The Dumbbell Chest Fly is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the chest. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesChest
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Chest Fly
Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell on each thigh, then lie back as you bring the weights up to your chest.
Press the dumbbells up over your chest with palms facing each other and a soft bend in the elbows.
Lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc, keeping that elbow bend locked the whole time.
Stop when you feel a deep stretch across the chest and the elbows are roughly level with the bench.
Pause briefly at the bottom of the stretch without dropping deeper or losing the elbow angle.
Squeeze the chest to bring the dumbbells back together over your chest in the same wide arc.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Isolates the chest through a deep stretch and strong squeeze.
Adds focused chest volume without loading the triceps.
Trains the chest's stretch position that pressing alone can't fully reach.
03 Don't do this
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.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Chest Fly, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
