Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Decline Fly
How to do the dumbbell decline fly, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured, holding a dumbbell in each hand above your lower chest with palms facing each other and a slight bend in your elbows. Open your arms out wide in an arc until you feel a stretch across your chest, then bring the dumbbells back together over your lower chest. Keep the elbow bend fixed so the chest does the work, not the arms.
- 1Wide stretch across your lower chest at the bottom of the arc
- 2Pecs squeezing the dumbbells together at the top
- 3Slight elbow bend held steady through the whole range
Common mistakes
- Bending and pressing with your elbows instead of flying
- Dropping your arms so low it strains the shoulders
- Lifting your hips or arching off the bench
Muscles worked
The dumbbell decline fly mainly works the lower chest and mid chest, with the upper chest and front delts assisting.
- Lower ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell decline fly for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.