Butterfly
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Butterfly
- Sit on the machine with your back flat on the pad.
- Take hold of the handles. Tip: Your upper arms should be positioned parallel to the floor; adjust the machine accordingly. This will be your starting position.
- Push the handles together slowly as you squeeze your chest in the middle. Breathe out during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second.
- Return back to the starting position slowly as you inhale until your chest muscles are fully stretched.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Butterfly
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Push-Ups
The push-up is a fundamental bodyweight exercise that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders while engaging the core. It's one of the most effective exercises for building upper body strength without equipment.
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2
Alternating Floor Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a kettlebell.
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3
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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4
Bench Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.
-
5
Cable Chest Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.
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6
Cable Crossover
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.
-
7
Cable Iron Cross
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the chest, using a cable machine.
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8
Cross Over - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.
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9
Decline Barbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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10
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do butterfly work?
Butterfly primarily works the chest.
What equipment do I need for butterfly?
Butterfly uses machines.
Butterfly: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Butterfly is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of butterfly?
Push-Ups, Alternating Floor Press, Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my butterfly reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; butterfly can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Butterfly with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.