The Machine Chest Fly is a beginner machine fly that primarily trains the chest, with the shoulders assisting. It is useful for training the chest through horizontal adduction with less triceps involvement than a press.
Primary muscles
chest
Secondary muscles
shoulders
Equipment
machine
Difficulty
beginner
TARGET AREA
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
chest
Secondary muscles
shoulders
THE MOVEMENT
How to perform
Adjust the seat so the handles or pads line up comfortably with the chest.
Set the shoulder blades against the pad and keep a small bend in the elbows.
Bring the arms together in a controlled arc until the chest is fully shortened.
Return slowly until you feel a chest stretch without letting the shoulders roll forward.
IRONYOU / CORE
Core cues
Keep a small, consistent bend in the elbows instead of turning the rep into a press.
Move through a chest-focused range you can control without forcing the shoulders too far back.
Think about bringing the upper arms together rather than just moving the hands.
STAY SHARP
Common mistakes
Changing the elbow angle throughout the rep.
Going so deep that the shoulders lose a stable position.
Using momentum or too much load and turning the movement into a press.
YOUR PROGRESS
Your strength
Use your best set to calculate your current IronYou rank and see what comes next.
IRONYOU RANK CALCULATOR
127 exercises. One ladder. Your first rank is free.
Published reference points from the production IronYou rank system.
IronYou has 13 strength ranks: Copper I–III → Silver I–III → Gold I–III → Titanium I–III → IRON. IRON is the highest IronYou rank. The public standards tables show the estimated 1RM required to enter Silver I, Gold I, Titanium I, and IRON. Standards vary by sex and bodyweight.
Logged load: machine or cable stack load. Public value: total stack/load.
Machine Chest Fly Strength Standards — Male
Male
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total stack/load.
Machine Chest Fly estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Male.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
50 kg
19.6 kg
25.9 kg
32.2 kg
45.4 kg
60 kg
21.7 kg
28.7 kg
35.7 kg
50.4 kg
70 kg
23.6 kg
31.2 kg
38.9 kg
54.8 kg
80 kg
25.3 kg
33.5 kg
41.7 kg
58.8 kg
90 kg
26.9 kg
35.6 kg
44.3 kg
62.4 kg
100 kg
28.3 kg
37.4 kg
46.6 kg
65.7 kg
110 kg
29.5 kg
39.1 kg
48.7 kg
68.7 kg
120 kg
30.7 kg
40.7 kg
50.6 kg
71.3 kg
Machine Chest Fly Strength Standards — Female
Female
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total stack/load.
Machine Chest Fly estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Female.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
40 kg
8.4 kg
11.1 kg
13.8 kg
19.5 kg
50 kg
11.2 kg
14.8 kg
18.4 kg
26 kg
60 kg
12.9 kg
17.1 kg
21.3 kg
30 kg
70 kg
14 kg
18.6 kg
23.1 kg
32.6 kg
80 kg
14.7 kg
19.4 kg
24.2 kg
34.1 kg
90 kg
15.1 kg
20 kg
24.9 kg
35.1 kg
100 kg
15.4 kg
20.4 kg
25.3 kg
35.7 kg
IronYou-specific standard; resistance can vary between machines/equipment.
Values are estimated 1RM thresholds required to enter the named IronYou major rank tier.
Standards are derived from the production IronYou Rank V1 model.
IronYou-specific standard; resistance can vary between machines/equipment.
KEEP EXPLORING
Variations
Related variations: Single Arm Horizontal Cable Chest Fly, Single Arm Low to High Cable Chest Fly, and Single Arm High to Low Cable Chest Fly.
Choose the version that matches your equipment, joint comfort, and the movement you can repeat consistently.
EARLY ACCESS
Track Machine Chest Fly in IronYou.
Keep your last session, progress and next target with you when you train.