7 Chest Fly Alternatives That Are Shoulder Friendly

The chest flye is the most popular ‘isolation’ exercise for the chest. It’s usually paired with the bench press and done with dumbbells on a flat or incline bench. You’ll feel a really good stretch through the pecs in the bottom position of the exercise. 

But the chest flye isn’t without its problems. If taken too far, that bottom stretch position can put your shoulder joint in a compromising position, potentially leading to injury.

Fortunately, there are better options that work the pecs through their horizontal range of motion without stressing the rotator cuff. 

As a personal trainer, I’ve worked with too many guys with shoulder issues to remember. The first rule of personal training is ‘do no harm’, so I have to pick exercises that won’t exaggerate a problem in a client.

Many of my clients with shoulder issues had been doing chest flyes, which had contributed to the problem. As a result, I’ve become somewhat of an expert at programming chest fly alternatives that provide all the benefits of the chest flye without the risks. 

In this article, I lay out the 7 best chest flye alternatives to isolate the pecs through the horizontal plane without risking the shoulder joint.

What’s Wrong With the Chest Flye? 

The chest flye is a pectoral exercise. It is designed to work the muscle through its horizontal plane of motion. 

The function of the pecs is to move the arms forward (vertically) and towards the centerline of the body (horizontally). Exercises like the barbell bench press take care of the vertical part but not the horizontal. That’s where the flye comes in. 

When done correctly, the chest flye is not a bad exercise. The problem is that (at least in my experience) it is hardly ever done properly. 

The biggest problem I see is people bring their arms down lower than the level of the torso. When you lower beyond that point, the stress goes off the pecs and onto the tiny coracobrachialis, which is part of the shoulder joint.

The amount of weight your chest can handle is way too much for the shoulder joint in this position.

The result of this stress on the shoulder joint in the hyperextended position could be a torn rotator cuff. I’ve seen it happen and, believe me, it is not an experience you want to go through!

How to Do the Chest Flye Safely

If you are going to do the chest flye, make sure that you do two things:

1. Stop the downward movement when your hands are in line with your torso.
2. Use a medium weight. A rough guide is that your dumbbell flye weight should be about a third of what you’d use for the dumbbell bench press.

Here’s a rundown on how to perform the exercise:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie on a flat bench, extending the arms above your chest. Plant your feet on the floor. Your palms should be facing each other, with the dumbbells touching. Bend your elbows slightly and keep them locked in that position throughout the exercise.
2. Moving from the shoulder joint, bring your arms out and down until your hands are level with your torso.
3. Reverse the movement to return to the start position.

How I Chose the Chest Flye Alternative Exercises

The chest flye alternatives that I have grouped together were not chosen at random. To be a genuine alternative to the dumbbell flye, an exercise must work the same muscle group through the same plane of motion.

The prime mover in the chest flye is the pectorals. Secondary muscles are the front deltoids and the triceps.

The chest flye does a good job of isolating the pecs. This contrasts with compound exercises like the bench press, which requires more involvement from the front delts and triceps to complete the movement. So, a genuine chest exerciser needs to similarly isolate the chest.

A chest flye exercise alternative also needs to move the chest through its horizontal plane of motion. 

Research does show how varying the type of chest press can help to gain strength and mass.

Equipment Needed For These Exercises

9 Chest Flye Alternatives That Replicate The Same Movement Pattern

1. Floor Flye

Equipment needed for floor flye:

• Dumbbells

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How to do the floor flye:

1. Place a pair of dumbbells on the floor. They should be about 20% heavier than you would normally use for dumbbell flyes.
2. Get down on the floor, sitting on your butt with your knees bent directly behind the dumbbells. Grab hold of the dumbbells and roll back so you’re lying on the floor with the dumbbells held at arm’s length.
3. Bend your elbows slightly and keep them locked in that position.
4. Perform an eccentric fly by arcing your arms down to the floor. 
5. Press the weight back up to the start position.

Floor flye muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

2. Band Chest Flye

Equipment needed for the band chest flye:

• Resistance band

How to do the band chest flye:

1. Place the anchor stopper that comes with your resistance band set at the midpoint of an internal doorway and close the door to lock it in place. Now loop the resistance band through the anchor so that it is hanging down evenly over the door.
2. Grab the band handles in an overhand grip and step about three feet from the door, facing away from it.
3. Assume a starting position with your upper arms extended at chest level and elbows slightly bent. Lock in this arm position. Adjust your position so that the band is taut in the start position.
4. Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your hands back and put to the level of your torso.
5. Reverse under control and continue for the required rep count.

Band chest flye muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

Note: check out our landmine press alternatives if you want more ideas on how to target and develop your shoulder muscles.

3. Slider Push Up

Equipment needed for the slider push up:

• Sliders (or hand cloths)
• A slick floor like hardwood or tiling.

How to do the slider push up :

1. Lie on a slick floor in the standard push up position with sliders (or hand cloths) under your palms. In the start position your hands should be close together with the thumbs touching, feet shoulder width apart and body forming a straight line from the neck to the ankles. 
2. Slowly lower into the bottom push up position. At the same time, slide your hands apart. In the bottom push up position, your hands should be under your shoulders.
3. As you push back up to the start position, slide your hands back together.
4. Repeat for the required rep count.

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Slider push up muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

4. Svend Press

Equipment needed for the Svend press:

• Adjustable weight bench
• Dumbbells

How to do the Svend press:

1. Lie on a flat bench with a pair of dumbbells extended above your mid chest at arm’s length. Have your hands close together so that the dumbbells are pressing into each other. 
2. Lower the weights to your chest, and forcefully push inwards. 
3. Continue this inward pressure, as you push back to the start position. 

Svend press muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

5. Standing Unilateral Cable Press

Equipment needed for the standing unilateral cable press:

• Double cable pulley machine

How to do the standing unilateral cable press

1. Set the pulley to shoulder level. Stand in front of the machine with a staggered stance and grab a single handle with your right hand in an overhand grip. 
2. From a starting position with your elbow at shoulder level at a 45 degree angle to your body, press your right arm forward and slightly down to full extension.
3. Reverse under control and repeat.

Standing unilateral cable press muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

6. Standing Cable Flye

Equipment needed for the standing cable flye:

• Double cable pulley machine

How to do the standing cable flye:

• Set the pulleys to shoulder level and stand in front of the machine, facing away from it with a shoulder width stance. You should be about a foot in front of the weight stacks.
• Grab the handles with an overhand grip. The start position has your arms extended at chest level with elbows slightly bent and locked in position. 
• Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your hands back and put to the level of your torso.
• Reverse under control and continue for the required rep count.

Standing cable flye muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

7. Seated Cable Front Press

Equipment needed for the seated cable front press:

• Double cable pulley machine
• Adjustable weight bench

How to do the seated cable front press:

1. Set the double cable pulley to shoulder level and position a back supported bench about three feet in front of it facing away from the machine. The bench should have a slight incline of around 75 degrees.
2. Sit on the machine and grab the handles with an overhand grip. The start position has your elbows at shoulder level, angled 45 degrees to your upper body, and parallel to the floor.
3. Press both arms forward to full extension at a slight decline, bringing the handles together to meet in line with your sternum.
4. Reverse and repeat.

Seated cable front press muscles worked:

• Pectorals
• Front deltoids
• Triceps

Chest Flye Alternatives: The Bottom Line

While the chest flye isn’t necessarily a bad exercise, it can be a dangerous exercise when done improperly.

Rather than risking rotator cuff problems, you now have the option to do seven other exercises that will work the chest muscles through the horizontal plane. 

You don’t have to add all seven of these exercises to your chest routine. Instead, I recommend testing each of them out and then settling on the two or three that give you the best chest stimulation.

Pair them with a pressing exercise like the decline dumbbell press to cover the horizontal plane of motion for a safe, effective chest workout.

Looking for a beginner weightlifting routine to work the entire body? Check out our complete guide with videos.