The bench press and its variations remain the most popular exercise for building chest size and strength. But don't neglect the dumbbell chest fly exercise and all of its pec-pump versions. The beauty of this exercise is that it hits the triceps hard, so you can focus on your chest as long as you avoid some of the most common dumbbell chest raise mistakes.
Many lifters can't "feel" their chest working on some presses, and the dumbbell chest fly solves that problem. When done well, the dumbbell chest flight promotes an excellent mind-muscle connection for better gains.
But one of the most common mistakes made when dumbbell chest flying is that some people think more is better and let their ego get in the way of achieving success. Here we briefly explain how to do the barbell chest fly and four common chest fly mistakes that are keeping you from getting a massive chest pump.
How to do the dumbbell chest flight
- Lie face up on a flat bench and hold the dumbbells near your chest with a neutral grip.
- With the dumbbells touching, press the weights into the locked position.
- Lower the weights sideways while bending your elbows slightly to avoid straining your elbows.
- When the dumbbells are at shoulder height, tighten your pecs and return the weights to the locked position.
- Reset and repeat.
What is required for good form
t a technical exercise like the deadlift or bench press, the dumbbell chest fly is suitable for everyone from beginner to intermediate. But like most exercises, there are better ways to get the most out of it. Here's what it takes for good breast fly form.
- Good shoulder mobility and health: If you have trouble with this, this exercise may not be for you.
- Healthy Elbows: Even if the triceps aren't engaged, flying puts stress on the elbows, and again, if you're having pain there, this isn't the exercise for you.
- grip strength: If you can't grab it, you can't tear it, and the dumbbell chest fly requires you to hold on to keep your wrist neutral. When the wrist is hyperextended, good things do NOT happen.
- Externally rotated shoulders: If you adopt a caveman stance, you will find it difficult to perform this exercise with good form. External rotation of the shoulders engages the upper back and helps open the chest for best results.
4 common breastflying mistakes
It's a simple exercise that doesn't require any special knowledge or insider secrets. But that doesn't mean you can't make mistakes. You should avoid these four common mistakes to get the most out of this chest isolation exercise.
