- This is one of the most common exercises for training. pectoral muscles s performed in the simulator. Of course, it is an isolating exercise that can specifically load a certain area of ​​the pectoral muscles, while practically not involving other muscle groups, although this could not be avoided. However, the exercise is also good because it allows you to stretch the pectoral muscles, as well as shift the emphasis of the load to different bundles, which is why girls love to perform this exercise.

Bringing your arms together in the simulator is a great development chest, but don’t count on the fact that you can pump up your chest With this exercise, its functions include the formation of proportions, and not the growth of muscle mass. You should perform this exercise at the end of your workout, after you have sufficiently loaded your pectoral muscles, or it can be used for pre-exhaustion, however, since the exercise allows you to not only load, but also stretch the muscles, it is better to do it at the end. With the help of the information, you can pump up a wide, proportional chest, as well as develop muscle elasticity and flexibility.

Work of muscles and joints

Bringing your arms together in the simulator mainly loads the outer part of the pectoral muscles, stretching them, which, in fact, allows you to slightly expand the chest. This is why it is very good to combine this exercise with pullovers and light weight squats when you are working on bone width. It is important to note that it makes sense to carry out such training only when the athlete’s bone growth zones have not yet closed, that is, up to 25 years. In addition to the pectoral muscles, the biceps, which hold the exercise machine, also receive a small load, and therefore serve as a stabilizer.

The joints, of course, receive some load, but it is precisely the fact that the exercise is anatomically very comfortable, and this is the advantage of raising the arms in the simulator over the same dumbbell raises. Due to this comfort, the exercise is recommended for beginners who have poorly developed neural connections between the brain and muscles. But despite the fact that the joints are not subject to heavy load, the exercise should be performed after you have warmed up, and the exercise itself should be done under control and slowly.

Reduction of arms in the simulator - diagram

1) Set up the exercise machine so that you can sit comfortably on it, while firmly resting your feet on the floor or stand.
2) Sit on a chair with your back arched and your chest forward, while your head must look forward so that you do not round your spine.
3) You should take a deep breath, and then, as you exhale, pull your arms towards each other, contracting your pectoral muscles.
4) During peak muscle contraction, you should pause a little and then return the muscles to their original position, stretching them as much as possible.
5) The exercise should be performed in the range of 12-15 repetitions so that you have time to tire the muscles.

Reduction of arms in the simulator - notes

1) Try to keep your elbows slightly bent at all times, which will provide better control of the machine throughout the entire range of motion.
2) Do not bring the machine to a dead point either when you extend your arms or when you bend them, because in this way you will transfer the load from the muscles to the joints.
3) Do not “cheat” under any circumstances, trying to press with your body, or in any other way, remember that bringing your arms together in a machine is a formative exercise.
4) It is important to provide yourself with solid support so as not to be distracted by coordinating your body position, so if you cannot reach the floor with your feet, then do not hesitate to use a stand.
5) The exercise should be performed in a large number of repetitions, without trying to increase the weight on the apparatus, since the purpose of the exercise is not to increase muscle mass or strength indicators, but to “finish” the target muscle groups.

Anatomy

Bringing your arms together in a machine pumps up one of the largest muscle groups in the human body, so it is very important to be able to load it enough. Due to the fact that it is not possible to use large working weights during isolation exercises, there is a need to increase the intensity of the load, so the exercise should be done in a large number of repetitions and approaches. On the other hand, the pinch of the arms pumps only part of the pectoral muscles, while, however, it stretches them, and therefore it is useful to perform the exercise at the end of the workout in order to finally “finish off” the chest.

Since the exercise is isolating, the joints are not very heavily loaded, and the comfortable body position, ensured by the fact that the arms are brought together in the simulator, helps to achieve the best concentration of the load in the target areas. muscle groups. In general, to summarize, we can say that the exercise is an excellent way to stretch the pectoral muscles, as well as bring them to positive failure, but it does not help build muscle mass, instead improving their quality.

Hi people. How are you? This article contains some "amazing" information called "The Butterfly Exercise for the Pecs." Here I will tell you about the mechanics of the exercise, the working muscles, the purpose of this movement, its nuances and differences from analogues. All this right now.

Honestly, my favorite of all the exercises is the barbell press. horizontal bench: I would do it, if physiology allowed, day and night. Nevertheless, I am not above doing other exercises for the pectoral muscles, that is, the chest. Among them there was a movement of hands. But let's talk more about this.

Hand fly, aka “butterfly”

As you know, you can raise your arms in a machine (block) or with dumbbells. With dumbbells this is done in a lying position, and in the simulator - sitting. Please note this: body position is the key and fundamental difference.

For ease of understanding, dumbbell flyes are usually called simply “flies” or arm raises, but the arm raises in a block machine are called butterfly raises: You seem to be flapping your wings.

I'll digress a little. To be honest, I don’t quite understand why flyes are called flyes, because the exercise gets its name based on the strength effort. The bench press is when you press a weight away from you, the biceps curl is when you bend your arms with a barbell, but here it’s the other way around.

The power effort in the butterfly is a contraction of the arms, not an extension. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to call this exercise a hand raise in a machine or with dumbbells, rather than a fly. But this is so, my reasoning.

So, the “butterfly” has an advantage over the dumbbell fly: the peak load (muscle contraction) does not subside at the highest point (with the arms fully closed). But when you raise your arms while lying down, this tension subsides: the load, when you raise and bring your arms together with dumbbells while lying down, goes down along your arms, relieving tension from the pectoral muscles. This is bad, because the goal is not to save more energy, but to spend it, thereby pumping up the necessary muscles.

Features of the exercise

I would like to clarify the working muscles, because to say that the chest works means to give a “smeared” answer, as politicians do - they never answer directly. So, the pectoral muscles work here in full, but different parts of them receive different loads.

In the butterfly, the inner parts of the pectoral muscles are mainly tensed the most, but this exercise is not as simple as it may seem: the outer parts are stretched when the arms are raised. I’ll tell you why this is needed below.

Another feature of this movement is the ability to regulate the amplitude of movement you need (width of arm extension). Put more, and the muscles will be more loaded and stretched.

Please note that when you set yourself a certain weight on the block, try not to put it completely in place, do not lower it all the way so that it knocks. This is necessary to ensure that your muscles do not lose tension when you place weight.

There are different block simulators in which the hands can be held in different ways during the reduction. So, you can bring your arms almost straight, or you can have them bent at the elbows (the forearms look up, and you bring your elbows together). By the way, the second option is preferable, because in it the amplitude of movement is greater (in the first you move your palms, in the second case - your elbows). Consequently, breastfeeding receives a greater load.

Since the butterfly is an isolating exercise, only one muscle group should work. Therefore, do not “cheat” when bringing your arms together in the exercise machine, do not lean forward, do not lift your back from the back of the seat, and when bringing your hands closer to each other, strain your pectoral muscles, as if additionally (not due to the exercise, but on your own).

In the future, when you fully lower and raise your arms, you will have to stay in these positions for literally one second, again, to increase tension in the pectoral muscles. Try it, and then be sure to write down in the comments how you feel.

Why use a butterfly?

First of all, this movement is used as a shaping one: with constant use it gives the pectoral muscles shape - expands with outside and grows mass from the inside. One pectoral muscle looks like a uniform cushion - this is the result of working with this exercise. But, again, this is an isolating exercise. This movement alone “will not fill you up.” Therefore, you first need to tire your chest with basic exercises.

The principle is this: you work with basic chest exercises, and only then “finish off” the chest with isolating exercises, giving them shape, pumping them with blood. Bodybuilders call this process "grinding."

For girls, this exercise is an excellent help for the formation of natural muscle corset breasts, especially if the woman's breasts are large. I think girls understand what I mean. Or, on the contrary, are your breasts too small? Then, in tandem with a bench press, for example, or with a dumbbell bench press, you can slightly increase chest volume due to muscle growth in this area.

When to use?

As I said, the “butterfly” is used after basic exercises, but often programs are structured in such a way that triceps are also pumped with the chest on the same day, which also includes basic exercises. So after what should you do the wiring in the block simulator? Naturally, after basic chest exercises, and then move on to triceps exercises, although they will be basic.

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This exercise owes its name to the most beautiful insect on Earth - the butterfly. Indeed, the movements of an athlete performing a butterfly strongly resemble flapping wings. The butterfly stroke is designed for isolated work on the central part of the chest. Despite such a narrow focus, the “butterfly” is popular in many gyms in our country. Now we have to figure out who and why should include this exercise in their training program.

Active muscle groups when performing the “Butterfly” exercise

Basic: pectoralis major muscle, or rather its middle part. This area works in conjunction with the shoulder muscles and is responsible for bringing the arms to the body.

Auxiliary: anterior deltoids, serratus anterior muscle.

Stabilizers: pectoralis minor, latissimus, trapezius, rotator cuff muscles.

Description of the Butterfly simulator

"Butterfly" does not refer to basic exercises, so not every room has equipment for it. To complete this you will need strength trainer“peck-deck.” What he really is? The “pack deck” consists of a bench with a vertical back, a rack with weights and two “levers” with vertical handles, which you have to move.

The simulator comes in two types: for working with bent elbows and with outstretched arms. The difference between them is that different amplitudes are used when performing the exercise.

Execution technique

Approaches: 3-4

Repetitions: 10-12

Before starting the exercise, adjust the pack-deck to your height. Sit on the bench and place your hands on the handles. Look: your shoulders should be parallel to the floor, and your forearms should be perpendicular. There should be a right angle between them. If these conditions are not met, then change the height of the seat (or the height of the handles - it all depends on the model of the simulator).

So, let’s start “flapping our wings”:

6 reasons why you should do the exercise

The “butterfly” gives the bodybuilder the following advantages:

1. The pectoral muscles become more proportional (for many Bottom part chest is more developed than others due to bench presses), a clear relief appears, separation of the right and left pectoral muscles.
2. Deep areas of the chest are worked out that other exercises cannot reach.
3. When performing butterfly, the pectoral muscles are well stretched, which increases blood circulation in them and, accordingly, accelerates their growth.
4. The load in all phases of the “butterfly” is uniform, in contrast to exercises performed with free weights.
5. "Butterfly" is good exercise to restore the tone of the upper body after injury.
6. Butterfly can also be useful for the fair sex, because it can tone the breasts and make them more elastic.

Many inexperienced athletes spread rumors that the butterfly is a completely useless exercise. We don't want you to fall into this misconception.

Fly in the ointment, you can’t live without it

First, let's figure out what goals you want to achieve at this stage of bodybuilding. If you are a beginner (less than 1 year of experience), then you shouldn’t even waste time sitting down at the “peck-deck”. In your thoughts about training, there should be only the “golden three”: bench press, deadlift and squat. The “butterfly” is not at all intended for building bulk: it is an isolating exercise for the chest muscles.

The butterfly exercise is a tool for professionals who want to “polish” their large, but not yet processed, mountain of muscles.

Now that we have eliminated all the ambiguities, we can move on to considering the shortcomings:

• The trajectory of movements in the pack deck is strictly fixed, which does not always allow you to work the pecs at the desired angle.
• The maximum liftable weight of simulators for hand reduction is in the range of 100-120 kg. This may cause some inconvenience for experienced bodybuilders.

“Butterfly” is an indispensable exercise for the formation of evenly developed and sculpted pectoral muscles. It is suitable mainly for professionals and athletes undergoing recovery from injuries.

Video: Bringing your arms together in the butterfly simulator

It is also useful for beginners to master the butterfly technique - these skills will be useful to them in the near future. To exercise safely and effectively, remember to follow our tips. Powerful training to you, friends!

Be sure to read about it

Exercise trains chest muscles, the work also includes the biceps of the arms, shoulders and a little forearms. The target muscles in the exercise are the chest, with an emphasis on the inner part.

The exercise is good for beginners. It is easy to perform in a simulator using a given range of motion.

Hand raises in the simulator while sitting in front of you: video

Reduction of arms while sitting in the Butterfly simulator is aimed at working the chest muscles. This is an isolation exercise that only works the shoulder joint. Despite the fact that the trajectory of movement is strictly determined by the position of the handles of the simulator, you should remember some of the nuances of the technique for performing the folding and spreading of the arms in front of you. Later in the article we will tell you everything you need to know about this exercise.

website 2017-11-29 Reduction and extension of arms while sitting in the Butterfly simulator

Bringing and raising your arms in front of you in the Butterfly simulator - effective exercise for working the chest muscles, which does not require significant preparation. The likelihood that you will get injured is minimal. The main focus is choosing the optimal weight for training.

Reduction and extension of arms while sitting in the simulator: technique of execution

1. Starting position: sitting on the simulator. We grab the handrails, keep our back straight, fix our shoulders, and bend our elbows slightly.
2. We begin to bring our arms together in front of us, and at the final point of the movement we try to press on the chest muscles.
3. When we bring it down, we exhale; when we bring it back to the starting position, we inhale.

Load on target muscles

Application of the exercise

To whom. Everyone, from beginner to master.

When. You can perform it both at the beginning and at the end of training the pectoral muscles.

How many. Do the exercise in 3-4 sets of 15 repetitions.

Basic mistakes when performing the exercise

1. Excessive bending of the arms elbow joint. The arms should be slightly bent and fixed in this position. Full straightening of the arms is not allowed.

2. Lowering the elbows down during the reduction. Elbows should point back.

3. Fast, sharp and jerky movements. It must be performed smoothly and slowly with an emphasis on the pectoral muscles.

4. Bringing the shoulders forward relative shoulder girdle, shoulders should be straight.

The butterfly curl is designed to isolate the pectoral muscles. The chest also works in other exercises, for example, in all presses, push-ups, and pectorals. But in bodybuilding, targeted work is valued, allowing the muscles to acquire that full and voluminous look that everyone strives for. Pronounced pecs are a combination of pressing movements with isolating movements. Working in the simulator allows everyone to exercise, from beginners to athletes high level. It is safe, and if constructed correctly training plan, effective. The reduction allows you to avoid working in a plane harmful to the shoulder joint, and is suitable for rehabilitation after injuries.

Setting up the simulator:

• The seat must be installed so that the athlete can bring his arms in front of the chest, anatomically speaking, bring the shoulder to the midline of the body. His forearms should be in the same plane with the projection of the shoulder joint;
• The back should be horizontal, the tilt should be removed if there is one;
• If it is not possible to press against the back of the machine due to the length of your arms, you should not grab the handles, but slightly higher or lower, but the shoulder blades touch the back in any case;
• The starting position of the handles is anatomical neutral, that is, the position from which we start with our arms spread to the side, parallel to the floor;
• If you have experience in bodybuilding, your joints work normally, and there are no back problems, you can move the handles back a little so that in the negative phase you feel a greater stretch of the muscles. This option is not recommended for beginners;
• The height of the seat is selected so that the feet touch the floor and there is good support with the legs. If it is not there, you should place blocks or pancakes under your feet.

Starting position - you need to sit on the seat of the exercise machine, rest your feet on the floor, and grab the handles of the exercise machine with a free grip. Next, the shoulders are moved away from the ears, the shoulder blades are pressed against the spine, and lowered to the pelvis. The lumbar arch should be kept natural.

Movement:

• We bring the handles of the simulator to the center of the body, due to the contraction of the chest muscles;
• Shifting the grip upward shifts the emphasis to the upper bundle of the pectoral muscles, lowering it to the bottom of the chest, but the accents are insignificant;
• The extension is done gently, the arms are moved to the sides smoothly, without jerking;
• It is better to bring the movement together and separate it in two counts, without making jerks;
• All repetitions are performed without pauses, in a single approach, rest between sets for 1-2 minutes.

Important:

• It is necessary to ensure that the shoulders do not rise up to the ears and the trapezius muscles are not involved in the movement;
• Reverse deflection in the thoracic spine must be excluded; a round back is the cause of injury;
• The tailbone should be in a neutral position, it does not need to be “pushed” up and pulled towards the lower ribs;
• The legs rest moderately on the floor; there is no point in “pushing” the body up with each repetition;
• The abs need to be tightened and slightly collected, the stomach does not fall out;
• There is no need to make jerky movements, push the handles towards the midline of the body due to inertia, and tear the shoulder blades off the back of the machine;
• Beginners and fitness trainees should not place their arms beyond the midline of the body. This can cause shoulder injuries;
• This isolated exercise, it is necessary to measure your capabilities relative to the weight of the burden. Better to use light weights, but work the muscles carefully, not pushing the machine by inertia, but bringing your arms together and straining your pecs

Important: if a person does not feel how to strain the chest during mixing, he can try mixing with light dumbbells lying on a straight bench. This movement teaches you to bring your arms to the center without additional inertial movements and shoulder work.

Contrary to popular belief, arm raises in the peck-deck or butterfly machine work not the chest, but the posterior deltoid muscle. It cannot be considered a variation of this exercise.

If there is no peck deck in the hall, you should:

• Raise your hands with light dumbbells while lying on a straight or slightly inclined bench;
• Bring the crossover handles attached to the upper block in front of you;
• Mixing in front of you in TRX loops

The technical feature of all “bringing” movements is the same - the arms move in the midline, in front of the chest, you cannot “lift” them to the head or lower them to the stomach.

A variant of the movement is working in peck-deck with stops. There is a version of the exercise machine with soft rests for the forearms. It provides reduction through a reduced amplitude, unloading the elbow joint. The technique completely repeats the work in the classic peck-deck with handles. The advantage of this machine is the ability to perform “finishing” after heavy bench presses.

Peck-deck raises are not compensatory, please note; it makes sense to do it not when training your chest, but when training your shoulders or back. It is performed while sitting facing the back of the machine, the arms are pulled back, the handles are pushed to the midline of the body, and smoothly brought to the starting position.

Anatomy

• The main mover is the pectoralis major and minor muscles. Due to their contraction, the shoulder is brought to the center of the body; when extended, the muscles compensate for the inertial force and make the work smoother.
• Additional working muscles are the anterior deltoid, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, and superior head of the biceps.
• Stabilizing muscles – latissimus muscles back, diamond-shaped, longus muscle back, rectus abdominis, quadriceps and hamstrings, gluteals.

Pros of exercise

• Ability to work at any level physical development. The exercise is available to both experienced bodybuilders and beginners from the first day of classes;
• The movement places less stress on the shoulder stabilizers than the dumbbell curl in front of the chest. This allows it to be included in rehabilitation programs after shoulder injuries;
• The load is smoothly distributed between all bundles of the pectoral muscles, and allows them to be worked out efficiently;
• There is no work of the pressing muscles - triceps and back. You can train your chest in isolation

Cons of the exercise

• So far, no one has been able to build muscle mass with lifts alone. This movement is needed as an addition to presses, and not as a replacement for them;
• The exercise does not work the pectoral muscles, but the shoulder stabilizers are disabled. If you turn on inertia, you can still get injured

This movement completes the set of exercises for the chest muscles. It is implied that joint gymnastics, and pre-stretching is done before the first bench press. Beginners should perform no more than 12 working approaches of all exercises per workout; experienced athletes can do more by individually selecting the load.

Stretching muscles in the middle of a workout before one exercise makes no sense. Typically, such actions reduce the strength of muscle contractions and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.

The exception is stretching the triceps after the main pressing movements. You need to sit on a bench, place your forearm behind your head and lightly press on your elbow. This will help you bring your arms in front of you more comfortably, but will not remove the tone from your chest.

Correct execution of the exercise

Anatomically optimal position - the hands are located in the plane of the midline of the chest. The reduction should be carried out along an arcuate path in front of the chest. If the design of the machine allows you to rest your forearms on the soft rollers, the elbow should be on the midline of the chest.

You can strengthen the work of the pectorals by taking short pauses at the point where the arms are brought together and statically tensing the muscles. But this will not necessarily lead to more significant growth. Such methods are selected individually, and their effectiveness depends on the structure muscle tissue athlete, the predominance of a certain type of fiber.

There is no need to allow the brushes to “break” or put excessive pressure on them. The grip should not be too tight; you should bring your hands together comfortably without pinching the handles with your fingers. However, it is better to use a closed grip.

Severing the shoulder blades from the back and tilting the body forward is not allowed. If the athlete prefers to use significant weights, it is worth helping him “move” his arms from a dead point. But this technique is not recommended for beginners and fitness enthusiasts. It is only suitable for experienced bodybuilders.

The effectiveness of the movement decreases if it is performed in jerks. If you experience pain in your elbows, you should monitor how far they are bent and choose the optimal angle. The more flexion at the elbow joint, the more the biceps are involved in the exercise.

Inclusion in the program

A training program cannot be based on information in the simulator alone. The exercise should be included second if we are talking about a beginner who performs two chest movements, or as the final exercise in the program.

Some people prefer volumetric work for 12-15 repetitions, in 3-4 approaches, others prefer a different layout - 10 repetitions in 5-6 approaches. The choice depends on the athlete’s goals. Ten-rep sets are more suitable for working in the strength period, multi-rep sets are more suitable for those who exercise only for the sake of muscle hypertrophy.

Sometimes the movement is used to pre-exhaust the chest in programs aimed at hypertrophy. Similar things are practiced by high-level athletes. Data dropsets are also intended for them - work for 10-12 repetitions with high, and then gradually decreasing weight.

Contraindications

Not recommended for pectoral tears, sprains, discomfort in the anterior deltoids, and inflammation of the shoulder joints. For strength athletes, the movement should be performed with a medium to light weight to avoid overtraining the pecs and causing a chest injury on the press.

Alternative

Many people believe that lying dumbbell flyes are an traumatic exercise, but here you should reduce the weight of the dumbbells and control the trajectory so as not to get injured. In practice, pushing backwards is more dangerous for the shoulders than a slight distortion of the trajectory in a prone roll.