Is Incline Or Flat Dumbbell Flys Better? Both the incline and flat dumbbell fly are effective chest exercises, but they do have some differences which can make one more suitable depending on your goal. The incline version works the upper chest more, while the flat fly works the pectorals more evenly.
It can also be easier on the shoulders for some people. For overall chest development, flat bench flies are often considered better. For targeting the upper chest, inclined flies are more effective. Incorporating both variations into your routine can provide a well-rounded chest workout.
For GENERAL chest growth, for a large majority of people, flat movements are going to be more productive than incline movements as it will build a greater mass of the pectorals. Pecs are thicker at the bottom for a reason. That's where a majority of the fibers are.
Adjust your bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline, and then sit with your back flat on the bench, feet flat on the floor, a dumbbell in each hand. 2. Push the dumbbells above your chest, arms straight but not locked out. This is your starting position.
Research shows that performing an incline chest press with a 30 degree bench angle is the best for the upper chest. Mistake #2: Not engaging the shoulder blades in your incline presses also makes shoulders round forward which allows the front delt to be dominant.
Mistake # 3: Lifting too heavy
Another mistake is doing dumbbell flys with very heavy dumbbells. First off, fitness experts maintain this exercise is more of a finishing move which complements compound chest variations such as the barbell bench press and its inclined version.
Walking or running on a flat treadmill primarily works your lower body muscles. But, including incline training may benefit endurance and muscle-building because, as Harvard Health reports, it “generates more muscle activity than walking or running on a flat surface, since you work against gravity.”
The ideal bench angle for incline bench press is a range: 15-45 degrees. But here's why 15 degrees might not always be ideal depending on one significant factor. The greater you naturally arch, the higher the incline l'd recommend.
For targeting all of the chest, the flat bench is best. This study found it activates the middle and lower pecs more effectively. It's also a good choice for beginners. If you want to focus on your upper chest, an incline bench can help.
Chest Flys Work Upper Body, Core Body Muscles, and Pectoralis Major. The move is known for providing a upper-body & core workout. It works the chest, shoulders, triceps, lower back, and core. Chest flys specifically target the pectoral muscles, which are essential for power and movement in the chest and shoulder areas.
Lie back on the bench, then press the dumbbells up above your chest with a neutral grip. Drive your shoulder blades back into the bench to set your shoulders. Keep your feet on the ground and squeeze your glutes and abs to create full-body tension. Move your hands to turn your pinkies toward each other.
This also goes back to the idea of muscle growth. If that's your goal, you need constant tension on the muscle. Unfortunately, Chest Flys just won't deliver that, which means you're cheating yourself on Chest Day. If you want a massive chest, you won't get one with Chest Flys.
The bench press beat flys in terms of average muscle activation for all target muscle groups, including the pecs: see the data below. Flys did stimulate the biceps more. Interestingly, biceps activity was actually likely high enough to stimulate muscle growth with the flys.
The average Dumbbell Fly weight for a male lifter is 52 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Dumbbell Fly? Male beginners should aim to lift 13 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.
Straight arms can pressure the biceps, so instead. allow the elbows to bend farther behind your body. This will allow for maximum stretch on the pecs. The shoulder blades will naturally retract.
Dumbbell Floor Fly/DB T-Bench Fly
Because of this, you're able to go a little bit heavier with the weight when performing the dumbbell floor or bench fly, making it a great finisher to your chest workout.
Sure, you could do a full-focused chest day every week, but there are a few reasons why we wouldn't recommend this. Firstly, we know that the sweet spot for gains is training each muscle group twice a week. If you're only doing one chest workout a week, that's some serious gains you're missing out on.
Many lifters struggle to build the upper chest, mainly because they lack the proper understanding of what movements are best to build the upper pecs and how to use them in a training program.
If you can't feel your chest when you're doing an incline press, it could be because you are tucking your elbows too far in on the way down, which over-activates your triceps, and doesn't allow you to get a full range of motion ❌ To fix this, bring the dumbbells outs and let them clear your chest, or when you begin to ...