Bodyweight Flyes

intermediate · isolation

Setup

Set two round plates or gliding discs about shoulder-width apart on a smooth, flat floor. Get into the top of a push-up position with your hands on the discs and your body in one straight line from head to heels. You need a slick floor for the discs to glide; thick gym mats can grab, so pick a wood or tile patch instead. While you are learning, drop to your knees to take load off the shoulders and lower back, and only straighten the legs once the movement feels solid.

Execution

Brace your core and glutes to keep your body rigid like a plank for the whole set.
Inhale and slide your hands apart away from your body's midline in a wide arc, keeping a slight bend in the elbows.
Lower your chest toward the floor until you feel a clear stretch across your chest, without letting the hips sag.
Exhale and pull your hands back together along the same arc you slid out on, squeezing the chest at the end.
Return to the starting position with your body still straight, then move into the next rep.

Breathing

Inhale as you slide your hands out, exhale as you pull them back. Keep breathing steady, do not hold your breath.

Quick cues

Body rigid like a plank.
Wide arc, not a straight pull.
A soft bend in the elbows throughout.
Squeeze the chest at the closest point.
Hips neither sag nor pike up.

Common faults

Fault: The hips sagging as the hands slide apart
Fix: Brace the core and glutes before sliding out; if it still sags, shorten the arc a little.
Fault: Locking the elbows completely straight while sliding out
Fix: Hold a fixed, slight bend in the elbows for the whole set to take stress off the biceps tendon.
Fault: Pulling the hands back in a straight line instead of retracing the arc
Fix: Retrace the same arc you slid out on so the movement stays isolated at the shoulder joint.
Fault: The discs not gliding evenly, so one hand moves faster than the other
Fix: Move to a smoother patch of floor or swap in dedicated gliding discs instead of a rough weight plate.

Equipment

other

Muscle groups

chest, shoulders, core