Chest
Chest Fly
A wide, hugging arc that stretches and squeezes your chest. Use it after presses to finish the chest off with lighter weight.
- Works
- Chest, front shoulders
- Equipment
- A pair of dumbbells and a bench, box or the floor
- Load
- Light to medium
How to do it
- 1Lie back with the dumbbells pressed up over your chest, palms facing each other.
- 2Bend your elbows slightly and keep that bend the whole time.
- 3Open your arms out wide in an arc until you feel a stretch across your chest.
- 4Squeeze your chest to bring the dumbbells back together over your chest, like hugging a big tree.
Cues
- Same slight bend in the elbows from start to finish.
- Slow on the way down. Feel the stretch, don't chase depth.
- Think about squeezing your arms together, not lifting the weights.
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a press. If your elbows bend and straighten, the weight is too heavy.
- Going too low. Stop when your elbows are level with your body. Lower than that strains the shoulders.
- Going too heavy. This is a light move. Save the big weights for presses.
Easier
Tiff's version is on the floor. The floor stops your arms at a safe depth.
Harder
Take 3 seconds on the way down.
Try it: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
Chest fly or chest press?
Both. The press builds strength with heavier weight; the fly works the chest through a bigger stretch with lighter weight. Press first, fly after.
