Floor Dumbbell Fly
The floor stops your upper arms before the shoulder reaches an aggressive stretch, making this a joint-friendly entry point to fly training or a smart option when a bench is not available. You still get a solid mid-chest contraction at the top. Good for beginners and for anyone managing cranky shoulders.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Body part
- Chest
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
- Browse by movement
- Horizontal Adduction
- Target
- Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
- Secondary
- Deltoid Anterior
- Tertiary
- Biceps Brachii Short Head
How to do it
- 1
Lie flat on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand and knees bent.
- 2
Press the dumbbells up over your chest, palms facing each other with a slight elbow bend.
- 3
Open the arms out to the sides in a wide arc until your upper arms touch the floor.
- 4
Pause as the triceps rest lightly on the ground.
- 5
Bring the dumbbells back together over the chest and squeeze the pecs.
Tips
- Let the upper arms tap the floor without crashing to keep tension on the chest.
- Maintain the same soft elbow bend throughout the movement.
- Start light while you learn the arc, since flys expose the shoulder at the bottom.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The floor stops the arms sooner than a bench does, and people fight for extra depth by shrugging the shoulders back; take the shorter range and add reps instead.
- Knees stay straight with the legs flat, and the lower back then peels off the floor every time the arms open; bend the knees and put both feet down.
- The dumbbells get picked up off the floor with the arms already wide, which is the weakest position the shoulder has; roll onto your back holding them at your chest and press them up from there.
- Once the set ends, the dumbbells are dropped out to the sides from the top; bring them to your chest and set them down beside you instead.
Frequently asked
- How many reps of the floor dumbbell fly should a beginner do?
- Keep it light: 12 to 15 reps for two or three sets, with the pause on the floor used to reset each rep rather than to bounce off. This is a good place to learn the arc, so spend a few sessions at a weight that never feels risky, then move to a bench when you want more stretch.
- What can I use instead of dumbbells for the floor fly?
- Two filled water bottles or two large cans give enough resistance to groove the arc at home. A band run under your upper back with an end in each hand is closer to the real thing, and you can add tension by taking a shorter grip on the band rather than buying a heavier one.
- What is the floor dumbbell fly good for, and when is it not enough?
- The floor caps how far your upper arms travel, which keeps the shoulder out of its most exposed position, so it suits beginners, anyone with a grumpy shoulder, and home training with no bench. It is not enough when you are chasing the stretched part of the range for chest growth, which a bench or cable version gives you. It is also a poor place to go heavy, since you cannot bail out safely from your back.
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