Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Fly
How to do the dumbbell fly, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie flat on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your 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 chest. Keep the elbow bend fixed so your pecs drive the movement.
- 1Chest stretching at the bottom and squeezing as the weights meet up top
- 2A fixed slight bend in your elbows through the whole arc
- 3Deliberate, controlled movement rather than speed
Common mistakes
- Bending and pressing with your elbows instead of flying
- Dropping your arms too far and straining the shoulders
- Using momentum or rushing the reps
Muscles worked
The dumbbell fly mainly works the mid chest, with the upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell 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.