Dumbbell Fly
A chest isolation move on a flat bench. With a slight, fixed bend in your elbows, you open your arms in a wide arc and hug the dumbbells back together over your chest.
Open your arms in a wide arc, elbows slightly bent
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How to do it
- Lie on a flat bench with your feet planted and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Press the dumbbells up over your chest, palms facing each other, and bend your elbows slightly.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down, and keep your head, upper back and glutes on the bench.
- Keeping the same elbow bend, lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until they are level with your chest and you feel a stretch.
- Squeeze your chest to bring them back up along the same arc, as if hugging a tree, until they nearly touch.
Common mistakes
- Lowering the dumbbells below the bench, which overstretches the front of the shoulder.
- Bending and straightening the elbows, which turns the fly into a press.
- Locking the elbows straight, which strains them.
- Going too heavy. Flyes work best with a light weight you can control through the whole arc.
Sets and reps
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | 2–3 | 10–12 | 60–90 s |
| Muscle size | 3–4 | 10–15 | 60–90 s |
Use much lighter dumbbells than you press. With your arms nearly straight, the weight acts on a long lever, and a load that's too heavy strains the shoulders at the bottom. Treat flyes as an accessory after your presses, not a strength lift.
These are starting points for healthy adults. End each set with a little left in the tank, and move up once you reach the top of a range. The research behind them: How Many Sets and Reps? and How Long to Rest Between Sets.
Variations
- Cable crossover: Cables keep tension on the chest through the whole arc, including the top where dumbbells go slack.
- Incline dumbbell fly: The bench raised to about 30° to put more of the work on the upper chest.
- Machine fly: A pec deck guides the arc, so you can focus on the squeeze without balancing the weights.
The animation shows general technique, not advice for your body. If you have an injury or are new to lifting, check your form with a qualified coach. See the Disclaimer.
Plan your training
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Related exercises
Barbell Bench Press
The classic chest builder. Lying on a flat bench, you lower a barbell to your lower chest with your elbows tucked, then press it back up over your shoulders.
View in 3D →Dumbbell Bench Press
A flat-bench chest press with a dumbbell in each hand. Each arm works on its own, and the hands can travel a little further than with a barbell.
View in 3D →Incline Dumbbell Press
A chest press on a bench set to a low incline, which shifts more of the work to the upper chest and front of the shoulders.
View in 3D →