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Exercise library · Chest

Band chest fly

Fly for the chest with a resistance band.

How to do it

1 of 3

Band behind you, arms slightly bent

  1. Starting position

    Anchor the band behind you at chest height, stagger your feet, and hold an end in each hand with slightly bent arms.

  2. The movement

    Sweep your hands together in front of your chest, then slowly open your arms back to the start.

Most common mistake

Don't bend your elbows further during the movement, keep the same slight bend and move your arms in a wide arc.

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Muscle group
Chest
Equipment
Resistance band
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

Band flyes isolate the chest, which draws your arms towards the midline with support from the front of your shoulders. Your elbows hold the same angle throughout, so your triceps do very little. The band loads the movement the other way round from dumbbell flyes: tension is lowest with your arms open and highest when your hands meet. Standing up, your trunk and legs also work to stop you being pulled back towards the anchor.

Common mistakes

  • You stand too close to the anchor. The band then hangs slack with your arms open, and your chest gets no resistance until halfway. Step forward until you feel tension right from the start position.
  • Your hands turn back before they meet. As the band is hardest at the end, it is tempting to turn early. Bring your hands all the way together and hold briefly before opening.
  • Your arms drift up towards shoulder height. With the band pulling backwards it is easy to lift your hands, and then your shoulders take over. Keep your hands at chest height through the whole arc, in line with the anchor.

Variations and alternatives

  • Cable flyes follow the same arc on a cable machine, with steadier resistance and a weight you can read.
  • Dumbbell flyes are hardest in the stretched position and so complement the band well.
  • The standing band chest press works from the same anchor but lets your triceps help, so you can push harder.

Sets and reps

With a light band, the exercise does most good over plenty of controlled reps. Most people do 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps, ideally after a press such as push-ups. A short pause as your hands meet makes each rep harder without a stronger band. Why the number of reps matters is explained in sets and reps.

Your distance from the anchor works as your weight: half a step further away adds tension through the whole movement. Measure it in foot lengths so you find the same spot next session. When 20 reps feel easy, take another half step or move to a stronger band. In an isolation exercise, small increases like these are exactly the right way to follow progressive overload.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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