Dumbbell Flyes

How to do the Dumbbell Flyes

1. Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell on each hand resting on top of your thighs. The palms of your hand will be facing each other.
2. Then using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells, lift the dumbbells one at a time so you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width with the palms of your hands facing each other. Raise the dumbbells up like you're pressing them, but stop and hold just before you lock out. This will be your starting position.
3. With a slight bend on your elbows in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon, lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Keep in mind that throughout the movement, the arms should remain stationary; the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint.
4. Return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles and breathe out. Tip: Make sure to use the same arc of motion used to lower the weights.
5. Hold for a second at the contracted position and repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	chest
Equipment	dumbbell
Difficulty	beginner
Type	isolation

No dumbbell? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Clock Push-Up Bodyweight Decline Push-Up Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Medium Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Wide Bodyweight

Harder than the Dumbbell Flyes

Plyo Kettlebell Pushups expert · Kettlebell Forward Drag with Press intermediate · Other Equipment Drop Push intermediate · Other Equipment

Superset the Dumbbell Flyes with

Opposing traps and middle back work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Dumbbell Shrug traps Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row middle back Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms In middle back Dumbbell Incline Row middle back

Common questions

What muscles does the Dumbbell Flyes work?

The Dumbbell Flyes primarily works the chest. Bodyweight Flyes, Cable Crossover, and Cable Iron Cross train the same muscle, across 11 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Dumbbell Flyes?

Dumbbells. Without dumbbells, Clock Push-Up, Decline Push-Up, and Incline Push-Up train the same muscle, and 17 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Dumbbell Flyes suitable for beginners?

Yes, the Dumbbell Flyes is rated beginner. Plyo Kettlebell Pushups, Forward Drag with Press, and Drop Push are the progressions from here.

Where should the Dumbbell Flyes go in a workout?

Late — the Dumbbell Flyes is isolation work, so it follows your compounds. Supersetting it with Dumbbell Shrug and Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row cuts session time without extra rest.

Similar exercises

Bodyweight Flyes EZ Curl Bar Cable Crossover Cable Machine Cable Iron Cross Cable Machine Flat Bench Cable Flyes Cable Machine Incline Cable Flye Cable Machine Low Cable Crossover Cable Machine