My Favorite Exercises: Reverse Flys

Unfortunately, my current gym has no machine for reverse flys, where you pull the handles from the front of the body outward to the sides. This, of course, is the opposite of flys in which you are bringing your arms in from the sides to in front of your chest.

Maybe it's a good thing my gym decided not to include one of these reverse fly machines because I found a new favorite exercise in reverse flys with dumbbells.

This is a great exercise to work the back. Here's how I like to do them:

• From a standing position, bend over until your torso is almost parallel to the floor and perpendicular to your legs.
• With a dumbbell in each hand, start with the arms hanging straight down.
• With a controlled movement, raise the arms keeping them just slightly bent so you don't hyperextend your elbows. Raise them until they are straight to the sides.
  

As you do this exercise, think about lifting with the elbows and squeezing the shoulder blades together. This will help you focus specifically on the back muscles you're working. Try to keep the abdominal muscles pushing toward the small of your back; this keeps your core strong and steady throughout the exercise.

If you're used to using a machine, or you don't do this exercise at all, give the dumbbell reverse flys a try.