The prone T, prone bench posterior fly, standing cable posterior fly are all essentially variations of the same exercise. They all involve movement of the arm (straight arm) in the horizontal plane from flexion to extension and require the muscles around the shoulder blade and back (rhomboids, traps, lev. scap, rot. cuff, lats etc etc) to work. This exercise has been a staple in my training since having hurt my shoulder a couple of years ago and I attribute this exercise and a number of others to being the reason why I can continue to train regularly and without any major recurrence of my shoulder complaint. Like many of my clients, the vast majority of us spend way too much time working in front of us as well as having undertaken some form of resistance training that was imbalanced or poorly programmed which resulted in some acute or overuse injury. For me this was dropping off all of my movement prep on training days and focusing on the primary lifts due to a lack of time due to work and family commitments. As a result I paid the price and developed pain which impacted family, work and social life (training in the gym).
If you are looking to implement this or one of the many variations into your program, aim for lower loads, higher reps and build strength endurance. This exercise is quite challenging because of the straight arm (long lever) and one can quickly perform this exercise poorly if loading too heavily.
If you are currently experiencing any shoulder pain or would simply like some additional input into your strength and conditioning program, please feel free to book a time to see one of our osteopaths at Principle Four Osteopathy. Principle Four Osteopathy is located at Level 4, 178 Collins St, Melbourne City CBD 3000. Appointments can be made by calling 0396709290 or booking online @
https://principle4.cliniko.com/bookings#service