This post continues the series instructing about the proper way to perform the most common exercises. It follows up with the chapter dedicated to chest exercises. Although bench press and its variations are the main exercises for working this body-part, some alternatives can be used as a complement to them. In particular, this post focuses on the fly, dip, push-up, and pullover.
There are countless variations of the fly exercise. Pec Deck Fly (a.k.a. Butterfly) starts by sitting at the peck deck machine with your back flat on the pad. Place your forearms on pads. Position your upper arms slightly below parallel to the ground. Push levers together slowly and squeeze your chest in the middle. Breathe out during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second. Return to the starting position as you inhale until chest muscles are stretched. Some machines allow you to directly grasp the handles instead of placing the forearms on the pads. The biomechanics is the same, though (see here).
To do the Cable Standing Fly (a.k.a. Cable Crossover), you stand in middle and perpendicular to both high pulleys with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and your torso leaning a bit forward. Alternatively, you can also put one foot in front of the other, with front knee slightly bent, for better balance. Grasp the two handles attached to the high pulleys so that your palms face towards the floor with your arms slightly bent. Bring the handles together in front of your midsection in hugging motion with fixed elbows and shoulders internally rotated so elbows are to the sides. Focus on using just your chest muscles. Return to starting position until chest muscles are stretched.
In the Dumbbell Fly, you lie supine on a flat bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand over your chest by extending your arms with the palms of your hands facing each other. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows during the whole movement to prevent stress at the biceps tendon. Lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Slowly return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles. Elbows should stay locked throughout the exercise. This exercise can also be done on an incline (Incline Dumbbell Fly) or decline bench (Decline Dumbbell Fly).
Additionally, these dumbbell flyes can also be performed in the cable station, instead of using dumbbells. You have only to position the bench between two low pulleys so that when you are laying on it, your chest is lined up with the cables. Grab each stirrup attachment with palms up grip. Again, it can also be done on a flat (Cable Fly), incline (Incline Cable Fly) or decline bench (Cable Decline Fly).
Some authors have referred flyes as potentially dangerous for the shoulders (see “The Dangers of Dumbbell Flyes” by Matt Danielsson). Whereas this highly depends on each person, you can reduce the risk by using strict form (elbows slightly bent and locked during the whole movement) and avoiding overstretching in the bottom part.
Dips exercise also presents a variation for targeting the chest (Dips (Chest Version)). You mount in a parallel bar station with a parallel grip, hold the bars so that your palms face inward and keep your body at arm’s length above the bars while leaning forward around 30º. If the machine allows this, you can also hold the bar with an oblique grip (bar diagonal under palms). Bend knees and hips slightly. Lower yourself slowly by bending arms allowing elbows to flare out to sides until you feel a slight stretch in the chest. Do not descend on a deflated chest. Inhale before you descend, hold it, and then exhale during the ascent. This will help to keep your shoulders pulled back and safe. Without bouncing, use the chest strength to slowly raise yourself back to the starting position. You can increase resistance by adding weight using a dip belt or placing a dumbbell between your ankles.
The well-known Push-Up is also a great chest exercise. Lie on the floor face down and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart while holding your torso up at arm’s length and touching the floor with your toes. Narrower hands positioning will involve more the triceps. At this point, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Your body should remain straight throughout this exercise. Keep your head and neck in line with your body so that you are looking down toward the floor. In a controlled fashion, lower your body downward, bending your elbows, until your body is nearly touching the floor. Then, press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest. You can add more difficulty to the exercise by placing additional weight on your back (Weighted Push-Up) or by putting your feet on top of a flat bench (Push-Up with Feet Elevated) or an exercise ball (Push-Up with Feet on an Exercise Ball). The latter involves more the stabilizer muscles. In any case, the higher the feet elevation is, the higher the resistance of the exercise is.
Finally, whereas previous exercises target mainly the pectoralis major, Dumbbell Pullover directly targets the pectoralis minor. You have to lie perpendicular on a bench with only your shoulder blades/traps resting on the bench. Your feet should be flat on the floor, knees bent, butt hanging low. You can also lie along the bench, though this position is more prone to spine hyperextension, especially when your back flexibility is scarce. Grab a dumbbell with your hands flat against the inside plate of the dumbbell and hold it at arms' length above your face with elbows slightly bent. Lower the dumbbell in semicircular motion behind the head, going as far as possible without pain while keeping elbows locked. Return the weight back, and in order to work the pectoralis minor, stop after 30º degrees (six to eight inches). If you go further this point and bring the weight until it is straight above the chest, the pectoralis minor is no longer involved and other muscles (basically the pectoralis major) take over the main role.
Basic guidelines for performing these and other exercises for developing your chest can be found in the article “Champion Chest Development” and in the chest exercise guides at Bodybuilding.com.
There are countless variations of the fly exercise. Pec Deck Fly (a.k.a. Butterfly) starts by sitting at the peck deck machine with your back flat on the pad. Place your forearms on pads. Position your upper arms slightly below parallel to the ground. Push levers together slowly and squeeze your chest in the middle. Breathe out during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second. Return to the starting position as you inhale until chest muscles are stretched. Some machines allow you to directly grasp the handles instead of placing the forearms on the pads. The biomechanics is the same, though (see here).
To do the Cable Standing Fly (a.k.a. Cable Crossover), you stand in middle and perpendicular to both high pulleys with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and your torso leaning a bit forward. Alternatively, you can also put one foot in front of the other, with front knee slightly bent, for better balance. Grasp the two handles attached to the high pulleys so that your palms face towards the floor with your arms slightly bent. Bring the handles together in front of your midsection in hugging motion with fixed elbows and shoulders internally rotated so elbows are to the sides. Focus on using just your chest muscles. Return to starting position until chest muscles are stretched.
In the Dumbbell Fly, you lie supine on a flat bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand over your chest by extending your arms with the palms of your hands facing each other. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows during the whole movement to prevent stress at the biceps tendon. Lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Slowly return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles. Elbows should stay locked throughout the exercise. This exercise can also be done on an incline (Incline Dumbbell Fly) or decline bench (Decline Dumbbell Fly).
Additionally, these dumbbell flyes can also be performed in the cable station, instead of using dumbbells. You have only to position the bench between two low pulleys so that when you are laying on it, your chest is lined up with the cables. Grab each stirrup attachment with palms up grip. Again, it can also be done on a flat (Cable Fly), incline (Incline Cable Fly) or decline bench (Cable Decline Fly).
Some authors have referred flyes as potentially dangerous for the shoulders (see “The Dangers of Dumbbell Flyes” by Matt Danielsson). Whereas this highly depends on each person, you can reduce the risk by using strict form (elbows slightly bent and locked during the whole movement) and avoiding overstretching in the bottom part.
Dips exercise also presents a variation for targeting the chest (Dips (Chest Version)). You mount in a parallel bar station with a parallel grip, hold the bars so that your palms face inward and keep your body at arm’s length above the bars while leaning forward around 30º. If the machine allows this, you can also hold the bar with an oblique grip (bar diagonal under palms). Bend knees and hips slightly. Lower yourself slowly by bending arms allowing elbows to flare out to sides until you feel a slight stretch in the chest. Do not descend on a deflated chest. Inhale before you descend, hold it, and then exhale during the ascent. This will help to keep your shoulders pulled back and safe. Without bouncing, use the chest strength to slowly raise yourself back to the starting position. You can increase resistance by adding weight using a dip belt or placing a dumbbell between your ankles.
The well-known Push-Up is also a great chest exercise. Lie on the floor face down and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart while holding your torso up at arm’s length and touching the floor with your toes. Narrower hands positioning will involve more the triceps. At this point, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Your body should remain straight throughout this exercise. Keep your head and neck in line with your body so that you are looking down toward the floor. In a controlled fashion, lower your body downward, bending your elbows, until your body is nearly touching the floor. Then, press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest. You can add more difficulty to the exercise by placing additional weight on your back (Weighted Push-Up) or by putting your feet on top of a flat bench (Push-Up with Feet Elevated) or an exercise ball (Push-Up with Feet on an Exercise Ball). The latter involves more the stabilizer muscles. In any case, the higher the feet elevation is, the higher the resistance of the exercise is.
Finally, whereas previous exercises target mainly the pectoralis major, Dumbbell Pullover directly targets the pectoralis minor. You have to lie perpendicular on a bench with only your shoulder blades/traps resting on the bench. Your feet should be flat on the floor, knees bent, butt hanging low. You can also lie along the bench, though this position is more prone to spine hyperextension, especially when your back flexibility is scarce. Grab a dumbbell with your hands flat against the inside plate of the dumbbell and hold it at arms' length above your face with elbows slightly bent. Lower the dumbbell in semicircular motion behind the head, going as far as possible without pain while keeping elbows locked. Return the weight back, and in order to work the pectoralis minor, stop after 30º degrees (six to eight inches). If you go further this point and bring the weight until it is straight above the chest, the pectoralis minor is no longer involved and other muscles (basically the pectoralis major) take over the main role.
Basic guidelines for performing these and other exercises for developing your chest can be found in the article “Champion Chest Development” and in the chest exercise guides at Bodybuilding.com.
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