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Dumbbell fly
The exercise that stretches your chest like no press does. Also the one that has wrecked the most shoulders by going too low with too much weight, so it pays to get it clear.
What it works
- Pecs, especially in the part of the range where they're stretched
- Front delts, which come along, and the biceps holding the elbow in place
How to do it
- 1Lie down with the dumbbells up
Flat or slightly inclined bench, dumbbells over your chest with your palms facing each other and arms almost straight.
- 2Bend your elbow slightly and keep it there
A fixed bend, of about twenty degrees, that doesn't change during the whole rep. If your elbow bends and straightens, you're doing a press.
- 3Open slowly
Your arms lower in an arc out to the sides. Go down until you feel the stretch in your chest, roughly at bench height, and no further.
- 4Close as if you were hugging
Bring them together by moving your elbows toward each other, not your hands. Stop before the dumbbells touch: at that point your chest isn't working anymore.
The mistakes you see most
- Going too low. Going well past the line of the bench with heavy weight is what ends up bothering the front of your shoulder. You're after the stretch, not the pain.
- Turning it into a press. If your elbows straighten on the way up, your triceps kicks in and your chest rests. Keep the same elbow bend from start to finish.
- Too much weight. It's a long-lever exercise: with big dumbbells there's no way to control the lowering. Here, less is more.
- Lifting your shoulders off the bench. Your shoulder blades stay together and pressed into the bench the whole time. If they lift off, your shoulder is left unprotected.
Variations
- On an incline bench. Loads the upper chest more, which is usually the part that's lacking.
- Standing, on cables. The tension stays the same through the whole range, including at the top, where it's lost with dumbbells.
- On a pec deck machine. The range of motion is guided, so it's the safest way to get close to failure.
- With a wrist twist at the end. Turning your palms inward as you close squeezes a bit more. A minor detail, but you notice it.
Frequently asked questions
How low should I go?
Until you feel the stretch in your chest, which usually means your arms are at bench height or a little below. Going much lower with heavy weight is what tends to end up bothering your shoulder, and it doesn't add more chest.
Flyes or presses?
The press moves more weight and builds more; flyes stretch your chest in a way the press can't. The usual approach is to do the press first and the flyes afterward, with less load.
How many reps?
Ten to fifteen. With fewer than eight, the weight forces you to cheat with your elbow.
Do they lift or shape your chest?
You can't change the shape or position of your chest with an exercise: what you train is the whole muscle, and what changes is its size. You can, however, shift the balance between the upper and lower part by choosing the bench angle.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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