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Dumbbell Flye

Dumbbell FlyeDumbbell Flye
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At a glance

Equipment
Pair of dumbbells + flat bench
Suggested reps
3 sets of 10–15 reps

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Common mistakes

  • You bend the elbows more as the set gets hard, turning the flye into a press and shortening the lever that makes it work.

  • You drop into the stretch too fast and too deep, letting the shoulders take strain the chest should absorb slowly.

  • You go too heavy, which forces both of the above cheats and shrinks the range to a small pump in the middle.

What to focus on

  • Lock the elbow bend in at the start and keep that exact angle through the whole arc, like hugging a barrel.

  • Feel the chest fibers lengthen at the bottom and initiate the lift from the chest, not by yanking with the arms.

  • Imagine squeezing something between your upper arms at the top rather than just bringing the hands together.

Featured in these guides

The Arnold Split, with DumbbellsArnold's classic chest-and-back, shoulders-and-arms, legs rotation hits every muscle twice a week — and it maps onto a pair of adjustable dumbbells almost perfectly. Here's how to run it without a barbell.

Related strength moves

Barbell Bench Press

Barbell Bench Press

Diamond Push-up

Diamond Push-up

Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Bench Press

Incline Dumbbell Press

Incline Dumbbell Press

Push-Up Plus

Push-Up Plus

Push-up

Push-up

Sources & further reading

  1. 1.Surface EMG confirms the dumbbell flye recruits the pectoralis major, though the barbell bench press drives higher overall pec activation — Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2020)