Flat Dumbbell Flyes

Starting position

1. Pick up the dumbbells, sit on the end of a flat bench and lie back while holding them against your chest.
2. Plant your feet on the floor, pull your shoulder blades together and press them into the bench. Hips, shoulder blades and head stay on the bench for the whole set.
3. Press the dumbbells up over your chest with palms facing each other.
4. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and hold that angle for the entire set.

Execution

1. Inhale and slowly lower your arms out to the sides in a wide arc, as if hugging a big tree.
2. Go down until you feel a stretch in your chest and your elbows are roughly level with the bench — no lower.
3. Exhale and bring the dumbbells back up along the same arc, squeezing your chest.
4. Stop the dumbbells a few centimetres apart at the top instead of clanging them together.

Common mistakes

• Bending and straightening the arms during the rep — the fly turns into a press and the chest gets less stretch.
• Lowering too deep — the front of the shoulder joint is overloaded and injury risk rises.
• Locked-out, straight elbows — stress shifts to the elbow joints and ligaments.
• Dumbbells that are too heavy — you lose control at the bottom, where the shoulder is most vulnerable.

Beginner tips

• Use lighter dumbbells than for the bench press: stretch and control matter more than load here.
• Take 2–3 seconds to lower and come up a little faster.
• If your shoulder hurts, shorten the range or swap the exercise.

Alternatives

• Machine Chest Fly — guided path, easier to control the range
• Standing Cable Crossover — cable tension through the whole range
• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press — a compound chest movement with heavier weight