Butterfly
Seated with your back against the pad, you bring the handles of the pec deck together in a wide arc in front of your chest, then let them open slowly.
- Primary muscles
- Upper chest, Middle chest, Lower chest
- Secondary
- Front delts
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The butterfly machine isolates your chest with almost no balance or setup to worry about, so it works well after pressing and for beginners learning to feel their chest work. The fixed arc keeps tension fairly even, unlike dumbbell flies, which go slack at the top. Use it for moderate to high reps with a controlled stretch; because the path never changes, it's easy to push sets close to failure without your form falling apart.
How to do it
Set the seat so the handles sit at chest height when you're seated, back flat against the pad.
Grip the handles with your elbows slightly bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Bring the handles together in front of your chest in a wide arc, keeping the elbow angle fixed.
Let them travel back slowly until you feel a stretch across your chest, without forcing your shoulders past a comfortable range.
Common mistakes
Seat at the wrong height
If the handles sit above or below your chest, the arc pulls on your shoulders instead. Adjust the seat so the handles are level with your chest.
Turning it into a press
Bending your elbows more as you close makes it a push with your arms. Keep the elbow angle fixed the whole way.
Forcing the stretch
Letting the handles pull your arms far behind your body adds shoulder strain, not chest work. Stop where you feel a solid stretch across your chest.
Back coming off the pad
Leaning forward to finish the rep shifts the work to your shoulders. Keep your back flat against the pad from start to finish.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
