Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
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Explore/Chest

Dumbbell Fly

DumbbellIsolationEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Chest

Also delts

You need

Dumbbells, Bench

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
Lying on a bench, seen from above
1Start: over your chest
Lying on a bench, seen from above
2Stretch: arms wide
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Slight elbow bend, fixed
  2. 2Lower in a wide arc to chest height
  3. 3Stop the arc once the dumbbells are over your chest

Most common mistake

Going too heavy and pressing instead of flying.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched
B
For chest
#19 of 32
See the full list →
Research
66
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 66
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchExcellent
ProgressionGood
Low costFair

Tension only exists near the bottom, and heavy flyes stress the shoulder there.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SCable FlyCable
  • SPec DeckMachine
  • SHigh-to-Low Cable FlyCable
  • ADumbbell Bench PressDumbbell

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