Butterfly

The machine chest fly is an exercise targeting the chest. The motion is often compared to bear-hugging a tree trunk. In chest workouts, this exercise often follows compound moves such as the bench press.

Benefits

  1. Great for targeting the inner pecs
  2. Less prone to bad form than the dumbbell version
  3. Great for burn-out sets at the end of a chest workout
8.5
Average

Butterfly Images

image
image
Show male images and videos

Butterfly Instructions

Butterfly muscle diagram
  1. Sit on the machine with your back flat on the pad.
  2. Take hold of the handles. Tip: Your upper arms should be positioned parallel to the floor; adjust the machine accordingly. This will be your starting position.
  3. Push the handles together slowly as you squeeze your chest in the middle. Breathe out during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second.
  4. Return back to the starting position slowly as you inhale until your chest muscles are fully stretched.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can use pulleys or an exercise band to perform this movement. Also, there is a variety of the Pec Deck Machine where you place your forearms on the pad, with the elbow and a 90 degree angle. You then squeeze your elbows together.

Alternative Exercises for Butterfly

Dumbbell Flyes thumbnail image Dumbbell Flyes thumbnail image

Dumbbell Flyes

Muscle Targeted: Chest
Equipment Type: Dumbbell
9.1
Average
Cable Crossover thumbnail image Cable Crossover thumbnail image

Cable Crossover

Muscle Targeted: Chest
Equipment Type: Cable
8.8
Average