Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Chest-Supported Reverse Dumbbell Fly
The chest-supported reverse dumbbell fly trains the backs of your shoulders while you lie face-down on an incline bench. The support reduces the need to hold a bent-over position.
- Beginner
- Isolation
- Low injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Set the bench to a 30–45-degree incline.
- Lie chest-down on the pad with your feet planted wide on the floor.
- Hold the dumbbells below your shoulders with your palms facing each other and your elbows slightly bent.
- Raise the dumbbells out to your sides until your upper arms are level with your torso.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly to the starting position.
Form cues
- Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
- Keep your elbow bend unchanged.
- Keep your neck in line with your back.
Common mistakes
- Turning the fly into a rowMove the weights through a wide arc rather than pulling them toward your ribs.
- Swinging the weightsUse a lighter load that lets you reverse direction without momentum.
- Lifting your chest off the padKeep your ribs resting on the pad instead of arching your back to finish the lift.
Safety
Heavy weights or jerky lifting can strain your shoulders. Getting off the bench while holding the dumbbells can cause a loss of balance or dropped weights.
- Check that the bench's adjustment pin is fully engaged.
- Keep the floor beside the bench clear for setting down the dumbbells.
- Set the dumbbells down before getting off the bench.
- End the set if you feel sharp or pinching shoulder pain.
If you have a shoulder injury or pain when raising your arms, ask a physiotherapist or doctor about a suitable modification first.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Adjustable Bench
- Dumbbell
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 10–15 reps
- Rest
- 1 min
Finish each set with enough control to perform about two more clean reps.