For upper-chest growth
For upper-chest growth, incline machine press and low-to-high cable fly score the same on every criterion.
Both are good choices, and they train the upper chest differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Incline Machine Press. A guided incline press: easy to push hard and add weight, with the angle shifting work toward the upper chest.
Low-to-High Cable Fly. Steady cable tension angled up toward the upper chest, with less load in the stretch than a classic fly.
For upper-chest growth, incline machine press and low-to-high cable fly score the same on every criterion. Both are good choices, and they train the upper chest differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Incline machine press needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Low-to-high cable fly needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
About the same: both rate Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.