How Floor Flies Differ from Bench Flies?

Numerous factors go into choosing the proper exercise. For starters, you’d want to select a workout you naturally enjoy. You’d also like an exercise that’s easily pairable with other forms of workouts and one that you can seamlessly vary in intensity and duration. But perhaps the most crucial consideration when selecting the best form of workout is the objectives you intend to achieve.

Are you looking to shed off extra pounds or pack up more muscle? And what are the specific muscles you want to bulk up? How you answer these questions can go a long way in helping you hone in on the most appropriate exercise for you. This post compares two common workout techniques – floor flies and bench flies. Read on for a floor fly and bench fly compared to help you choose which of the two options is better suited for your needs.

Similarities Between Floor Flies and Bench Flies

Flies (in general) are the primary building blocks for forming chest muscles. The same is true for both floor flies and bench flies.

These two exercises mainly target the two large chest muscles of the pectoralis majors.  

Differences Between Floor Fly and Bench Fly

Floor and bench fly differ primarily in their focus, end goal, and execution.

Focus

As already mentioned, both floor fly and bench fly targets the pectoralis majors. But there’s a slight difference in the overall focus of each workout. The emphasis on floor fly is almost exclusively limited to the chest muscles. However, bench fly can also help stack up several neighboring muscles, including the shoulder and elbow muscles.

Expectedly, choosing one form of workout over the other will depend on your primary goals. Floor fly will serve you better if you’re only interested in bulking up your pectoralis majors, while bench flyes would be ideal if you are looking for more holistic results.

End-goal

The end goal of floor fly and bench fly ties back to the specific muscles each workout targets. Floor fly is mainly effective at training your muscle’s ability to adduct or compress the shoulders and chest toward the center of your body. On the other hand, bench fly can train your ability to extend your shoulders and chest away from your body.

In lay terms, floor flyes are more useful at helping you pull weights, while bench flyes help with weight pushing.

Execution

Floor Fly

• Lie on the floor with two dumbbells suspended above your shoulders, so your arms are stretched about 15 degrees shy of full extension.
• Have your palms facing each other and lower the dumbbells in an arching movement, ensuring that your elbows hit the floor even with your chest.
• Pause for half a second and squeeze the weights back together in an arcing motion.
• Ensure the dumbbells stop just a few inches from touching; this helps maintain tension on the pecs.
• Repeat the process for the desired reps, concentrating the motions on your pectorals.

For maximum results, start with lower weights and shorter workout sessions. You can then build momentum slowly.

Bench Fly

• Get a flat but slightly inclined bench.
• Lie flat on your back on the bench.
• Spread your feet on either side of the bench and ensure each foot firmly touches the floor while keeping your head and back firmly pressed into the bench.
• Ask your workout partner or the gym instructor to hand you the two dumbbells; alternatively, pick the weights from the floor and hold them in each hand.
• Extend your arms above your head but prevent them from locking out.
• Ensure your elbows are slightly bent and your palms (now holding each dumbbell) face each other.
• Inhale and lower the weights slowly in an arc motion until they’re aligned with your chest.

Your arms should be stretched to the sides by this time but not locked out.

Also, ensure your arms are not dropped lower than your shoulders.

1. Exhale and gently lift the dumbbells in the same arc motion.
2. Repeat as many times as desired.

Choosing Between Floor Fly and Bench Fly

Experts recommend incorporating the floor fly and bench fly techniques into your workouts. Together, these exercises can help work your chest, shoulder, elbow, and neck muscles. So, virtually all major muscles on your upper torso benefit from a floor fly and bench fly.

But if you must choose one of the two workouts, you’d be better off with bench fly. That’s because the bench fly works more muscles in a single motion, increasing the efficiency of your workout sessions. Besides, once you can perform bench fly, you’ll automatically be able to execute floor fly.

If you decide to incorporate both exercises into your workout routine, it’s important to note that the order in which you perform them will significantly impact your fitness goals. For maximum efficacy, performing the bench fly and finishing with the floor fly is prudent.

Final Word

Both the floor fly and bench fly primarily target chest muscles. However, these workouts differ slightly in their specific focus areas, core objectives, and execution. We hope this post can help you determine which of the two exercises is suitable for your workout needs.