Activating the pecs

In regard to activating the pecs, both dumbbell flyes and barbell bench achieve similar levels of activation. However, dumbbell flyes don’t reach much activation towards the top of the rep as the mechanical position of the dumbbell no longer requires much pec recruitment. Therefore, use cable variations if you’re looking to really focus on your pec contraction. Dumbbell flyes can still be very useful in overloading the lengthened position of the pecs which should be great for pec growth.