Dumbbell flyes horizontal

A good but dangerous exercise. No sudden movements. At the bottom position, the elbows should "look" at the floor. The arms at the elbow joints must be slightly bent. Beginners often make the mistake of turning their elbows forward instead of downward at the bottom of the trajectory. This is ineffective and dangerous.

Nuances and mistakes

1. It is advisable to fully straighten the arms at the top position and bring the dumbbells together. This will maximally contract your chest muscles.

2. There are 2 variations of performing this exercise: with the dumbbells turned outward at the bottom of the movement, and without the turn. Both variations are equally good; it just depends on which one suits you better. Try both ways and see where you feel your chest more, and stick with that.

3. During the lowering of the dumbbells, it is better to slightly rotate the wrists inward. This is safer. Lower the dumbbells to shoulder level or slightly above, but not below.

4. The elbows should point down when you lower the dumbbells, not forward. If you incorrectly rotate your elbows, the load will shift to the shoulders, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise and potentially injuring your shoulder joints.

5. Do not bend your arms too much, and do not fully straighten them at the bottom. The angle at the elbow should be approximately 140 - 150 degrees (180 degrees is a straight arm).

6. Choose a weight that allows you to perform at least 10 repetitions. This exercise places significant strain on the shoulder joints, so there is no need to lift maximal weights. I believe that the maximum weight for flies should be 15% of your maximum bench press. For example, if you can bench press 100 kg for one rep, then your limit for flies should be 15 kg. The working weight should be around 10 – 12.5 kg.