Dumbbell Chest Fly

How to do it

1. Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell on each thigh, then lie back as you bring the weights up to your chest.
2. Press the dumbbells up over your chest with palms facing each other and a soft bend in the elbows.
3. Lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc, keeping that elbow bend locked the whole time.
4. Stop when you feel a deep stretch across the chest and the elbows are roughly level with the bench.
5. Pause briefly at the bottom of the stretch without dropping deeper or losing the elbow angle.
6. Squeeze the chest to bring the dumbbells back together over your chest in the same wide arc.

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows mid-rep so the lift turns into a sloppy press and pulls the triceps in.
• Going too heavy and dropping into a deep stretch fast, which strains the front shoulders.
• Clanking the dumbbells together at the top instead of stopping just short and squeezing the chest.
• Cutting the range short by stopping high so the chest never gets the stretch the fly is meant for.