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Floor Fly (With Barbell)
A floor-based fly-style barbell movement that loads the pecs with a wide elbow arc while the floor caps range and protects the shoulders.
ChestBarbellHorizontal fly
GoLightWeight mediafloor-fly-with-barbell
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Pectoralis major
Secondary
Anterior deltoidsTricepsCore
Equipment
Barbell
Pattern
Horizontal fly
Setup
- 01Lie on your back on the floor with knees bent and feet flat.
- 02Grip a light barbell wider than shoulder width with an overhand grip.
- 03Press the bar to arms length over the chest.
- 04Tuck the shoulder blades down and back against the floor.
Execution
- 01Lower the bar by letting the elbows travel wide toward the floor.
- 02Keep only a slight elbow bend so the arc stays fly-like, not a press.
- 03Pause briefly as the upper arms touch the floor.
- 04Squeeze the chest to sweep the bar back up to the start.
Checkpoints
- -Upper arms touch down softly, never crashing into the floor.
- -Elbow angle stays nearly constant through the arc.
- -Lower back keeps light contact with the floor.
- -The bar stays balanced over the chest line, not drifting toward the face.
Common mistakes
- -Loading the bar like a floor press and turning the fly into a press.
- -Bouncing the arms off the floor to start the next rep.
- -Bending the elbows deeper as the set gets hard.
- -Arching the back to help the bar up.
Programming notes
- -Use 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps with an empty or lightly loaded bar.
- -A dumbbell-free fly option when only a barbell is available.
- -Keep the tempo slow; the floor pause is the point, not a rest.
Related exercises
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