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Dumbbell Fly strength standards

What is a good Dumbbell Fly?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Dumbbell Fly is about 55 lb (0.31x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 83 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 55 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 83 lb Advanced standard
Gym median Separate tab Self-reported, not blended
Check My Level Estimate Your 1RM Methodology
Evidence ledger No blended rankings
Primary source FitnessVolt standards model
Available views Standards
Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.

Quick Answer Dumbbell Fly

A solid (Intermediate) Dumbbell Fly for a 180 lb male is about 55 lb (0.31x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Dumbbell Fly into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 83 lb (0.46x bodyweight).

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

Dumbbell Fly demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your Dumbbell Fly? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles Biceps, Anterior Deltoid, Pectorals
Equipment Dumbbells, Flat Bench
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Isolation

How Strong Is Your Dumbbell Fly?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 55 lbs (0.31x bodyweight) on the Dumbbell Fly ranks Intermediate on the FVCP competition scale, stronger than ~50% of verified competition lifters at this bodyweight. Enter your own numbers above to see where you stand.

That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.

Over 40? Our calculator also reports an age-adjusted percentile and an age-30 equivalent using the McCulloch age factor, so masters lifters are compared to lifters their own age. See the age-adjusted (Masters 40+) standards below for the full breakdown.

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
Your FVCP:
Age-adjusted percentile
lb Age-30 equivalent 1RM

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
th percentile

Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your lift falls, not a measured frequency count.

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to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

We do not have enough reader-submitted Dumbbell Fly entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

55 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.31x x Bodyweight

Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.

Enter your numbers above first. We publish reader benchmarks only after a sample threshold is met.

How Much Should You Dumbbell Fly?

Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 6 16 33 56 84
120 7 19 37 61 89
130 9 21 40 65 95
140 10 23 43 69 99
150 11 26 46 73 104
160 13 28 49 76 108
170 14 30 52 80 112
180 16 32 55 83 116
190 17 34 57 87 120
200 19 36 60 90 124
210 20 38 62 93 128
220 22 40 65 96 131
230 23 42 67 99 135
240 24 44 70 102 138
250 26 45 72 104 141
260 27 47 74 107 144
270 28 49 76 110 147
280 30 50 78 112 150
290 31 52 80 114 153
300 32 54 82 117 156
310 33 55 84 119 158

Is Your Dumbbell Fly Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good Dumbbell Fly at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Dumbbell Fly is about 55 lb (0.31x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 83 lb (0.46x), and Elite is 116 lb (0.64x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Dumbbell Fly is about 27 lb (0.19x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 42 lb (0.3x), and Elite is 60 lb (0.43x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Dumbbell Fly?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 55 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 16 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 27 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 7 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 46 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 65 lb at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.

By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male lifts about 52 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 46 lb. See the By Age tab for every age band.

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

How Does Age Affect Dumbbell Fly Strength?

How Dumbbell Fly standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 11 25 44 69 98
20 13 28 51 79 112
25 13 29 52 81 115
30 13 29 52 81 115
35 13 29 52 81 115
40 13 29 52 81 115
45 13 28 49 77 109
50 12 26 46 72 103
55 11 24 43 67 95
60 10 22 39 61 87
65 9 20 35 55 78
70 8 18 32 49 70
75 7 16 28 44 63
80 7 14 25 40 56
85 6 13 23 35 50
90 5 11 20 32 45

What Do Dumbbell Fly Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning dumbbell stabilization and control on the Dumbbell Fly, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Dumbbell Fly with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Dumbbell Fly is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Dumbbell Fly through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Dumbbell Fly strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.

How to Progress Your Dumbbell Fly

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Dumbbell Fly to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Dumbbell Fly 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
  • Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
  • Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
  • Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Dumbbell Fly.
  • Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
  • Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
  • Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Advanced Isolation Techniques
  • Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Dumbbell Fly plateaus.
  • Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
  • Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
  • Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
Calculate working set loads →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize Dumbbell Fly strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
  • Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
  • Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
  • Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform Dumbbell Fly

  1. Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
  2. Extend your arms above your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
  3. Slowly lower the dumbbells in an arc out to the sides, feeling a stretch in your chest.
  4. Stop when your arms are level with your chest or slightly below.
  5. Bring the dumbbells back up to the starting position by reversing the motion.
  6. Keep your shoulders and back flat on the bench throughout the movement.
  7. Exhale as you lift the weights and inhale as you lower them.

Read the complete Dumbbell Fly guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Dumbbell Fly

  • Maintain a slight bend in your elbows to reduce stress on the joints.
  • Keep the movement slow and controlled to maximize muscle engagement.
  • Avoid bringing the dumbbells too close together at the top to maintain tension on the chest.
  • Keep your lower back pressed against the bench to prevent arching.

Where Do These Dumbbell Fly Standards Come From?

FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.

Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026

Is Your Dumbbell Fly Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Dumbbell Fly against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:

  1. Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
  2. Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
  3. Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
  4. Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.

If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Dumbbell Fly 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.

The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" Dumbbell Fly depends on your bodyweight, sex, and training background. The Intermediate tier is a useful first serious target, while Advanced and Elite represent much harder standards. Use the table above for the number closest to your bodyweight.
Many lifters can reach the Intermediate tier on the Dumbbell Fly after steady training, but the timeline depends on starting point, technique, programming, recovery, and bodyweight changes. Treat the tier as a benchmark, not a deadline.
Yes. Competition views use verified meet-result data where available, gym percentile views use self-reported gym cohorts, and reader-submitted benchmarks are shown only after enough entries are logged. The populations are labeled separately.
For weighted lifts, enter a clean raw 1RM or an estimated 1RM from a recent hard set. For rep-based movements, enter controlled full-range reps. Avoid equipped lifts, partial reps, or bounced reps unless you are comparing against the same style every time.

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One Rep Max Calculator Estimate your one-rep max from any rep set Benchmarks Compare against competition data RPE Chart Training load percentages by RPE
Written by Tom Miller, CSCS · Reviewed by Editorial Team
Tom Miller, CSCS, is a Sr. Editor & Content Strategist with 10 years of experience in Powerlifting and Personal Training. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is dedicated to delivering informative, engaging, and reliable health and fitness content. His work has been featured on websites including the-sun.com, Well+Good, Bleacher Report, Muscle and Fitness, UpJourney, Business Insider, NewsBreak and more.