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Chest flyes are one of the most important chest workouts you can do in the gym. This exercise targets the lower chest muscles to develop its size and strength. However, a lot of people in the gym tend to execute this workout the wrong way. If you’re unsure how to properly perform chest flyes, we’ll help you fix any flaws in your form to maximize your chest workout plan.
Chest Workouts | Fixing the Chest Flyes
Tip #1. Proper Scapular Retraction
How your shoulders roll back when doing a chest fly is very important. One of the most common mistakes people do when performing chest flyes is that their shoulders are too high.
Rolling the shoulders up affects a different muscle. Instead of developing your pecs, this incorrect way of performing chest flyes will develop the anterior deltoids. It’s a waste of time if your main target is the lower chest muscles.
Scapular retraction and depression must go together as you roll your shoulders. Focus on rolling your shoulders back and down as much as possible.
There should be a slight outward turn of your arm as you roll your shoulders down. You should automatically feel a tight squeeze on the serratus anterior or the big swing muscle if done properly.
Tip #2. Make sure to squeeze your serratus anterior and lats
When you press your shoulders back and down when doing chest flyes, you should feel a nice deep squeeze down your lats. The lats or latissimus dorsi is one of the major back muscles.
This will create the strength to use your chest when executing a chest flye. If you feel a squeeze and pressure on the lats, it means your chest flye execution is done correctly.
Tip #3. Focus on Arm Abduction and Adduction
Working any muscle involves its shortening and lengthening, including chest workout routines. Doing chest flyes should focus on arm abduction and adduction.
Easy to say but a lot of people are doing it with an outward bend of their elbows, which is incorrect. To work your pectoral muscles, you have to squeeze your biceps together with the elbows pointed downwards.
Trying to get your biceps to touch in a chest flye will give you that nice peak contraction of your pecs. Arm abduction and adduction will maximize the shortening and lengthening of your chest muscles. Try to overemphasize the execution to get the right results in this chest workout.
See how the actual way chest flyes are done in this video by V Shred:
These are the three common mistakes beginners make when doing chest flyes.
Bear in mind you have to retract your scapula in your initial position. This will put your chest in its most advantageous state.
Keep your lats as tight as possible then focus on squeezing your biceps together while keeping your shoulders rolled back and down. Remember these three tips, and you’re good to go with your chest fly workout.
Are you feeling the pressure on your chest muscles as you follow these instructions? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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