EXECUTION
- Adjust the bench so that the bench incline is at an angle of between 40-45 degrees. Do not go above 45 degrees.
- Assume a face-up position on the incline bench with the feet flat on the floor about shoulder width or slightly more apart and the knees flexed about 90 degrees.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, i.e., with the palms facing inward, and the arms extended above the chest.
- Inhale slightly more than usual and then hold your breath as you lower the arms out to the sides. Keep a slight bend in the elbows.
- As the upper arms approach shoulder level or slightly below, and you feel a strong stretch in the shoulder, reverse directions. Do not stop in the bottom position.
- Keep holding your breath as you pull the arms back up to the vertical position. Exhale as you pass the most difficult point on the way up or as you reach the vertical position. Pause momentarily and then repeat.
- Be sure that the arms remain in a vertical plane throughout the execution.
- Make the change in direction in the bottom position slowly and smoothly, then speed up to a moderate rate as the arms are raised.
TRAINING TIPS
- The dumbbell flye is a unique exercise that relies more on leverage rather than additional weight for effective development of the muscles. This is why you should not use excessively great weights. The key is to maintain relatively straight arms as you lower them out to the sides to create the resistance.
- Do not do the dumbbell flye with the arms bent up to 90 degrees in the down position. In this case, you will be doing an incline dumbbell bench press as opposed to the incline dumbbell flye. Note that you will have the same amount of resistance working on the muscles with relatively straight arms as you do with twice the amount of weight with the elbows bent 90 degrees
- Do not exceed the normal range of motion in the shoulder joint when doing this exercise. If the arms go well below the level of the shoulders, you may be placing excessive stress on the shoulder joint and affected muscles. It may cause stretch marks and you may tear some of the muscle fibers.
- Because of the stress that can be placed on the shoulders, be especially careful if you do this exercise on an exercise machine. Because of the extreme rear positioning of the arm pads on many machines, they usually place excessive stress on the shoulders when starting the exercise. When you use dumbbells, you can control the movement making it a much safer exercise.
- Breathing is very important in this exercise for control of the movement especially when changing directions from the down to the up movement. Be sure you inhale and hold your breath as you lower the weight and make the transition back upward. Exhale forcefully as you pass the most difficult point in the range of motion to relieve the built-up internal pressure.
- For an even stronger contraction of the pectoral muscles and to bring in maximum involvement of the serratus anterior muscle, raise the arms as high and as close as possible above the chest.
- To insure stability when doing the exercise, it is important that you maintain the feet in contact with the floor. As you do the exercise you should experience some pressure being exerted against the floor through the feet.
- Be sure the arms stay in line with the shoulders and in a vertical plane. Lowering the arms below the chest or above the head can place excessive stress on the shoulders.
- Keep the angle of the hands at about 40% to the horizontal. Setting the angle higher than 45 degrees is closer to an overhead press while going much lower is closer to a bench press. Thus, 40-45 degrees is the ideal angle.
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
In the incline dumbbell flye, the muscles of the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle are involved. In the shoulder joint the anterior deltoid, coracobrachialis and the upper pectoralis major muscles play the major roles. The deltoid is a three-part muscle that covers the entire shoulder, in front, above, and behind. In this exercise, it is mainly the anterior deltoid and the anterior portion of the middle deltoid that are involved. The coracobrachialis is a small muscle located deep underneath the deltoid and pectoralis major muscles on the front and inner side of the arm. The pectoralis major is the large muscle covering most of the chest. It runs from the anterior border of the scapula the whole length of the sternum and the cartilages of the first six ribs to attach on the humerus very close to the insertion of the deltoid. In the shoulder girdle, the serratus anterior and pectoralis minor muscles are involved in abducting the scapula. The serratus anterior lies on the outer surface of the ribs at the sides just below the armpits and is covered by the scapula at the rear and pectoralis major in front. The pectoralis minor is a small muscle located on the upper chest and is covered by the pectoralis major. The upper and lower portions of the trapezius located in the mid upper back join the serratus anterior in upward rotation of the scapula.
MUSCLE/JOINT ACTIONS
In the shoulder joint, there is diagonal adduction which is a combination of shoulder joint adduction and flexion. In this movement, the arms are moved from the sides of the body to above and directly in front of the chest. The plane of the arms is vertical and the diagonal is measured in relation to a top-to-bottom line through the upper body. The major muscles in the action are the upper pectoralis major, coracobrachialis and the anterior and anterior middle deltoid. In the shoulder girdle, there is abduction of the scapula and slight upward rotation. In this action, the serratus anterior and pectoralis minor pull the scapula away from the spine toward the sides of the ribs as the arms move forward and upward toward the midline of the body. The scapula also rotate upward with contraction of the serratus anterior and, to a limited extent, contraction of the upper and lower portions of the trapezius.
SPORTS USES
In bodybuilding, the incline dumbbell flye is very important for full development of the upper chest and anterior shoulder. It is also an excellent exercise for development of the serratus anterior muscle in the area under the armpits. The combination of shoulder joint diagonal adduction and scapula abduction is very important in all forward and upward reaching and grabbing actions. Thus, it plays an important role in boxing and the martial arts in execution of various punches, in football tackling and grabbing an opponent, and in powerlifting for improvement in the bench press. These actions also play an important role in throwing and hitting actions as for example, in executing forehands in tennis and racquetball, when throwing the ball overhead and overhead-sideward in baseball and softball, and in the discus, shot-put and javelin throw during the release phase. In gymnastics it is especially important on the rings, high bar and unevens.