Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Single Arm Alternate Fly
How to do the dumbbell single arm 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
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your chest, palms facing each other with 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, bring it back over your chest, then repeat with the other arm, alternating each rep. Keep the elbow angle fixed throughout.
- 1A stretch across your chest as each dumbbell lowers out to the side
- 2Your pec squeezing as you bring the weight back over your chest
- 3A fixed soft bend in your elbow held through the arc
Common mistakes
- Don't bend and straighten your elbow to press the weight up
- Avoid dropping the dumbbell too low and straining your shoulder
- Don't let your torso twist toward the working arm
Muscles worked
The dumbbell single arm alternate fly mainly works the mid chest, with the upper chest and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Lower ChestMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell single arm 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.