How To Work Your Upper Body With One Simple But Effective Move
Looking to work your upper body with a quick and beginner-friendly move? Look no further than the chest fly. All you'll need is a set of dumbbells (or a couple of water bottles) to get started. Here's how to do this move, as demonstrated by personal trainer & holistic nutritionist BB Arrington, CPT.
Advertisement
How to do chest fly.
- Lie on your back, feet grounded into the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Lift your arms toward the sky, and soften your elbows.
- Take 3 counts to lower your arms down to the side. Use one count to bring your arms back to start.
- That's one rep. Complete 10.
Tips & modifications:
- To make this move easier, you can try reducing the weight of the dumbbells, or doing it without weights at all.
- To make this move harder, increase the weight, or try performing it with your back on an exercise ball to work your balance and stability, and target your core muscles.
- Avoid locking the elbows throughout this exercise, to ensure you're engaging the proper muscles.
- Be mindful with this move if you have any shoulder or back injuries, and talk to your doctor before performing it.
What are the benefits?
Chest flies are a great upper body workout, namely targeting the muscles around your chest, shoulders, and triceps. In addition to being a wonderful strength-builder, this move also opens up the chest, which can both improve posture and help with posture-related pain.
The bottom line is, whether you perform this move on its own, during an arm routine, or as part of a full-body workout, after a few rounds, your muscles are sure to feel the burn—and you might just stand a little straighter.
Advertisement
Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, a registered yoga instructor, and an avid astrologer and tarot reader. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from State University of New York at Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.