Each week on the UncleBlog, we'll make a traditional exercise better by removing the inefficient movements at the top of the motion.
If you've ever walked into a gym, a weight room, or a prison, chances are you've seen some variation of the traditional dumbbell chest fly. They're right up there atop the Mount Rushmore of old school workouts, nestled between the barbell bench press and bullying-your-cousin-Trevor.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with the original version of the fly, but we're going to shave off the top and focus on the pectoral stretch at the bottom to maximize muscle development from the inside of your chest out to the point where your pec connects with your shoulder.
The Traditional Fly
In my experience, I'd say 90% of people I've witnessed doing this exercise perform it in a strict, traditional form: they start with the dumbbells directly over their face, lower them until elbows are roughly parallel with the shoulder, then lift dumbbells back to the starting position.
This version of the exercise focuses on completing a full range of motion at the top, while stopping your elbows near shoulder level at the bottom of the movement to prevent "messing up your shoulder, bro!".
***NOTE - performing the UncleBod Topless Fly with HEAVY weight could absolutely hurt your shoulder, which is why all the movements we recommend are to be performed with light weight or bodyweight resistance in a slow and controlled manner***
The Topless Fly
The first rule of Topless Tuesday is "find the dead weight". When I refer to "dead weight", I'm talking about the portion of any exercise that takes the bulk of the tension off the muscle you're trying to work and relocates it into your joints and/or other muscle groups.
When you perform a regular chest fly, you'll feel tension in your chest muscles as you lift the weights upward, but once the dumbbells near the top of the movement, they're just hovering over your body and all the tension that was tearing up your pecs has shifted into your elbow and shoulder joints. So not only are you losing the muscle tension that creates muscle growth, you're putting unnecessary stress on your joints and connective tissue.
We'll remedy this inefficiency by cutting the top 50% off the movement and adding a deeper stretch at the bottom that'll make it feel like your breast meat is gonna rip off your chest (don't worry - it's supposed to feel like that. It will only last a few seconds; be brave.)
** I'll be redundant here out of absolute caution: this should ONLY be performed with LIGHT weight. Adding heavy weight for this stretch could put unwanted strain on your shoulder and you'll be wiping with your off-hand for 3 streaky months**
When you stop the traditional fly movement with your upper arm roughly parallel to the floor, you're actually missing out on the most crucial part of the exercise: the pectoral stretch. If you'll allow your elbows to continue downward by almost trying to wrap them around the back of your body, you'll recruit the entire pec muscle to ensure proper development in the entire chest.
How to do it:
-Start by lying on a bench (incline, flat, or decline works) with a LIGHT dumbbell in each hand.
-Squeeze your shoulder blades together and puff out your chest (this prevents your shoulders from jumping in)
-Lower elbows as far behind your body as your chest will allow you to stretch - this is the starting position
-Slowly raise the weights upward in a slight arc until your hands are slightly wider than your chest, pause, then carefully lower back toward starting stretched position
-Once arms reach starting position, pause for a 1-count, then repeat for 15-20 reps.
-If you can't complete 15-20 slow, controlled reps, you need to reduce the weight and try again. When the weight's too heavy and we keep trying to push through, our technique is compromised and that's where the majority of injury creeps in.
I'm not asking you to throw traditional flies out of your routine, but sprinkle this version in sometime and you'll should feel a difference in your udders immediately. If you've been struggling with chest development, there's a good chance it's because you aren't fully stretching those pec fibers at the bottom of your chest exercises.
"I don't always do chest flies; but when I do, I prefer to go topless" - Kathy Bates
Tune in next week, when we'll rip the roof off a traditional shoulder press and show you how to grow broad, round shoulders without waterboarding your rotator cuff.
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