Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care.
Exercises
1. Dumbbell Decline Bench Press
3 sets · 10 reps · 45s rest
The press that starts the session, angled to keep the shoulders comfortable.
Steps
Set the bench to a slight decline and lock your feet under the foot pads at the bottom.
Lie back with a dumbbell in each hand resting on your thighs, then kick them up over your chest.
Press the dumbbells up until the arms are fully extended and the weights are stacked over your shoulders.
Lower the dumbbells slowly to chest level with the elbows tracked at about 45 to 60 degrees.
Pause briefly when the dumbbells reach the side of your lower chest, holding upper-back tension.
Press the dumbbells back up explosively by driving through the chest and triceps to full extension.
Cues
Feet planted.
Lower to the chest.
Press evenly.
Common mistakes
Letting the elbows flare to 90 degrees, which strains the front shoulders and weakens the chest drive.
Pressing the dumbbells together so they clack at the top — wasted range and no extra chest work.
Setting up too steep a decline so the lift turns into a strange overhead press instead of a chest move.
Cutting the range short and pressing only the top half, missing the deepest stretch on the chest.
2. Dumbbell Chest Fly
3 sets · 12 reps · 40s rest
Flat flyes stretch the chest under load. Go lighter than your press by a long way.
Steps
Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell on each thigh, then lie back as you bring the weights up to your chest.
Press the dumbbells up over your chest with palms facing each other and a soft bend in the elbows.
Lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc, keeping that elbow bend locked the whole time.
Stop when you feel a deep stretch across the chest and the elbows are roughly level with the bench.
Pause briefly at the bottom of the stretch without dropping deeper or losing the elbow angle.
Squeeze the chest to bring the dumbbells back together over your chest in the same wide arc.
Cues
Slight elbow bend.
Open wide.
Hug back together.
Common mistakes
Bending the elbows mid-rep so the lift turns into a sloppy press and pulls the triceps in.
Going too heavy and dropping into a deep stretch fast, which strains the front shoulders.
Clanking the dumbbells together at the top instead of stopping just short and squeezing the chest.
Cutting the range short by stopping high so the chest never gets the stretch the fly is meant for.
3. Dumbbell Incline Chest Fly
3 sets · 12 reps · 40s rest
The incline moves the stretch to the upper chest, near the collarbone.
Steps
Set a bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline and sit with a light dumbbell resting on each thigh.
Lie back with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other, and arms pressed straight up over the chest.
Set a slight bend in the elbows and hold that bend fixed for the rest of the set.
Lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a deep stretch across the upper chest.
Pause briefly at the bottom with the chest open and the shoulder blades pinned back into the bench.
Squeeze the chest to bring the dumbbells back together overhead, stopping just short of touching.
Cues
Ribs stay down.
Wide arc.
Feel the upper chest.
Common mistakes
Bending the elbows mid-rep, which turns the fly into a sloppy press and loses the chest isolation.
Going too heavy, which forces the elbows to collapse and stresses the front shoulders.
Crashing the dumbbells together at the top instead of pausing for a controlled chest squeeze.
Pulling the shoulder blades off the bench, rolling the shoulders forward and risking shoulder strain.
4. Dumbbell Decline Chest Fly
3 sets · 12 reps · 40s rest
Declining shifts the same movement to the lower chest and takes the shoulders out of it.
Steps
Set the bench to a slight decline and lock your feet under the foot pads to anchor your position.
Lie back with a dumbbell in each hand resting on your thighs, then kick them up over your chest.
Press the dumbbells up with palms facing each other and a soft bend held in the elbows.
Lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc, keeping the elbow bend locked the whole way.
Stop when you feel a deep stretch across the lower chest and the elbows are roughly level with the bench.
Squeeze the chest to bring the dumbbells back together over your chest in the same wide arc.
Cues
Long arms.
Slow and wide.
Squeeze the middle.
Common mistakes
Bending the elbows mid-rep so the fly turns into a sloppy press and brings the triceps in.
Going too heavy and dropping fast into the stretch, which strains the front shoulders.
Clanking the dumbbells together at the top instead of squeezing the chest just short of contact.
Skipping the bottom of the range so the chest never gets the stretch the fly is meant for.
5. Machine Pec Fly
3 sets · 12 reps · 40s rest
The machine removes balance entirely, which is why it closes the session.
Steps
Adjust the seat so the handles sit at chest height with your elbows roughly in line with your shoulders.
Grip both handles with a slight bend in the elbows and press your back firmly into the pad.
Brace your core and pull your shoulder blades back and down to set a stable chest position.
Sweep the handles together in a wide arc by squeezing the chest, keeping the elbow angle fixed.
Pause at the middle when the handles meet, holding a hard chest squeeze for a full beat.
Let the handles open back out slowly over 2 to 3 seconds until you feel a controlled chest stretch.
Cues
Back on the pad.
Elbows soft.
Pause when closed.
Common mistakes
Bending the elbows mid-rep so the lift becomes a press, which removes the chest isolation.
Letting the shoulders roll forward at the stretch position, which strains the front shoulders.
Slamming the handles together with momentum instead of squeezing through the contraction.
Cutting the stretch short and never letting the arms open fully, which trains a tiny portion of the lift.