# Dumbbell Fly The chest isolation — arms sweep from wide open to over the chest in a hugging arc, elbows softly fixed. - **Category:** Main circuit - **Type:** Free-weight chest fly (dumbbells) - **Targets:** Chest, front delts - **Prescription:** 3 × 10–15, light and controlled ## Setup Lie on the flat bench with light dumbbells pressed over the chest, palms facing each other, a slight fixed bend in the elbows. ## Execution 1. Open the arms in a wide arc until you feel a full chest stretch — hands about level with the chest, never below the shoulders' comfort. 2. Keep the elbow angle unchanged the entire way. 3. Sweep back up as if hugging a barrel, squeezing the chest together. ## Cues - It's an arc, not a press — the elbows never bend and extend. - Go light; the stretch does the work, not the load. - Stop the descent the moment the chest stretch peaks. ## Common Mistakes - Bending the elbows on the way down and pressing back up. - Dropping too deep and straining the shoulders. - Using bench-press weights. ## Progression Slow the lowering phase and pause in the stretch; the Pec Deck offers the same motion with the path guided.