How to do a Dumbbell Fly
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Dumbbell Fly
Flat Bench
Dumbbells
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Dumbbell Fly’s are one of the most common isolation chest exercises, and for good. It primarily targets the muscles in the chest, but also recruits the shoulders for stability. The use of dumbbells ensures that you’re targeting each side of the body independently, and prevents compensating for any weaknesses between sides. In addition the isolated nature of this exercise is a great way to fatigue your chest, and focus on building both muscle mass and increasing strength in your chest.
- Lie your back onto a bench while squeezing your shoulder blades together and placing your heels firmly on the ground underneath your knees.
- The bench should be in contact with your head, shoulders, and butt at all times.
- Position the dumbbells so that they are over your shoulders, palms facing inward, and your elbows are slightly bent.
- Keeping your core braced by breathing into your stomach and flexing the abdominal muscles, laterally lower the dumbbells in a wide arc to the sides while keeping your elbows slightly bent.
- Once the dumbbells have been lowered to the same height as your chest, exhale to return the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Common Form Mistakes
High Resistance
Extending your arms away from your body increases the tension placed on your joint’s and muscles. Keep the resistance for this exercise fairly light, and focus on moving slowly, and controlling the movement before you add more resistance.
Pausing at the Top
While your arms are extended up above your chest, there is very little tension on the muscles. Try to minimize the amount of time you’re allowing your muscles to rest at the top of the movement. You can slow down your reps as you extend your arms to either side, or consider trying a cable or banded variation of this exercise.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Dumbbell Fly standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps17.5lbs1 Rep Max22.5lbs
- intermediate8reps22.5lbs30lbs
- advanced8reps25lbs30lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Dumbbell Fly
1. Machine Fly
98.2 mSCORESWAPPED 41,985 TIMESMachine Fly is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly. This isolation chest exercise primarily targets the chest, but also recruits the shoulders. The use of a machine makes the exercise more stable allowing you to focus on exertion or learn the movement with minimal risk of injury. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to learn the movement, or advanced lifters looking to push this movement to it’s limit.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Fly Machine
2. Cable Crossover Fly
97.3 mSCORESWAPPED 16,722 TIMESCable Crossover Fly is an isolation exercise that targets the chest. It’s a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly, and can easily be adapted to further isolate specific areas of the chest. Using cables to add resistance allows you to keep more consistent tension on your chest, as well as control the angle that the resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Cable Crossover
3. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 13,382 TIMESDumbbell Bench Press is a variation on the standard Bench Press. Like Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, while also training the triceps and shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for greater instability which can help you become more stable on pushing movements in general, while also isolating each side of the body to prevent you from compensating for any weaknesses between sides.
4. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
99 mSCORESWAPPED 9,354 TIMESDumbbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but the incline also places more emphasis on the shoulders. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise more unstable than its barbell counterpart, while also forcing you to address any strength discrepancies between sides.
5. Machine Bench Press
93.5 mSCORESWAPPED 7,927 TIMESMachine Bench Press is a compound exercise the primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion which can be a great way to learn the movement, or to focus your effort on exertion rather than stability.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Bench Press Machine
6. Dumbbell Incline Fly
91.1 mSCORESWAPPED 7,632 TIMESDumbbell Incline Fly emphasizes the upper chest, improving muscle definition and shoulder flexibility. Performed on an incline, it targets the upper pectorals while also engaging deltoids and triceps, offering a comprehensive upper body workout that enhances strength and aesthetics.
7. Barbell Bench Press
99.2 mSCORESWAPPED 7,457 TIMESBench Press is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common upper body exercises. It’s a fantastic compound exercise that can help you build strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking upper body strength in general.
8. Hammerstrength Chest Press
94.3 mSCORESWAPPED 5,946 TIMESHammerstrength Chest Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Bench Press. Similar to Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a Hammerstrength machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion. This can help you either learn the movement, or focus your efforts on exertion rather than stability.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Hammerstrength (Leverage) Machine (all forms)
9. Push Up
94.5 mSCORESWAPPED 4,702 TIMESPush Ups may be the most recognizable exercises out there. It’s one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, and is a great way to develop functional strength in your upper body for pushing movements. It’s fantastic for beginners, or anyone with limited equipment, while still being a great addition for even the most seasoned lifters.
- Intermediate
- Chest
10. Dumbbell Squeeze Press
91.1 mSCORESWAPPED 3,464 TIMESSimilar to other Bench Press variations, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Unlike many other variations, some of the tension from this exercise is caused by pressing two dumbbells together rather than simply relying on the weight of those dumbbells. This helps maintain more tension in your chest throughout the movement without relying on other pieces of equipment. The positioning of the dumbbells can also take some tension out of your shoulders, and helps to further isolate your chest.