builder, hammering the pecs as you drive the handles together. If you perform the movement as a mid-cable fly, the pulleys are set at chest height and work the pectoralis in both the upper and lower regions. But what happens when the angle of the cable’s trajectory is tweaked?

What Is the Difference Between Incline and Decline Cable Flyes?

The Decline Fly

“A decline fly is when the cable is at the highest position, and you’re pulling to the lowest position,” explains the canny coach. “When you do that, you’re gonna be targeting that lower chest, just like you would if you were declining bench.”

So, decline fly = pectoralis major (lower)

The Incline Fly

“Incline fly or a low-to-high is going to target the upper chest,” explains Bailey of the opposing angle, taking us onwards and upwards. “So, just like we switch benches, we do flat bench, we incline bench, and we do decline bench, you do the same thing with cable flyes.”

So, incline fly = pectoralis major (upper)

Got? Good.

But why not just perform the mid fly? “It’s going to target different areas of your chest,” repeats Bailey, for those of an inquisitive nature. Indeed, a mid-fly can exhaust the entire pec area, but if you need to bring up a particular aspect of the chest, such as build the upper pecs for that top shelf appearance, or add mass to the lower pecs to improve definition, knowing how to properly target specific pec areas by acing your angles is the key to success.

To follow Dana Linn Bailet’s daily tips on Instagram, click here. 



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