Incline Dumbbell Flyes

Starting position

1. Set the bench back to a 30–45° incline.
2. Sit with the dumbbells on your thighs, lie back and bring them up over your upper chest.
3. Palms face each other, elbows slightly bent — keep this angle throughout.
4. Feet on the floor, shoulder blades pulled together and pressed into the pad.

Execution

1. Inhale and slowly open your arms out to the sides in a wide arc, as if hugging a big tree trunk.
2. Lower until you feel a light stretch in your chest — about shoulder level, no lower.
3. Exhale and bring the dumbbells back together over your chest along the same arc.
4. Don't clank the dumbbells at the top — keep the muscles under tension.

Common mistakes

• Elbows bending more and more — the fly turns into a press.
• Dumbbells dropping below shoulder level — the shoulder joint gets overstretched.
• Dumbbells too heavy — you lose control at the bottom and injury risk rises.
• Bench too steep — the front delts take over.

Beginner tips

• This is an isolation move: go noticeably lighter than on the dumbbell press.
• Move slowly, especially on the way down — 2–3 seconds.
• Do it after your main presses when your chest is warmed up.

Alternatives

• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press — the core upper-chest exercise
• Standing Cable Crossover — constant cable tension
• Machine Chest Fly — fixed path