10 Best Bodyweight Flyes Alternatives for Home Workouts

Bodyweight Flyes are done lying on your back with an EZ bar. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Hyght Dumbbell Fly, the Dumbbell Decline Fly and the Dumbbell Fly.

Bodyweight Flyes

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do Bodyweight Flyes

The steps for Bodyweight Flyes themselves, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Pectorals, with abdominals, shoulders, triceps · Ez-barbell · Intermediate · Isolation

  1. Position two equally loaded EZ bars on the ground next to each other. Ensure they are able to roll.
  2. Assume a push-up position over the bars, supporting your weight on your toes and hands with your arms extended and body straight.
  3. Place your hands on the bars. This will be your starting position.
  4. Using a slow and controlled motion, move your hands away from the midline of your body, rolling the bars apart. Inhale during this portion of the motion.
  5. After moving the bars as far apart as you can, return to the starting position by pulling them back together. Exhale as you perform this movement.

The 10 Best Bodyweight Flyes Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches Bodyweight Flyes on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Hyght Dumbbell FlyPlay demonstration

    1. Hyght Dumbbell Fly

    99% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Isolation

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the pectorals.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
    2. Extend your arms straight up over your chest, with a slight bend in your elbows.
    3. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest.
    4. Pause for a moment, then reverse the movement and bring the dumbbells back to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: chest fly, the same as Bodyweight Flyes
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as Bodyweight Flyes
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as Bodyweight Flyes
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as Bodyweight Flyes

Why You Might Need a Bodyweight Flyes Alternative

You may substitute Bodyweight Flyes because of limited loading, shoulder pain, or lack of stable equipment. Flyes emphasize horizontal adduction and isolate the pectoralis major but can expose the shoulder capsule to high shear at end range. Alternatives let you control load, maintain scapular retraction, and adjust range-of-motion to reduce impingement. For example, cables provide constant tension with easier scapular positioning, cue: retract scapula and limit end-range horizontal abduction, to preserve pec activation while reducing joint stress.

Bodyweight Flyes FAQ

What muscles does Bodyweight Flyes work?

Bodyweight Flyes primarily target the pectoralis major, especially the sternal fibers, while the anterior deltoid and long head of the biceps act as secondary stabilizers. Scapular stabilizers like the serratus anterior and lower trapezius activate to control shoulder position; cue a slight scapular retraction to load the pecs rather than the deltoids.

Can I build muscle without doing Bodyweight Flyes?

Yes, you can build chest muscle using compound presses and loaded horizontal-adduction variations that allow progressive overload. Prioritize controlled eccentrics, pause at peak contraction to increase time under tension, and cue strong scapular retraction to focus force through the pectorals.

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