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The Better Chest Fly (MORE GAINS)

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1

The chest fly is definitely not one of my favorite exercises, at least not if you rely on your shoulder for a living. That said, there is a way that you can do this chest exercise in a much safer way without compromising your gains in the process. In this video, I show you why the popular floor fly alternative is a better movement that limits the potential risk to your shoulder capsule, ac joint and pec muscle. Beyond that however, I am going to demonstrate a variation of the chest fly done on the floor that turns regular flies into an inferior alternative when it comes to building chest muscle. Often times, you hear people tell you that you can do the chest fly safely if you simply perform it with good form and with lighter weights. While this is certainly sound advice when it comes to the suggestion to use good form, the lighter weights may not provide you with the challenge necessary to overload the eccentric portion of the lift safely. By under loading the negative portion of the chest fly you are compromising a great opportunity to build more chest muscle by doing the exercise in that way. It comes back to injury risk. Here, even the biggest advocates of flys have been known to decrease the weight they use to ensure they don-t get hurt on the exercise. That is a compromise not needed to be made however. As shown, when performing the floor fly you have the option of increasing the weight of the dumbbells that you use to one that is much heavier than what you would normally use to do a fly on a bench. Because you have the floor acting as your safety net here to protect your shoulder, you can use the heavier load to increase the eccentric load on your muscle. Maybe the weight is so challenging that you reach a point where you reach positive failure on the movement? No problem, you can shorten your arm which will shorten the moment arm on the pec and then press the weights back up to the top so you can dig in for yet another eccentric rep. It is here that true eccentric overload can occur and real muscle gains can start happening, all with the increased safety provided by doing this exercise on the floor rather than a bench. When it comes to training, we are all looking to improve. Whether it be in the form of more size, strength, functional performance, etc, the only way you are going to get there is if you are healthy and consistent with your training. Putting your shoulders at potential risk by doing an inferior form of an exercise is not a smart long term plan. Not when you have safer alternatives that can deliver as much if not more muscle gains. If you are looking for a program that maximizes your gains while putting science behind the strength to get you training smarter-without injury, then head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System. Start training like a pro athlete and start looking more athletic in just 90 days
Date: 2022-04-22

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Comments and reviews: 10

Barb
This is a great overload alternative for the traditional bench dumbbell flye. Flyes are considered to be an isolation exercise for the pecs. Therefore I have considered two variations to change the exercise from simply an isolation exercise to, one that allows for overloading (this one, and one that will purely isolate the chest. Do both! I think beginning with dumbbell floor flyes to pre-exhaust the chest and then lighten the load and perform unilateral dumbbell flyes on a bench. Best of both worlds while dramatically reducing risk of injury.
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Hamza
-Summary: - The problem with flies is that you have to lighten the weight and you dont have overload or eccentrics. The dangers of fly on the bench is that if you were to fail on the rep coming up and you had to dump the weight, you compromise the anterior shoulder capsule, ac joint and pec tear.
-Why doing it on the floor is better: - we can get into almost the same position and depth by arching the back and doing the form at 1: 57. This protects the shoulder if you need to drop the weight AND you can use heavier weights to overload.
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Gimme
Jeff! I've been watching SO many of your videos. You are a cool guy and I love the whole -putting science into strength- motto. I'm a newbie and this exercise did feel bad on the bench. You are completely right. Going to keep flies in my routine but do them on the floor. Thank you for educating us newbies and vets alike. Also, Jesse's story motivates me because I'm a naturally scrawny dude myself. You were too but now your body is something I aspire to.
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Edward
having looked at many different programs, apps and many websites i think this is probally pound for pound the best. In all my research ive NEVER seen someone do a pitch and actually explain what muscles are being stressed or damaged due to incorrect form and poor information. I am going to do one of these program but i have some other stuff to deal with first. The website is on my browser so i dont forget. Thanx for the in depth info about results etc.
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Edward
Thank you Jeff! -Today was my 3rd. workout using -Your Butterfly Floor Version! - -I would encourage Everyone to do this version! - -The Gains Are Incredible-. -Without The Risk Of Injury! - -I Did Your -Total Shoulder Workout- Saturday 7/10/21 and Honestly, -Never Sweated So Much In My Life- and -The Gains Were Incredible! -
-Everything You've Taught Me Has Been -SPOT ON! - -You Keep Teaching? -. I Will Listen
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Fox
Oh hell yes, for a long time I-ve been trying to find a way to substitute butterfly machines(or anything that puts all the focus on my chest) with dumbbells. Every time I-ve attempted it it feels so damn awkward and doesn-t feel like it-s really targeting anything once you-re at the halfway point of a rep, I-ll try it this way and see how it goes.
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Jesse
I already knew flys were a bad idea. I use to do them with 80lb DB and I didn-t hurt myself but it just didn-t feel right as a movement. Trust your instincts, not the exercise. Plus, to have heavy poundages that far away from your body, it-s in a snapping position. It-s literally like being stretched out. To much of a stretch and you get a tear.
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AtoZbodyfitness
chest flys with a band or on the dual pulley machine is the best way to get a great contraction. never liked flys and I always steered people away from doing them towards doing the pec dec or dual pulley. i mean if you really enjoy doing them then they're fine but there are better alternatives.
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Crow
As always, helpful and practical advice from JC. I'm still training in my 50s, and recently ditched the bench for chest flys for this very reason. The last thing I need is an injury. And Jeff's right: performing my flyes on the floor has allowed me to go up in weight safely.
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VerryLongName
Can I do the usual chest fly on the floor and then do separate chest press sets while still on the floor? I know he does the flies on the floor to lift more weight safely, but do we gain more muscle with chest presses on benches than on the floor?
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