Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Incline Alternative Fly
How to do the dumbbell incline alternative 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
Lie back on an incline bench set to roughly 30 to 45 degrees, holding a dumbbell in each hand above your upper chest with palms facing in and a slight elbow bend. Open your arms wide in an arc until you feel a stretch, then squeeze them back together over your chest.
- 1Feel the stretch and squeeze concentrate in the upper chest
- 2Keep the elbows fixed at a soft bend the whole time
- 3Squeeze the dumbbells together high over the upper chest
Common mistakes
- Avoid bending the elbows to press the weight up
- Do not let the arms drop too low and stress the shoulders
- Avoid arching off the bench to cheat the reps
Muscles worked
The dumbbell incline alternative fly mainly works the upper chest, with the mid chest and front delts assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell incline alternative 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.