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chest

Dumbbell Fly

Lying on a flat bench, you open your arms wide with light dumbbells and bring them back together above your chest. A stretch-and-squeeze exercise for the chest.

beginnerdumbbellsflat bench

Dumbbell Fly, start position
START
Dumbbell Fly, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START2
  1. Choose light dumbbells; this exercise uses far less weight than a press.
  2. Stand the dumbbells on the floor at the end of the bench.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit on the end of the bench with a dumbbell standing on each thigh.
  2. Lie back and use your thighs to kick the dumbbells up to your chest, one at a time.
  3. Plant both feet flat on the floor.
  4. Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms facing each other.
  5. Bend your elbows slightly and keep them bent that way for the whole set. Like hugging a big tree.

Check: The dumbbells are above your chest, almost touching, with your elbows slightly bent.

Open your arms

  1. Move your arms out to the sides in a wide arc, keeping the same slight bend.
  2. Stop when the dumbbells are about level with your chest.

Check: You feel a stretch across your chest and your upper arms are about level with the bench, no lower.

Bring them together

  1. Squeeze your chest to bring the dumbbells back up in the same arc. Think of hugging the tree, not pressing.

Check: The dumbbells are back above your chest, almost touching, with the same slight bend in your elbows.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then bring the dumbbells to your chest and sit up.

Breathe in as you open your arms for 2 to 3 seconds; breathe out as you bring them together in about 1 second.

MUSCLES WORKED
Dumbbell Fly: muscles worked, front view
Dumbbell Fly: muscles worked, back view

chestfront delts

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Bending the elbows more on the way up, turning it into a press. Fix: Keep the same slight bend the whole time.
  • Lowering the dumbbells far below chest level. Over-stretches the shoulder. Fix: Stop when your upper arms are level with the bench.
  • Using press-weight dumbbells. Fix: Go lighter; this is a stretch exercise, not a strength lift.
SAFETY2
  • Keep the weights light; the shoulder is in a vulnerable position at the bottom.
  • Stop if you feel pain in the front of the shoulder.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • dumbbells Much lighter than you would press.
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: peck deck

harder: cable crossover

variants: incline dumbbell fly, dumbbell bench press

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