How many sets and reps of the TRX chest fly should you start with?

Own about 15 strict push-ups and a solid TRX press first. Then start with three sets of 8 to 10 reps at a shallow lean, feet well forward of the anchor. Progress by walking the feet back a few inches once you control the stretch on every rep, rather than adding reps at a lean you are already fighting.

What can I use instead of the TRX chest fly if I have no suspension trainer?

Gymnastic rings set low give you the identical movement. A pair of furniture sliders or towels under your hands on a smooth floor is the cheapest match, with your feet on the ground instead of in straps. In a gym, a standing cable crossover from high pulleys trains the same adduction, though it removes almost all of the plank work.

What is the TRX chest fly good for, and who should avoid it?

It builds chest size at long muscle lengths while the trunk holds a rigid plank, which suits intermediate and advanced lifters training with minimal equipment. It is a poor choice for a beginner, because the strap length gives you no way to scale down partway through a set. Anyone with a history of shoulder instability should press instead of loading a deep open-arm stretch.

Advanced

TRX Chest Fly

Unlike the TRX press, the fly keeps the elbows nearly straight so the pecs do the work of bringing the arms back together, giving a big stretch across the chest at the bottom. The long lever and unstable handles make the shoulders and core work hard to hold the plank, so it is genuinely advanced and unforgiving of poor control. Use it for chest volume and stretch once your suspension pressing strength is solid.

Equipment: TRX
Body part: Chest
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Browse by movement: Horizontal Adduction

How to do it

1
Face away from the anchor with the straps mid-length and a handle in each hand.
2
Extend the arms in front of you and lean forward into a straight plank.
3
Brace the core and squeeze the glutes to lock the torso rigid.
4
With a soft, fixed elbow bend, open the arms out wide to the sides.
5
Lower until you feel a controlled stretch across the chest.
6
Squeeze the pecs to bring the handles back together over your chest.

Tips

Keep the elbow angle fixed; bending and pressing turns this back into a press.
Only lean as far as you can control coming out of the stretch.
Do not let the hips sag or the lower back arch as the arms open.
Step the feet back to add lean and difficulty, forward to reduce it.

Variations

Common mistakes

The straps end up at different lengths, so one arm opens further than the other and the lean twists a little on every rep.
Coming back together, the hands stop short of center and the pecs finish each rep still lengthened, missing the squeeze that makes the position worth reaching.
The lean gets set too far forward on the first set, and by the third rep the only way back is to bend the elbows and press out, which is a different exercise.
The head pokes forward to watch the hands, which drops the chest ahead of the shoulders and shortens the arc the pecs actually travel.
Handles are gripped white-knuckle tight, so the forearms and shoulders take the strain and the chest never becomes the limiting muscle.
Feet are planted narrow, leaving nothing to resist rotation, so the body wobbles the moment one arm opens faster than the other.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the TRX chest fly should you start with?: Own about 15 strict push-ups and a solid TRX press first. Then start with three sets of 8 to 10 reps at a shallow lean, feet well forward of the anchor. Progress by walking the feet back a few inches once you control the stretch on every rep, rather than adding reps at a lean you are already fighting.
What can I use instead of the TRX chest fly if I have no suspension trainer?: Gymnastic rings set low give you the identical movement. A pair of furniture sliders or towels under your hands on a smooth floor is the cheapest match, with your feet on the ground instead of in straps. In a gym, a standing cable crossover from high pulleys trains the same adduction, though it removes almost all of the plank work.
What is the TRX chest fly good for, and who should avoid it?: It builds chest size at long muscle lengths while the trunk holds a rigid plank, which suits intermediate and advanced lifters training with minimal equipment. It is a poor choice for a beginner, because the strap length gives you no way to scale down partway through a set. Anyone with a history of shoulder instability should press instead of loading a deep open-arm stretch.

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