Incline Dumbbell Fly

How to perform the Incline Dumbbell Fly

1. Set a bench to about 30 degrees and lie back with a dumbbell in each hand pressed over the upper chest.
2. Fix a soft bend in the elbows and pin the shoulder blades to the pad before the first rep.
3. Lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc, where dumbbell resistance is heaviest through the mid-range.
4. The incline shifts the fly toward the upper chest while the elbows stay locked at the same soft angle.
5. Descend only until the upper arms are level with the shoulders and you feel a controlled stretch, not past it.
6. Reverse the arc by pulling the dumbbells back together over the upper chest, squeezing the pecs at the top.

Suggested working range: 12–20 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Bending the elbows to press the dumbbells up instead of tracing a wide fly arc.
• •Dropping the dumbbells too deep at the bottom and loading the shoulder capsule rather than the upper chest.
• •Using so much weight that the arc collapses into a clumsy incline press.
• •Letting the shoulder blades unpin and roll forward off the incline pad.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.