If you’re looking to build a bigger, well-shaped chest with that ‘chest separation”’ look, dumbbell flyes are a must-have addition to your workout routine.
A well-shaped chest is one of the most important qualities of a good physique. To achieve this requires training with a variety of exercises to develop upper, lower and inside muscle of the pectorals.
A Dumbbell fly or flyes is a strength training exercise in which the hand and arm move through an arc while the elbow is kept at a constant angle. Flies are used to work the pectoralis major muscles.
The dumbbell fly, a bodybuilding favorite, is an isolation exercise and are usually performed after big compound lifts, like the bench and incline press. It is considered to be the perfect finishing move and a great way to focus on your chest after many pressing exercises.
Dumbbell fly Muscles Worked
A dumbbell fly works the primary work on pectoral muscle of your chest and as well as the fronts of the shoulders. These muscles allow you to move your arm across your chest, such as in a pressing or hugging motion.
Dumbbell fly also engage the rhomboids at the upper back and the biceps as stabilizing muscles.
The move involves the rotator cuff and the back of the shoulders, as well as the serratus anterior, a muscle along the ribs that helps keep your shoulders in proper alignment. Unlike most other chest exercises, the dumbbell fly does not use the triceps muscles, which are at the back of the upper arm.
What is Dumbbell Fly
Dumbbell flyes, are an isolation exercise and are usually performed after compound exercises, like the bench and incline press. The dumbbell fly is considered to be the perfect finishing move and a great way to focus on your chest after a lot of pressing exercises.
It is highly versatile and thus very effective in a weight-training regimen. Although you perform the basic exercise while lying horizontally on a bench, using an incline or decline bench allows you to adjust the exercise to add variety to your workout.
The target muscle between the traditional and declined dumbbell fly changes as the angle of the bench changes. And using a decline bench provides a challenging variation to the exercise. It requires minimal equipment, making it convenient even if you prefer to exercise at home.
Flies can be performed using any weight that can be held in the hand. The simplest equipment to use is a dumbbell, though the exercise can also be performed using a cable machine. Dumbbell fly can be performed supine, sitting or standing upright.
Benefits of Dumbbell Fly
- The dumbbell chest fly can help open up your chest muscles. Chest openers may help reduce upper back pain, increase range of motion, and reduce tightness in the upper body.
- Having a stronger chest will not only enhance your physique, but will also help you out with daily activities and improve your sporting performance.
- While the main focus of a dumbbell fly is on your chest, it will also target muscles in your shoulders, back, and arms which are used to help stabilize the weight during the exercise.
- The dumbbell fly doesn’t require much equipment to perform. You can do dumbbell flyes while lying on the floor if you don’t have a bench.
Dumbbell Chest Fly Form and Technique
- Start with a light set of dumbbells, if you’re a beginner, and slowly increase the amount of weight each week as you build strength.
- Don’t let the dumbbells touch as they meet at the top, holding for a second in the contracted position.
- Make sure you keep your elbows bent. You should never fully straighten your arms, or lock them out, as this forces the weight you’re lifting onto the elbows and shoulder joints, which increases your chance of injury.
- Don’t let your elbows drop too far when you’re in the start position, they should remain in line with your torso when you’re lying on the bench.
- Maintain control, with a 4-second descent, slight pause and contract with a reverse motion, hold and repeat.
- Pick a weight that you can control, that’s not too light or too heavy — find what’s right for you.
- Maintain tension in your abs and don’t allow your lower back to excessively arch.
1. Dumbbell Chest fly Guide
The dumbbell fly utilizes a chest fly movement pattern to isolate the muscles of the chest, helping the muscles to grow better and become stronger.
It is often thought of as a classic bodybuilding movement, as the goal of the exercise is to isolate the chest for aesthetic purposes. The dumbbell fly targets all areas of the pecs, but most significantly the inner chest.
How To Do Dumbbell fly
- Lie on the flat bench with your feet flat on the floor.
- Lift your arms straight up from your shoulders and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
- Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above.
- Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your pec muscles to draw them back together.
Tips
- Perform press in a controlled manner.
Best Variations Of Incline Dumbbell Fly
The dumbbell fly can be done in different ways to suit your fitness level.
If you are a dumbbell chest fly, you may want to apply a few modifications to make the easier. One way to achieve this is by doing dumbbell flies on a flat bench, or by using a lighter weight.
If you are looking for a more advanced variation to stimulate different muscle fibers in the chest, then try incline dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell fly and Standing Upward Chest Fly. You can make it more challenging by adjusting the bench angle and using heavier weight. But please focus on form while you’re doing it.
1. Incline Dumbbell Fly
The incline dumbbell fly is a variation of the dumbbell fly. The incline dumbbell fly is an isolated strength exercise that targets the upper chest muscle. Do not perform a basic flat bench fly because the incline bench position allows for the isolation of the harder-to-develop upper pectorals.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Upper pectoralis major.
Secondary: Anterior deltoid, biceps.
How To Do Incline Dumbbell Fly
- Set an incline bench at a 30-to 45-degree angle. Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
- Lift your arms straight up from your shoulders and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
- Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above
- Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your pec muscles to draw them back together.
Tips
- Perform press in a controlled manner.
- Set the bench at about 30-45 degrees inclined. Do not go more upright as the stress shifts more to shoulders rather than the chest area.
2. Decline Dumbbell Fly
The decline dumbbell chest fly is a variation of the dumbbell fly used to target the muscles of the chest. In particular, the decline dumbbell chest fly targets the lower chest due to the decline angle used.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Lower pectoralis.
Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.
How To Do Decline Dumbbell Fly
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie on your back on a decline bench. Hook your feet into the footpad or roller.
- Extend the dumbbells above your chest. Turn the palms to face each other and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
- Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above.
- Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your lower pec muscles to draw them back together.
Tips
- Keep the movement slow and controlled.
- Use a slight decline, such as 30 degrees. Extremes are never the best option.
- If you’re using very heavyweights, have a spotter to handle dumbbells for you once your body is in position.
3. Standing Upward Chest Fly
Standing dumbbell chest fly is a good exercise to target your upper chest. With only a pair of dumbbells, you can make your chest area broader and more developed.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Upper pectoralis.
Secondary: Anterior deltoid, biceps, core.
How To Do Standing Upward Chest Fly
- In a standing position, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing upward.
- Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and your arms down straight in front of your center.
- Extend your arms up and out to the sides, keeping your elbows straight and your arms at chest level.
- Bring them back to the center to finish a single rep.
Tips
- Exhale during the concentric (muscle-shortening) part of the motion.
- Your arms and shoulders will work, but most of the work should be done with the pecs.
Best Alternative of Dumbbell Fly
Before we deep dive into the best dumbbell fly alternatives. We must remember, a good dumbbell chest fly alternative will be able to satisfy the following criteria:
1. Activate the chest muscle groups which is trained in the dumbbell chest fly
2. Isolate the muscle groups during execution
3. Train the chest muscle through a longer range of motion
1. Seated Machine Fly
Machine fly is a machine exercise that primarily targets the chest and is the best alternate of a dumbbell fly. You really need the machine to fly equipment.
There are many machines fly variations that you can try out, which require different types of machine fly equipment, or may even require no equipment at all.
2. Dumbbell Squeeze Press
The dumbbell squeeze press is a great alternative to the dumbbell fly to develop the pectoral muscles.
During the squeeze press, the dumbbells are kept in contact with each other at all times, and you’re actively squeezing them inward (against each other) as hard as possible.
3. Incline Cable Fly
Incline Cable fly is one of the most suitable exercises for isolating the upper chest muscles. If cable setup is available, you should try it as an alternative to dumbbell chest fly.
Performing this exercise with cables instead of dumbbells allows for constant tension, which helps build upper chest fibers, it is the best alternate of Incline dumbbell fly.
4. Low Pulley Cable Crossover
Low pulleys cable crossover exercise helps to build huge pectorals. The cable provides constant tension, helping build upper pecs. Standing cable crossovers exercise helps to develop and define upper and inner pectoral muscles.
Cable provides constant resistance and helps develop central chest muscles and providing the much-needed stress and inner pecs, for which bodybuilders crave.
Takeaway
The dumbbell chest fly may be a good exercise to strengthen your chest, shoulder, and arm muscles. Dumbbell flyes are often overlooked, especially when compared to other chest exercises. If you want to develop a well-shaped chest and added thickness, they are just as important as the flat bench press.
If you are a beginner, it is best to start with a light set of dumbbells. As you gain strength, you can slowly increase the amount of weight.
FAQ
Are dumbbell chest flys good?
Yes, dumbbell chest fly is the good exercise, that can help to open up your chest muscles. If you want to develop a well-shaped chest and added thickness, then the incline and declines fly are equally important to the bench press.
Chest openers may help reduce upper back pain, increase range of motion, and reduce tightness in the upper body.
Are standing dumbbell flys good for chest?
Standing dumbbell is a good exercise to target your Mid and upper chest. It is also a good alternative to dumbbell fly, which you can do at home with only a pair of dumbbells. Standing dumbbell fly can make your chest area broader and more developed.
What muscles do dumbbell chest flys work?
When you are doing a dumbbell fly, you work both of your chest muscles: the larger pectoralis major and the smaller pectoralis minor. As you switch between incline and decline positions, the muscles worked during the dumbbell fly will also change. The incline dumbbell fly focuses more on the upper pecs, and the decline dumbbell chest fly works the lower pecs.
Do chest flys build mass?
Chest fly is an isolation exercise. To build mass and gain overall muscle growth from compounds, which work multiple muscle fibers, we need to add isolation exercises as well.
Should I do flat or incline flyes?
Both of these exercises are excellent for building chest muscles, and each allows you to work different muscles.
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