Chest / Beginner / Isolation (single joint)

Incline Dumbbell Fly

A fly on an incline bench that stretches and works the upper chest.

At a glance

Primary

Chest

Secondary

Front delts, Biceps

Equipment

Dumbbells, Bench

Movement pattern

Fly / hug

Level

Beginner

Type

Chest, Isolation (single joint)

Loads the shoulder. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Lie on an incline bench holding dumbbells above your chest, palms facing each other.
2. With a slight bend in the elbows, lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc.
3. Stop when you feel a stretch across the chest.
4. Squeeze the chest to bring the dumbbells back together above you.

Tips

• Keep the elbow angle fixed.
• Do not lower past shoulder level.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Lowering heavy dumbbells far below the chest.

  Why it hurts: Long arms at full stretch put a big lever on the shoulder and pec tendon, a common way to tear it.

  ✓ Instead: Use light weights, keep a slight elbow bend and stop when the elbows are level with the torso.

• ✗ Bending the elbows more and more until it is a press.

  Why it hurts: The arm angle changes under load and the shoulder loses its stable position.

  ✓ Instead: Fix the elbow angle at the start and keep it through the whole rep.

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