Arnold Schwarzenegger says his chest was a challenging area of the anatomy to build, but he was able to grow it from what he described as “very flat and sunken” to one of the biggest in bodybuilding, and he did so with the flat bench dumbbell chest fly. Peaking at 58 inches, Schwarzenegger recently shared footage of him performing his version of the flat bench dumbbell flyes from a of 1977’s Pumping Iron.
It reminds us of the phenomenally full chest that the seven-time Mr Olympia champ built through serious sweat and heavy reps. And he was so successful because he didn’t just work on growing his muscles, but also his entire skeletal system, as evidenced by Arnold’s huge thorax (the area of the body between the neck and the abdomen). By forcing his bone structure to grow and using his version of the flat bench dumbbell flyes he was able to make his pectorals look like impenetrable armored plates.
How To Do Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Lie on a bench, flat on your back, and plant your feet on the floor.
Start with the dumbbells in each hand, close together over your chest, with elbows bent slightly.
Inhale as you lower the dumbbells and arc them down towards your sides. You’ll drop your elbows to facilitate this motion.
Then, exhale as you lift the dumbbells back up and return to the starting position over your chest. Repeat.
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes: The Arnold Way
As evidenced by the video below, Arnold went deep as he lowered the dumbbell, as this puts greater tension on the chest, rather than the shoulders. To further focus on his chest, the big man made sure that he kept the dumbbells over his pecs rather than towards his neck. He described this form as being like “hugging a tree” Arnold also squeezes his pecs as the dumbbells get close together.
Also, notice that he actually leaves a larger than usual gap between those dumbbells, probably more than 10 inches, because he felt that there was no added benefit but rather wasted energy in bringing them completely together. Of course, The Terminator star was always sure to lift heavy, in order to force the muscle building power of hypertrophy.
Still, he never sacrificed form for ego, so remember to keep safety as a priority and practice with a comfortable weight. Experiment with your own range of motion as not everyone can go as deep with this move as Arnold did, and seriously consider using a spotter if you are packing on the weight plates.
Dumbbell flyes remain one of the best exercises for chest growth, opening up the pectorals and improving posture because they also work the scapular (shoulder blade) area of the body. Along with the bench press and chest press, Arnold made flyes a staple of the moveset that made him a multi-time Mr Olympia. Now, go and pump some iron!
