Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Incline Alternate Fly
How to do the dumbbell incline alternate 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
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set an incline bench to about 30 to 45 degrees and lie back holding a dumbbell in each hand above your chest with palms facing each other and a slight bend in your elbows. Lower one dumbbell out to the side in a wide arc until you feel a stretch across your chest, return it to the top, then repeat with the other arm, alternating each rep.
- 1Feel a deep stretch across your upper chest as the dumbbell lowers
- 2Keep a fixed soft bend in your elbow the entire arc
- 3Squeeze the chest to bring the working arm back to the top
Common mistakes
- Don't bend and straighten your elbow like a press
- Don't drop the dumbbell below a comfortable shoulder stretch
- Don't let the resting arm drift or lose tension
Muscles worked
The dumbbell incline alternate fly mainly works the upper chest and mid chest, with the front delts assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell incline alternate 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.