Information in the simulator. Butterfly exercise: making your chest sculpted Butterfly exercise machine how to do the exercises correctly

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: the 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

The “butterfly” is not a basic exercise, so not every gym has equipment for it. To perform it, you will need a pack-deck strength machine. 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 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:

The pectoral muscles become more proportional (for many, the lower part of the chest is more developed than others due to bench presses), a clear relief appears, and a separation of the right and left pectoral muscles appears.
Deep areas of the chest are worked out that other exercises cannot reach.
When performing butterfly, the pectoral muscles are well stretched, which increases blood circulation in them and, accordingly, accelerates their growth.
The load in all phases of the “butterfly” is uniform, in contrast to exercises performed with free weights.
The butterfly is a good exercise for restoring upper body tone after injury.
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 up 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

The “butterfly” exercise machine received this name not because of its shape, since it is quite massive, but because of the technique of performing the exercise: when practicing on it, the athlete flaps his arms like a butterfly’s wings. The simulator is quite popular, especially among men; but since it is not part of the main training program, it cannot be found in all gyms. Let's discuss the features of the training device and the technology of training on it.

What kind of simulator is this

The butterfly (butterfly) simulator, or peck-deck, is a block power plant. It is a seat with a straight soft back and two movable arms for the arms. There are peck-decks with levers for outstretched arms, and there are those designed for arms bent at the elbows. The height of the bench is adjusted to the height of the athlete, as is the width of the hand rests so that they are positioned correctly.

The back can also change position: vertical or inclined. A load is attached to the back of the equipment, which is driven by hand force. The weight of the load can be increased as desired. The maximum load capacity of the simulator does not exceed 100 kg.

The advantage of this design is that the load is placed only on the pectoral and shoulder muscles. At the same time, the back does not strain, which absolutely eliminates spinal injuries.

Did you know? The very first simulators were invented back in the 18th century for medicinal purposes. And the first gym appeared in Sweden a hundred years later on the initiative of the doctor Wilhelm Zander.

Muscle groups involved

The “butterfly” exercise is a single-joint exercise, since its execution involves only one joint – the shoulder. Bringing his arms together and spreading them out on the machine, the athlete purposefully works out main muscle groups:

middle and inner parts of the pectoralis major muscle (during adduction);
posterior deltoid (brachialis) muscle (during extension).

When “swinging”, a pair of auxiliary muscles are involved:

anterior deltoids;
front serrated.

The following muscles act as stabilizers:

small pectorals;
trapezoid;
rotator cuff;
lats.

It is noteworthy that the butterfly does not build up the pectoral muscles, but forms already pumped up muscles, giving them the correct shape.

Did you know? The world's first bodybuilding championship took place in 1901. It was organized by the famous German circus athlete Evgeniy Sandov.

Exercises in the butterfly simulator

The goal of the “butterfly” is to “sculpt” the muscle mass into beautiful proportions. This exercise is not part of the main training complex - it completes it. Only with this routine will the goal be achieved. In butterfly, the arms move naturally, so the technique is easy and accessible to everyone.
Working with peck deck starts with choosing the right weight. The load should not be too heavy, especially for beginner bodybuilders. You should also set the seat height to your height and the hand rests to the appropriate width. Now you can get started.

Bringing hands together

There are two variations of the peck deck butterfly: for straight arms and for bent elbows. “Butterfly” for straight arms:

Setting up the simulator: set the grip width so that your shoulders and arms remain parallel to the floor during the reduction.
Starting position: sit on a bench with your feet shoulder-width apart or wider, your feet placed directly under your knees, your back leaning close to the backrest. Grasp the handles with your palms, while your shoulders remain parallel to the floor and your elbows are slightly bent.
Execution: inhale, and while exhaling, move the handles towards each other. When they get close, freeze in tension for a couple of seconds. Then, while inhaling, slowly, without reducing tension, move the levers to the sides, but not all the way.
Number of repetitions: from 10 to 15 times.

Video: technique for performing the “Butterfly” exercise for straight arms

Adjustment: Adjust the seat height and elbow pads so that your elbows are in a comfortable position at shoulder level or slightly lower.
Starting position: sit comfortably, with your back and head pressed against the backrest. Feet are firmly planted on the floor, elbows are comfortably placed on the cushions of the levers.
Execution: while exhaling, bring the levers together, hold at the extreme point for 2 or 3 seconds. As you inhale, slowly open them, maintaining tension in the pectoral muscles, but not until the very end.
Number of “swings”: 10–15.

When flattening, the muscles of the chest are formed, since during the butterfly their inner and middle parts are tensed.

Important! When returning your hands to the starting position, you cannot put them behind your back and do it sharply and quickly. This can injure your chest muscles.

Arm fly (reverse butterfly)

“Butterfly flight” in the opposite direction is performed on the same deck. Although the movements are similar, during the fly a different muscle group is tensed: the rear deltoids, or shoulders. To get the technique right, you need to set up the machine differently.

Setting up the deck: fix the levers in the extreme position behind the backrest, raise or lower the seat so that the hands on the handles maintain a straight line with the shoulders.
Starting position: sit facing the back, press your chest out against it, place your legs close to the special support bolsters, grab the handles with an inside grip; elbows slightly bent but parallel to the floor.
Execution: while exhaling, begin to move the handles back to tighten the shoulder muscles to the maximum and bring them together. Freeze in this tense position for 2 seconds. Then slowly return the handles of the exercise machine to the starting position.
Repeat up to 15 times.

Video: technique for performing the arm raise exercise (reverse butterfly)

Knowing some subtleties will help you get the maximum effect:

With the correct technique of reduction, tension should be felt in the pectoral muscles, and when spreading, in the rear deltoids. If other areas are tense, the exercise is performed incorrectly.
Keep your back straight during training. To do this, the body should not be lifted from the back, and the head should not tilt.
It is important to monitor your breathing: as you inhale, spread your “wings”, and as you exhale, close them.
Sharp jerks should be avoided; all “swings” should be smooth and slow.
Do not lift a load that is too heavy to avoid damaging the pectoral muscles.
If one half of the chest (most often the left) lags behind the other in size, then you can even out the proportions by making a “butterfly” with one hand.

Important! You need to make sure that your elbows go as far back as possible, and not the handles of the exercise machine. Otherwise, other muscles will be used and the desired effect will not occur.

The butterfly exercise will not help build muscle, so it will not be useful as a main workout. But as the final point of a set of other exercises, it is very effective. The male chest will receive a proportional relief, and the female chest will become elastic and toned.

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One of the options for training the pectoral muscles, in addition to bench presses, is flyes. And today we will talk about one of the types of wiring - the butterfly exercise. It is performed in a special block simulator and is designed to correct the shape of the pectoral muscles, polishing the middle and inner part of the pectoralis major muscle.

Information on how to correctly perform hand movements in the simulator.

Features of the exercise

What is the difference between the butterfly exercise and a lot of other chest exercises? The first and most important thing is the isolated nature of the movement. Only the shoulder joints are involved in the work, the elbow joint and the whole body are rigidly fixed. The participation of auxiliary muscles (triceps, deltoids and others) is minimized. The target load falls on the chest.

There are several options for performing it, depending on the design of the simulator: when the arms are bent at the elbows (the amplitude is slightly larger) and when the arms are straight (the amplitude is slightly smaller).

The most important advantage of this exercise over dumbbell flyes is that it maintains tension at the point of peak contraction. I would say even more. At this point the voltage is maximum.

Thus, the load does not leave the chest, but rather concentrates. The muscles have to work harder, all this creates the prerequisites for better development, but only while maintaining ideal technique.

Execution technique

Adjust the trainer to suit you. The height of the seat should be such that the elbows and shoulders are in line, the humerus bones are parallel to the floor. The depth of the extension should allow you to maintain tension in the original position. Those. You must keep the weight of the weight constantly at any point.

Press your lower back against the back (no bending is needed here), and place your legs firmly on the floor with your entire foot. The position of the body should be rigidly fixed and allow you to comfortably perform hand movements without lifting the body from the back.

Pull your shoulders back, fill your chest with air and push it forward. As you exhale, powerfully bring your arms towards each other. At the moment of peak contraction, hold the tension for a second and SLOWLY As you inhale, filling your chest with air, spread the handles to the sides, achieving maximum stretching of the pectoral muscles.

Important note: your elbows should be slightly bent.

Imagine how the stretching of your chest also occurs from the inside from filling the chest with air. Try to resist the gravity of the block in the negative phase - do not try to throw the weight, allowing it to freely return to its original position.

The butterfly trainer, or as it is also called the butterfly trainer, is used for general development of the chest muscles without the bench press exercise. In addition, it works the trapezius and rear deltoids, as well as the rotator cuff muscles. Exercises on this machine do not create a load on the elbow joints, and the load on the shoulder joint is low compared to the bench press. Therefore, training on a butterfly machine is considered the safest way to pump up the pectoral muscles.

Butterfly trainer: advantages and disadvantages

Butterfly trainer: advantages and disadvantages

At the same time, a number of athletes believe that butterfly training is not very effective and is only needed by those who directly want to pump up their chest muscles. Some experienced athletes, who already have a well-developed shoulder girdle and chest, run the risk of having the shoulder girdle protrude even more forward by exercising on this machine.

However, even for experienced athletes, training on this machine will be useful at least as a warm-up before the bench press, since the butterfly allows you to stretch the chest muscles well before a more serious load.

But most of all, this simulator is useful for beginners and women, since these groups of exercisers find it quite difficult to perform the exercise “bringing your arms in front of you” with dumbbells. And when doing the hand pinch in the butterfly simulator, you can focus only on doing the exercise itself for the chest muscles.

Be that as it may, training on this simulator is quite simple, and the risk of injury is practically reduced to zero. Thanks to this, the butterfly simulator is very popular among beginners.

The butterfly machine consists of a bench that is divided into a back and a seat, as well as working areas for the arms that drive the weight. The load consists of a set of rectangular plates, and the weight of the load can be changed depending on the level of training of the student.

Exercises on the butterfly machine

To perform the “butterfly simulator” exercise, you need to sit on a bench, pressing your back tightly against the back of the simulator. The seat height must be adjusted to suit your height. The shoulder blades are brought together, the chest must be pushed forward. Grab the handles so that your forearms have a right angle with your shoulders and are in the same plane with them - in this position it is the muscles of the chest, not the arms, that are trained.

Then begin bringing your arms together in the butterfly machine until the pads touch. Make sure that the efforts are made not with your hands, but with your elbows. The exercise is performed by inhaling – bringing the arms together, and exhaling – raising the arms. The number of repetitions is usually about 10, and approaches – up to 5. By changing the angle of the backrest, different areas of the pectoral muscles are regulated.

Exercise for the trapezius and rhomboid muscles

Another exercise. Sit on the butterfly machine so that your chest rests against the back, legs apart, keep your back straight. Grasp the handles with your hands and pull the handles of the simulator towards you, and then slowly and smoothly lower them to the starting position. The number of repetitions and approaches is the same as in the previous exercise.

This exercise trains the trapezius, rhomboid, infraspinatus, teres minor, and posterior head of the deltoid muscles.

Anyone who loves their body and regularly trains in the gym or at home is familiar with this exercise. Simple and affordable, it helps you gain a toned shape and improve your health in a short time. Is it possible to learn how to do it yourself, what is required for this, what effect will be as a result - this will have to be dealt with in detail.

Benefits of butterfly exercise

You can start classes at any time; no special conditions are required for this. The exercise came to fitness and bodybuilding from yoga. What is its advantage? Butterfly asana not only promotes relaxation and stretching of muscles, but with its help:

the functioning of the hip joints improves;
blood circulation in the pelvic area is normalized;
posture is straightened;
the muscles of the chest, back, and thigh biceps are strengthened;
kidney function is activated;
reproductive function in men improves;
Prevention of radiculitis and hernia is carried out.

The benefits of the butterfly exercise for women's health are enormous. When performed during pregnancy, preparation for childbirth occurs - the muscles become elastic and the hip joints become mobile. Butterfly pose helps:

strengthen the uterus, bladder;
prevent varicose veins;
reduce premenstrual syndrome;
improve ovarian function;
normalize body weight;
reduce pain during menstruation;
find peace.

How to do the butterfly exercise

If you need to relax the muscles after training your buttocks, thighs, legs, and prevent pain from severe tension, you need to learn how to stretch correctly. Yogis recommend doing this:

sit on the mat;
spread your legs to the sides, bent at the knees - they should be relaxed;
connect the feet, move them closer to the groin;
straighten your back, lowering your shoulders;
pull your head up, aligning your spine.

You need to do the butterfly exercise with your hands on your feet. Execution occurs in the following sequence:

lower your bent knees to the sides, hold for a few seconds;
make the reverse movement without lifting your feet from the floor;
fix your knees in the upper position for a while;
lower your feet to the floor;
repeat the cycle;
perform daily;
do 30 swings in one approach.

Stretching Poses

To effectively stretch your muscles without injury, you need to use stretching poses correctly. The basic position - sitting on the floor - remains unchanged. The most important condition is to keep your spine straight, trying to pull your head up. The poses differ in the position of the hands:

classic – palms cover feet;
reinforced - hands rest on knees, creating additional load;
with abdominal work – the palms are placed on the floor behind or extended forward.

Stretching exercises

It's good to stretch your body after an intense workout, and you can remove extra centimeters from your hips in various ways. In yoga, the action is performed with breath control in the following order:

starting position – butterfly pose – on a mat with a straight back;
rest your hands on the floor from behind;
while exhaling, close your knees;
when inhaling, press them to the floor;
return to previous position;
breathing should be calm and deep;
do 3 minutes.

You can perform stretching exercises with your hands on your knees, additionally pressing your legs to the floor. Another option that will help relax the muscles of the buttocks, the area of the lower back:

initial position (IP) – the same;
extend your arms forward or place them on your feet;
with a straight spine, lower your knees to the sides, hold 5 breaths and exhales;
slowly tilt your body as far down as possible, forward;
fix in this position for 5 breaths and exhalations;
repeat for several minutes.

Butterfly exercise for hips

To increase the load when performing exercises on the inner thigh, special simulators are used. The “Butterfly” expander consists of a head with a powerful spring and two lever-loops that look like wings. The device works like this:

the levers move;
the spring is compressed;
elastic deformation occurs;
the spring expands;
the levers return to their initial position.

The butterfly exercise for the hips using a simulator is performed as follows:

IP - sitting on a chair. The expander is placed head down between the thighs. The knees are brought together, compressing the spring, and when it relaxes, they move apart. You can make it more difficult if you sit not on a chair, but on the floor, without back support.
IP - lying down, legs bent, feet on the floor. The exercise machine is installed between the knees, the head is directed upward. The legs move in and out, overcoming the force of the spring.

Butterfly exercise for pectoral muscles

Proper execution of bodybuilding exercises without injury depends on adherence to technique. Main conditions:

use reliable exercise machines or dumbbells;
do not make jerks or sudden movements;
add approaches gradually;
apply powerful contraction, smooth stretching;
rest your body against the device without leaving the backrest.

The butterfly exercise for the pectoral muscles is performed on a special simulator in 3 sets of 15 times. Technique:

fix the required weight;
install the seat so that your elbows and shoulders form one line parallel to the floor;
rest your feet;
feet shoulder width apart;
press your lower back to the back;
open the handles of the exercise machine, take a breath;
expand the chest to its full volume, move it forward;
as you exhale, gently bring the handles together;
fix the position;
As you inhale, spread your arms to the sides.

Butterfly exercise for legs

It is convenient to work out muscles with an expander, which provides the necessary load. The butterfly leg exercise allows you to simultaneously strengthen your abs, hips, and improve your relief. Performed in this order:

lie on your left side;
bend your knees;
place the expander levers between them;
smoothly move your right knee up;
forcefully return it back;
perform 15 times;
change legs, repeat.

Reverse butterfly

In order to train your shoulders, engage your deltoids, and develop your backside, you need to reinstall the machine designed for the pectoral muscle group. The main position in this case is sitting, pressing your stomach to the back. The technique for performing a reverse butterfly is as follows:

fix the required weight;
place the handles at shoulder level;
adjust the seat height;
grab the handles;
move your arms back while inhaling, tense your muscles as much as possible - the shoulder joint is moving;
keep it diluted for a few seconds;