Floor Fly (with Barbell)

Intermediate

Pectorals

Barbell

Floor Fly (with Barbell) fits in after your main press, and heavy bilateral barbell loading keeps the focus on pressing power across the chest.

How to do Floor Fly (with Barbell)

Lie flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, arms extended straight up over your chest.
Slowly lower the barbell out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Lower the barbell until your arms are parallel to the floor, feeling a stretch in your chest.
Pause for a moment, then squeeze your chest muscles to bring the barbell back to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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Floor Fly (with Barbell) Sets and Reps by Goal

Strength

4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.

Hypertrophy

4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.

Endurance

3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.

Common Floor Fly (with Barbell) Mistakes

Bouncing the bar to get through the hardest inch

Pause briefly so the muscle, not the rebound, does the work.

Letting the shoulders roll forward at the bottom

Set the shoulder blades back and down before rep one and hold it there.

Easier and Harder Than Floor Fly (with Barbell)

Easier progression

Korean Dips

Harder progression

Dumbbell Incline Twisted Flyes

Swap Floor Fly (with Barbell) For

Smith Incline Bench Press

Cable Incline Fly

Hands Bike

Floor Fly (with Barbell) — Frequently Asked Questions

How do you do the Floor Fly (with Barbell)?

Lie flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, arms extended straight up over your chest. Slowly lower the barbell out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.

What muscles does the Floor Fly (with Barbell) work?

The Floor Fly (with Barbell) primarily targets the pectorals. It is classified as a chest exercise and is performed with a barbell.

How many sets and reps of the Floor Fly (with Barbell) should I do?

For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.

Is the Floor Fly (with Barbell) good for beginners?

It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic chest patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.

What can I do instead of the Floor Fly (with Barbell)?

Try the Smith Incline Bench Press, Cable Incline Fly or the Hands Bike. Each trains the pectorals with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.