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Sitting for prolonged hours at a desk for work is bad for our hips and back which we all know, but it is also bad for our upper body muscles too. Upper body muscles are weakened due to long hours of sitting. There is not much movement and hence it is bad. Regular stretching after sitting for a long duration and practicing some upper body exercise can make you feel better. One just simple exercise is the Chest fly exercise.
Another variant of chest fly is known as bench fly, as it is performed on the bench. This exercise helps to train the chest, shoulders, and arms. Most of your upper body gets benefited because of this exercise. Although it is simple to perform, you can make it intense by adding weight to it. Let us understand all the benefits of this exercise in detail below.
What is Butterfly Chest Workout
The butterfly exercise mainly targets certain areas of the body that will control the upper, middle, lower and inner chest. Not just that, this exercise will work your biceps and other areas as well, and it will give you a nice toned and stronger upper body.
It not only just tones your upper body but also works on your pectoral muscles to help you build them. This exercise can be performed seated on a weighted machine, and this exercise helps to strengthen your arms and biceps. If you are a beginner it may seem difficult initially, and you must take it slowly and easily, work through it to build that strength and stamina!
Benefits of Butterfly Chest Workout
1. Tone various muscles in your body
- Tones Synergist Muscles
Ceratin muscles support your chest wall, these muscles are present at the front of your shoulders and your bicep muscles at the front of your arms. So when you perform a chest fly workout it can add stability to your chest region and strengthens these synergist muscles. This, in turn, helps prevent shoulder injuries as all your muscles have enough strength to support the shoulder joint.
- Tones Pectoralis Muscles
The chest butterfly exercise to strengthen the chest muscles uses a pushing force. Which mainly targets muscle is the pectoralis muscles. For men, the look of the pec muscles is more defined and adds a more balanced and toned appearance to the torso.
For women, in order to lift the chest area, these pec exercises can help. It is normal to experience some next-day soreness in the chest after performing butterfly exercises since these large muscle groups, don’t have the same endurance as smaller muscle groups like the pectoralis major.
- Variations Stimulate Abdominal Muscles
If you want to add more challenge to your workout you can perform chest fly exercises by using a stability ball while balancing your upper back on it. Keep your back as straight as possible and should be parallel to the floor in order to avoid any type of injury and strain while performing the exercise. In addition to working the pecs and synergist muscles, this variation challenges the front and side areas of your core muscles. This variation is recommended by the American Council on Exercise for intermediate exercisers.
- Improves Upper body Circulation
A butterfly chest workout will help to improve your upper-body circulation, which means more energy and power during other activities or sports. The chest muscles are connected to the muscles in your shoulders, and improving the circulation between the two can help prevent any kind of shoulder joint instability or injury. Improving your upper-body circulation also helps to relieve pain and soreness. Also the excess tension in your back and arm muscles are released.
- Increases Athletic Power
You engage both the chest and shoulder muscles in swinging and hitting a ball, so if you are someone who regularly plays racquet sports or golf, chest butterfly exercises can boost the power behind your swing.
- Improves Posture
Your pectoral muscles are attached to your collarbone, shoulder blades, and the vertebrae of your back and neck. As you practice chest butterfly exercises, these muscles are pulled tighter and strengthened. Thus it helps the muscles of your neck to support and align your head, while helping to relieve the tension and stiffness in your lower back, improving your posture. In order to receive this posture-improving result, stick to proper form by keeping your back and head aligned while doing the exercise.
- Variations
To target your upper pectoral muscles and shoulders you can perform chest butterfly exercises on an inclined bench. To stimulate your lower pectoral muscles you can also perform them on a declined bench and also work on your triceps, and upper abs. Focusing on various muscle groups helps to keep your physique in proper form and in strength and stability while assisting to maintain a feeling of dynamic and freshness in your workout.
Conclusion
A Butterfly chest workout helps to tone and sculpt your upper body. The exercise is easy to perform and the intensity can be increased by adding more weights to it. It is best for both men and women, to tone their chest, shoulders, and back. Various muscles from your upper body get benefited when you perform a butterfly chest workout. It is one of the exercises that will make you feel better after sitting for prolonged hours working in one place. Hope these articles help you to understand all the benefits of this exercise.