Dumbbell breast flies can be a great exercise for building bigger and clearer nests.
But it is essential to lift the right weight for the best benefit.
This post will reveal the dumbbell breast fly weight standards to help you compare your own performance.
A respectable dumbbell breast fly for the average male beginner is about 15% body weight for one rep (both dumbbells together).
Intermediate lifters and advanced lifters should be able to lift around 55% and 90% (respectively) in one rep.
The weight standards in this post will help you determine what is a respectable weight to lift based on your gender, body weight, and training experience.
These dumbbell breast fly strength standards are based on my 5 years of weight training experience.
How to use these weight standards
Beginners have practiced dumbbell breaststroke for 1-12 months.
Intermediate students have practiced dumbbell breaststroke for 12-36 months.
Advanced lifters have practiced the dumbbell breaststroke for 4 years or more.
Weight standards are given for the following:
1 rep max (1 RM) – this is the maximum weight you can lift in one rep.
It is often used as a strength standard.
6-10 working reps – this is generally considered the ideal rep range for building muscle.
Average dumbbell breaststroke weight standards are revealed for standard body weights.
Females can use a 60% conversion (multiply weight standard by 0.60).
4) Reading diagrams:
The weight standards are indicated in nails at the top and kg at the bottom.
If you’re doing breaststroke with dumbbells that are above the weight standard for a certain training level, body weight, and gender, you’re lifting a reasonable amount of weight.
Weight standards for beginner dumbbell breaststroke
Here’s how much weight you should lift in the breast fly with dumbbells as a beginner:
Body weight 1 rep max. 6 rep max. 7 rep max. 8 rep max. 9 rep max. 10 rep max. 30kg30lb14kg30kg13kg28lb13kg250lb113kg52lb24kg44lb20kg43lb19kg42lb19kg41lb18kg1kg3066 kg54lb25kg53lb24kg51lb23kg48lb22kg
In general, beginners should be able to chest fly with dumbbells that weigh 10-20% of their body weight (both dumbbells together) for one rep (1 rep max).
Intermediate dumbbell breast flyweight standards
Here’s how much weight you should lift in the dumbbell fly in the intermediate phase:
In general, intermediate individuals should be able to chest fly with dumbbells weighing 55-60% of their body weight (both dumbbells combined) for one repetition.
Advanced dumbbell breast fly weight standards
Here’s how much weight you should lift in the dumbbell breaststroke as an advanced lifter:
Bodyweight 1 rep max 6 rep max 7 rep max 8 rep max 9 rep max 10 rep max 120 lb54 kg120 lb71 kg 101 lb46 kg 98 lb45 kg 96 lb44 kg 94 lb42 kg 88 lb40 kg 150 lb68 kg lb5 kg144 b52kg112lb51kg105lb48kg200lb9 1kg180lb113kg151kg69kg148lb67kg144lb65kg140lb64kg131kg131lb60kg250lb113kg210lb136kglb677676676676676 b74kg153lb70kg300lb136kg236kg156kg198kg90kg194lb88kg1 89lb86kg184lb83kg172lb78kg
Bodyweight 1 rep max 6 rep max 7 rep max 8 rep max 9 rep max 10 rep max 120 lb54 kg120 lb71 kg 101 lb46 kg 98 lb45 kg 96 lb44 kg 94 lb42 kg 88 lb40 kg 150 lb68 kg lb5 kg144 b52kg112lb51kg105lb48kg200lb9 1kg180lb113kg151kg69kg148lb67kg144lb65kg140lb64kg131kg131lb60kg250lb113kg210lb136kglb677676676676676 b74kg153lb70kg300lb136kg236kg156kg198kg90kg194lb88kg1 89lb86kg184lb83kg172lb78kg
In general, advanced lifters should be able to chest fly dumbbells that weigh 80-100% (both dumbbells combined) of their body weight for one repetition.
How good is your dumbbell chest fly compared to others?
Here is the average percentage of people who can fly a dumbbell front at a fraction of their own weight:
Dumbbell fly 1 RM Weight (as a fraction of body weight) % of people who can do it x9%1.20×6%1.30×4%1.40×2%1.50×1%1.60×0.9%1.70×0.5%1.80×0.3%1.90×0.2%2.00×0 .1%
The weights are for 2 dumbbells together.
The weights are for 2 dumbbells together.
The weights are for 2 dumbbells together.
The weights are for 2 dumbbells together.
Example: if you weigh 170 lbs and your 1RM is 60 lbs, you lift 0.35x your body weight (60 ÷ 170 lbs).
The diagram above shows:
This represents the lower quartile of lifters and is a respectable weight for beginners.
This represents the median quartile of lifters and is a respectable weight to achieve an intermediate level.
It is also a realistic goal for beginners with enough practice.
25% of people can fly with a dumbbell in the chest 0.85 times their weight in one repetition.
25% of people can fly with a dumbbell in the chest 0.85 times their weight in one repetition.
25% of people can fly with a dumbbell in the chest 0.85 times their weight in one repetition.
This represents the upper quartile of lifters and is a respectable weight for advanced lifters.
5 reasons why the dumbbell chest fly is tough
Pectorals (primary target muscles in the chest) can be notoriously difficult to build.
Here are 5 common reasons why you may struggle to fly with dumbbells and why your strengths are below average.
These solutions can help cure your chest pain.
Beginners should start with lighter dumbbells and progressive overload to build chest strength.
Dumbbell flyes are isolation-type movements that primarily work the pectoral muscles.
This can make the breaststroke a difficult exercise because you don’t have other muscles to facilitate the lift like you would in a compound exercise like the bench press.
So you need a strong chest to perform well in the dumbbell fly.
As a beginner, you need to use the correct dumbbell weight.
Start with light dumbbells that you can lift with good form for prescribed repetitions.
Once you feel comfortable lifting this weight, you can progressively overload by adding more dumbbells.
This will help you increase the strength of your dumbbell breast fly to the weight standards given in this post.
Include shoulder exercises to strengthen the shoulder muscles that stabilize the dumbbell fly.
The dumbbell breast fly isn’t just about the pecs.
The exercise also requires stability from the adjacent muscles, including the back, lateral and front muscles.
The shoulder muscles resist the force of chest contraction and stabilize the shoulder joint when you perform the fly.
Dumbbell breast fly can therefore be difficult if you have weak shoulders or if you are recovering from a shoulder injury.
You shouldn’t rely solely on chest exercises to increase chest size and strength.
An ideal chest building program should also include a variety of exercises that will also strengthen your shoulders.
While many of the most popular dumbbell chest exercises involve the shoulders to some degree—and dedicated shoulder exercises are by no means necessary—it’s also a good idea to include deltoid movements that help develop strength in your dumbbell fly.
Examples include shoulder press, front lunge, side raise and reverse fly.
Include more calories and protein-rich ingredients in your diet along with chest training to build bigger and stronger peps.
A good nutrition plan requires you to eat extra calories and protein to promote muscle repair, recovery and growth.
Without adequate calorie and protein intake, you can follow the best chest workout in the world and still not be able to achieve noticeable strength and size.
Maintenance calories are what your body needs to maintain its current weight.
Also, make sure you eat at least 1g of protein per pound of body weight.
1) arch your back, 2) plant your feet on the ground, and 3) make sure both arms travel at the same speed to improve chest balance.
These two factors together can make it difficult to fly a dumbbell chest and can explain why your strengths are below average.
Do this by making a conscious effort to slow down the movement and perform the breaststroke with both arms moving at the same speed.
Arching your back and planting your feet on the ground can also help stabilize your body and improve balance.
It can also help to remove the bench completely and practice breaststroke on the floor.
Unlocking your elbows can help you lift more weight with dumbbells.
Locking your elbows means your arm is completely straight from shoulder to wrist.
This is a common beginner form mistake that can increase discomfort and severely limit the amount of weight you can lift in the dumbbell fly.
As a result of locking the elbows, the weight of the dumbbell falls on the biceps and elbow joints instead of the shoulders and pectoral muscles (the former are significantly weaker).
This makes dumbbells much more difficult to perform and limits the amount of weight you can lift.
As a result, you should be able to lift more weight with the dumbbell breast fly.
And lifting heavy weights is the best way to improve your chest!
Other weight standards for dumbbell breast fly
Dumbbell breast fly is an isolation-type movement that primarily works the pectoral muscles in the chest.
Here are weight standards for other exercises that hit similar muscles:
Dumbbell bench press – a compound horizontal pressing movement that works the pecs, delts and triceps.
Chest press – a bodyweight alternative to the bench press.
Reverse fly – an isolation-type movement that works the rear (rear) delt.
Shoulder Press – A vertical compound press that works all deltoids and triceps.
These weight standards for dumbbell flyes will help you decide whether or not you’re lifting a respectable amount of weight based on your abilities.
Beginners should be able to do 1 rep using about 15% of their body weight (both dumbbells combined).
Intermediate lifters should be able to lift around 55% of their body weight and advanced lifters should be able to lift around 90%.
If you are currently at or above these strength standards, you are doing a good and respectable job.
I’ve also shared common problems and solutions for a weaker than average breast fly.