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Fly/chest press.

Description: This is a combination exercise that involves pushing away from the chest.

Motions trained:Pushing away from the chest.

Main muscles used: Pectorals (both).
   Other muscles: Shoulders

How to do it:

Lie onthe floor with arm in a "T". Raise one arm
so it's at 90 degrees to the floor.
Push the bell up. It will have to travel towards
your centerline.


There are a couple of really easy variations to:
An alternate way to raise the dumbbell, with a twist Leaning away from the pressing arm.


How to work up to it: Smaller dumbbells. Some people find that doing knee pushups helps, since they will help the stabilizers in the shoulders.

Ramping it up: Double up. Do both sides at once. You can move up to a heavier bell if you like, but always be sure you can control it. Another spiffy version of this, if you want to really pack on some mass, is to grab a pair of bells and alternately press them until almost failure. Be sure to stay under the weight and rotate into it.

Do's and don'ts: Start with low enough weights that you can control them on the way down. Strive for being able to do these by yourself. There is a borderline morbid fascination with doing high weight chest presses, so don't get caught up in that. There are better ways to get a chest workout than dumbbells, such as bodyweight dips.

Comments: Note that you cannot hyperextend much of anything. This is an inherently safe exercise for the shoulders. It combines pressing and a fly action, so it actually a compound exercise in its own right.