Do dumbell flyes build chest mass???

[MR.BICEPS]

Heres a question I have heard many times,"DO FLYES HELP BUILD CHEST MASS"?

Many claim presses are good for mass and flyes are good for nothing but carving in details.

This makes no sense at all to me! Isnt the function of the pec to bring the arms across the body? If so flyes should build more chest mass than presses!!!

If not why not???

 

[bigbadasian]

Reply

|--[\\\]>---------- Bullshit...it's an awsome mass bulilder. Half of my chest workout is flys. I am a firm believer that you dont need massive weight for chest flies either...most i ever go is 65-70 lbs db's on flys...i just go low enuff to feel the stretch in the pecs, then up and squeeze with my pecs 1st, so that i dont get my front delts into it.

 

[IronMike]

...

Yep, of course they can be a mass builder. That old argument (which I've heard a million times too) is pretty unfounded and based on simple presumptions being more weight for one exercise then another means the heavier lift builds more mass. that DOES have some truth to it, but it isn't just that simple. Perhaps, say, flyes and other such movements (I can think of lateral delt raises for one) build mass in another area of the muscle group anyway.

EDIT - What I wrote first time wasn't clear. If you were to ONLY do flyes for chest, it is unlikely you would develop a thick overall chest. If you only did presses, you might. But if you added a flye movement you may add mass to areas of your chest you wouldn't by only doing presses. Total mass gained would be greater from the pressing movements, but kinda like dips add (for me anyway) some muscle to some diff areas of my chest I'd say the same is true for flyes. In fact, I think I've just contradicted my first point in saying you will gain more mass from presses, but there you go!!! IronMike

 

[MikeS]

I always felt compound movements were better at building mass.
But heavy (and light have their place too) isolation free weight movements like flies are great too. Id say they are essential to your chest workouts.

 

[MR.BICEPS]

Arnold and Ferrigno DID NUMEROUS SETS OF FLYES EACH WEEK. Their chest were far superior than many of the pro's today that rely mainly on presses for chest development.

 

[Vander_V]

|--[\\\]>---------- Bullshit...it's an awsome mass bulilder. Half of my chest workout is flys. I am a firm believer that you dont need massive weight for chest flies either...most i ever go is 65-70 lbs db's on flys...i just go low enuff to feel the stretch in the pecs, then up and squeeze with my pecs 1st, so that i dont get my front delts into it.

BBA is right on the money .