DB Fly — stretch hold
Pec length at end range under load — the tissue that shortens on everyone who benches and presses
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Lie on a flat bench with a light dumbbell in each hand, pressed up over the chest, palms facing each other and a slight bend in the elbows. Feet flat, shoulder blades pulled back into the bench.
The rep
Open the arms out to the sides in a wide arc over five seconds, keeping the soft elbow bend fixed. Stop where the chest pulls, usually with the upper arms near the height of the bench, and hold there for twenty-five seconds with the shoulder blades back. Then bring the arms back up together the way they came, under control.
On the exercise card
- Soft elbows, wide arc
- Hold where the chest pulls, shoulder blades back
- Come out under control
- Tempo
- 5s to lower
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Going too heavy | This is a stretch under load, not a fly for reps. Heavy enough to pull you into the stretch, light enough to hold still. |
| Straightening or bending the elbows as you lower | Lock the soft bend in place before you start. |
| The shoulder blades lifting off the bench | Pin them back. If they come forward, the stretch moves into the front of the shoulder. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Lighter dumbbells, a shorter hold, or a doorway chest stretch.
- Harder
- A slightly longer hold, or an incline bench to shift it towards the upper chest.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
The chest shortens on anyone who does a lot of pressing, which is everyone in the bodybuilding program. It is in the program's upper-body prehab rotation, so the pecs are taken to length in the same weeks they are being pressed.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodybuilding | Push — Chest, Shoulders, Triceps | 2 × 25s hold | Light DBs |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Chest
- Region
- Upper body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- bodybuilding
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Bench Press | Max horizontal pressing strength |
| DB Bench Press | Bigger range, even sides |
| Incline DB Press | Upper-chest + front-delt bias |
| Decline Bench Press | Lower-chest emphasis, shoulder-friendly |
| Floor Press | Shoulder-friendly, lockout strength |
| Spoto Press | Pause 1 inch above chest — tightness + control |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
Your first month is free, with nothing to pay today. Then A$24.99/month, cancel any time. On the App Store and Google Play.
- Install itFree to download on iPhone and Android.
- Tell it how you playYour sport, your season, the nights you train and the kit you have. No account needed.
- See your week, then start freeYour program is built before you pay anything. Start the free month to unlock it, and cancel any time in your store settings.