What Are Dumbbell Flies?

Dumbbell flies are a weight lifting exercise designed to improve the look of the middle of the chest. They focus work on the interior pectoral muscles and increase definition of the chest. Dumbbell flies are performed with a pair of dumbbells while lying down on a weight bench.

  1. Features

    • To perform dumbbell flies pick, up a relatively light weight in each hand. You will need to experiment to determine how much weight is right for your dumbbell flies. Start with a lighter weight then slowly work your way up. Lie down on a weight bench and raise both dumbbells straight up over your chest with your arms straight. This is your starting position. Spread both arms outward in a wide arc until your arms are out at your sides. Your arms can be slightly bent. This is the "fly" part of the dumbbell flies. It is called that because you look like you are flying. Follow the same arc back up until the dumbbells return to the starting position. This is one repetition of the dumbbell fly.

    Function

    • If you are forced to bend your arms excessively or arch your back to fly the weight back up, you are lifting too much weight. Dumbbell flies are a specialized exercise that is best done with a light weight. Perfect form is preferable to lifting more. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetition. If your chest is not burning as you complete a set, increase the weight or slow your reps and perform them with stricter form.

    Effects

    • Dumbbell flies are one of the best free weight exercises to improve the appearance of your chest. It separates and defines pectoral muscles giving a chiseled look. They can also be done at incline and decline angles to work the interior pectoral muscles in different ways. Dumbbell flies work best when they are combined with bench presses which build the size of the pectoral muscles.

    Considerations

    • If you performed the dumbbell flies correctly you should feel soreness in your chest a day or two later. It is important to rest your chest until the soreness goes away. When the muscles heal they are bigger and stronger than before. Sleep and increased protein intake also help with muscle healing. Rest is as important as resistance exercise in the muscle building process.

    Warning

    • Use relatively light weight while performing dumbbell flies. Heavier is not better. To work the interior of the chest you must use perfect form. Heavy weights encourage you to cheat by arching your back and throwing the weight up. This does not work the targeted muscles and could cause serious injury.