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I'm heading out to the gym soon and was just wondering... what is the difference between doing a cable fly and a dumbbell fly? (What are the benefits of doing one over the other)

Free weights incorporate stabilizing muscles (core muscles such as abs and lower back) and synergy muscles (such as anterior delts). In other words, free weights engage muscles other than the "muscles you are working out", and therefore efficiently work out your body as a whole, as opposed to completely isolating a muscle.

On a cable fly you also cannot properly gauge how much weight you are lifting due to the use of pulleys (Setting the cable plate weight at 70 lbs doesn't mean you could as easily do a free weight fly with two 35 lb free weights, in fact a lot of that weight is significantly reduced).

One con to free weights is that it is easier to cheat than on cables or machines unless you constantly check you have good form.

I am a huge fan of free weights, so I do love the Dumbbell Flys.

Remember to only pull back until you start to feel the stretch in your chest and lock your elbows!

my trainer has me doing the dumbell flys on my stomach..for rear shoulder and the cables for front.

I do both. I personally get more from the cable fly than with dumbbells but I like to switch it up now and then.

You'll want to research independent movement versus locked movement for bodybuilding. There are a wealth of resources online.

In general, dumbbells will give you a fuller range of motion, working the muscle through a full range of motion, stretching it more, and involve more ancillary muscles / assistor muscles, so you'll end up with less injury and a more balanced physique, provided you do angonist / antagonist training. Stretched muscles can be up to 30% larger and exercising through a full range of motion helps to prevent injury. Barbells limit your range of motion, but, of course, not as much as a machine. Hand injuries occur more often in barbell exercise as your position is locked. Compound movements, like squats, and dead lifts, but not so much bench, with barbells, can give you a stronger base and help you with proprioception. If you're wanting to get stronger, and lift heavier weights, machines should be your last choice.

Cables vary the angle, but, at the end of the day, any particular joint only bends through certain plains of motions (e.g. your shoulders have 5), and how you work your muscle through those planes of motion really doesn't matter, as long as you don't "bind" your range of motion. If you're lean, and like looking at yourself in the mirrors, cables can be fun, but, incline dumbbell flies are likely more effective. You can more effectively load yourself with dumbbells, generally.

You've been too lazy to provide profile information, so, it's hard to tell what might be best for you.

cbicm79 saidI do both. I personally get more from the cable fly than with dumbbells but I like to switch it up now and then.

Cable flys will rip you up, but dumbells will add bulk!! I like them both as well.

Thank you for the information guys.
Sorry I took so long... procrastination is murder.
I will try to do both... I'm just very inexperienced when it comes to cables.

chuckystud said
You've been too lazy to provide profile information, so, it's hard to tell what might be best for you.

Haha. What does that mean?
Should I pour my heart and soul into it?

chuckystud said

You've been too lazy to provide profile information, so, it's hard to tell what might be best for you.

Why do you end all your posts like this? Why bother contributing if you're just going to end everything like a complete cunt?