The bench press and its variations remain the go-to exercises for developing chest size and strength. But don’t overlook the dumbbell chest flye and all of its pec pumping versions. The beauty of this exercise is that it takes a lot of the triceps out of the movement so you can focus on the chest as long as you avoid some of the common dumbbell chest flight mistakes.
Many lifters can’t “feel” their chest working with certain variations of the press, and the dumbbell chest fly solves that problem. When performed with good form, the dumbbell chest flight will encourage a great mind-muscle connection for greater gains.
But one of the most common mistakes is that some think more is better and let ego get in the way of their gains. Here we’ll briefly explain how to do the dumbbell chest fly and four common chest fly mistakes that prevent you from getting a massive chest pump.
How to Do the Dumbbell Chest Fly
- Lie face up on a flat bench with dumbbells held with a neutral grip close to your chest.
- Press the weights up to the lock position with the dumbbells touching.
- Lower the weights laterally, bending your elbows slightly to avoid elbow strain.
- When the dumbbells are at shoulder level, squeeze your chest muscles and lower the weights back into the lock position.
- Reset and repeat.
What it takes for a good shape
The dumbbell chest fly is not a technical exercise like a deadlift or bench press and will benefit everyone from beginners to advanced lifters. But like most exercises, there are better ways to do it to get the most out of it. Here is what is needed for a good breast shape.
- Decent shoulder mobility and health: If you have trouble with either, this exercise may not be for you.
- healthy elbows: Even if the triceps are not used, the flies put pressure on the elbows, and if you have pain there, again, this is not the exercise for you.
- Grip strength: if you can’t grab it, you can’t rip it, and the dumbbell chest fly requires you to hold on tight to keep your wrist neutral. When the wrist hyperextends, good things will NOT happen.
- Shoulders turned outwards: If you have a caveman posture, you will find this exercise difficult to do with good form. External shoulder rotation engages the upper back and helps open the chest for best results.
4 Common Breast Theft Mistakes
This is a simple exercise requiring no special knowledge or insider secrets. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes. You need to avoid these four common mistakes to get the most out of this chest isolation exercise.
