Dumbbell Fly
Muscles worked
Instructions
- 1Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell on each hand resting on top of your thighs. The palms of your hand will be facing each other.
- 2Then using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells, lift the dumbbells one at a time so you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width with the palms of your hands facing each other. Raise the dumbbells up like you're pressing them, but stop and hold just before you lock out. This will be your starting position.
- 3With a slight bend on your elbows in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon, lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Keep in mind that throughout the movement, the arms should remain stationary; the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint.
- 4Return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles and breathe out. Tip: Make sure to use the same arc of motion used to lower the weights.
- 5Hold for a second at the contracted position and repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
About Dumbbell Fly
The dumbbell fly is a pure isolation exercise for the chest, done lying on a flat bench. Arms slightly bent and elbows fixed, you open the dumbbells wide out to the sides to a marked chest stretch, then bring them back together above you in a large arc. Unlike the press, there is no elbow bend: it is the opening and closing of the arms that stretches and contracts the chest fibres. It is the ideal movement for stretch under load and pump, complementing the presses. Choose a moderate load: too heavy, you bend the elbows and turn the fly into a press, on top of stressing the shoulder.
check_circleBenefits
- check_circleIsolates the chest without triceps involvement
- check_circleDeeply stretches the chest muscle fibers
- check_circleImproves the mind-muscle connection with the pecs
lightbulbExecution tips
- lightbulbKeep a fixed elbow angle throughout the movement
- lightbulbOpen the arms until you feel a controlled stretch
- lightbulbImagine hugging a large tree as you close
- lightbulbUse a moderate weight to protect the shoulder
warningCommon mistakes
- warningBending the arms and turning the fly into a press
- warningGoing too low and overstretching the joint
- warningChoosing a load too heavy at the cost of form
- warningClanking the dumbbells together at the top
helpFrequently asked questions
Fly or press for the chest?expand_more
The press builds strength and mass, the fly isolates and stretches; combine both for complete development.
How much weight for flyes?expand_more
Use a lighter weight than for pressing, since the priority is range and feel, not the load.
Dumbbell fly or cable fly?expand_more
The dumbbell fly maximises the stretch at the bottom but lets tension off at the top; the cable keeps constant tension across the whole range. The two complement each other: dumbbells for the stretch, cable for continuous contraction.
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