Stability Ball Dumbbell Fly

In SetGrip: Dumbbell Fly (Stability Ball)

Secondary muscles
Delts, Triceps
Body part
Chest
Position
Lying
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Rolling into a bridge with your upper back on the ball means your glutes and hamstrings hold the torso flat while the dumbbells sweep out to the sides. Compared with a flat bench dumbbell fly you surrender load and gain a hip-and-trunk stability demand; useful variety when a ball is all you have, not a route to chest overload.

How to do the Stability Ball Dumbbell Fly

  1. Sit on an exercise ball and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Walk your feet forward and roll your body down until your head, neck, and upper back are supported by the ball.
  3. Extend your arms straight up above your chest, palms facing each other.
  4. Bend your elbows slightly and lower your arms out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest.
  5. Pause for a moment, then reverse the movement and squeeze your chest muscles as you bring the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Imagine hugging a barrel rather than pushing a weight.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

On chest flies and cable crossovers the pecs pull the arms together in an arc and should feel a deep stretch at the bottom and a hard squeeze at the top.

Secondary

  • Delts — Rear delt flies work the back of the shoulder as the arms swing wide, and the front delt assists on any chest fly.
  • Triceps

Common mistakes

  • Elbows bending as you tire — this turns a fly into a press; set the elbow angle at the start and keep it constant for the whole set.
  • Going too heavy — flies are a stretch and squeeze movement, not a strength lift; you should be able to pause at the bottom without the shoulders rolling forward.
  • Stopping short of the stretch — let the arms open until you feel the chest or rear delts lengthen, then bring them back under control.
  • Not squeezing at the finish — the last few inches are where the muscle shortens most, so hold the contraction for a count before opening again.

Where it fits in a workout

Flies are an isolation movement for after the pressing or rowing is done. Pair a chest fly with a rear delt fly for a balanced superset.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without dumbbell

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.