# Lying Elbow Touch - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/9034/lying-elbow-touch/ - Media ID: 9034 - Primary muscle: Chest - Body part: Chest - Equipment: Exercise Mat - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/9034/lying-elbow-touch.mp4 ## Description Lying Elbow Touch is a bodyweight chest exercise performed on the floor. You lie on your back, raise your arms toward the ceiling with the elbows bent, and repeatedly draw your elbows together in front of your chest before opening them back out to the sides. Because your forearms stay vertical throughout, the movement works like an unweighted chest fly, letting you focus on the squeeze across the chest without any load on the joints. The main muscle at work is the pectoralis major, especially the sternal portion that pulls the upper arms toward the midline of the body. The front shoulders assist as the arms travel, the triceps hold the elbow bend, and the small muscles around the ribcage and shoulder blades stabilize the arm path. It is a low-demand, joint-friendly way to train the adduction function of the chest that pressing exercises sometimes neglect. This movement suits beginners learning to feel their chest work, people training at home with no equipment, and lifters who want a controlled activation set before pressing. It is also useful as a burnout finisher after dumbbell presses or flys, and as a reintroduction exercise for anyone easing back into upper-body training. The setup matters more than it looks. Lying flat on the floor removes momentum and lower-body involvement, so the arms have to do all the work. Keep the forearms perpendicular to the floor and the elbows roughly in line with the shoulders as they open; if the elbows drift past your torso or behind you, the shoulders take over and the chest stops driving the movement. To perform it well, press the elbows together until your forearms and elbows meet in front of the chest, pause for a beat to feel the chest contract, then lower the upper arms back out with control rather than letting gravity drop them. Move at a steady tempo and keep the ribs from flaring as the arms open. Because there is no external load, the exercise is very safe, but control still matters. Keep the range within what your shoulders allow without shrugging or arching, and stop short of any pinching sensation at the front of the shoulder. Slow, deliberate reps with a clear squeeze will do far more here than fast, sloppy ones. ## Instructions 1. Lie on your back on an exercise mat with your legs extended and relaxed, or bend your knees and place your feet flat if that feels better on your lower back. 2. Raise both arms straight up toward the ceiling so they are stacked over your shoulders, then bend the elbows to about 90 degrees so your forearms point up and your fists are above your face. 3. Let your upper arms open out to the sides until your elbows are roughly level with your shoulders and in line with your chest, keeping the forearms vertical. 4. Draw your belly button in lightly and press your ribs down so your lower back stays close to the mat. 5. Squeeze your chest and pull your elbows toward each other in an arc in front of your chest until your forearms and elbows touch. 6. Hold the closed position for one to two seconds, focusing on a strong contraction across the chest. 7. Slowly open the elbows back out to the starting position, keeping tension by controlling the descent instead of letting the arms fall. 8. Exhale as you bring the elbows together and inhale as you open them back out. 9. Complete your reps in a smooth rhythm, then lower your arms to the mat and rest before the next set. ## Tips & Tricks - If your shoulders shrug toward your ears as the arms open, reduce the range so the elbows only drop to shoulder height instead of toward the floor. - Keep the forearms perpendicular to the floor for the whole set; letting the hands tip back over your face turns the rep into a triceps extension instead of a chest squeeze. - Do not flare the lower ribs or arch the lower back to gain range; the chest only needs to travel from shoulder-width to touching in front of the sternum. - Aim to touch the elbows and forearms together directly above the chest, not above the face or the neck, or the tension shifts away from the pecs. - If the arms feel like they are floating aimlessly, pretend you are hugging a barrel: the elbows travel in a wide arc, not a straight line up and down. - Tempo matters more than speed here; try two seconds open, one-second squeeze, two seconds back out to keep the chest under tension. - If your lower back lifts as you open the arms, bend your knees and plant your feet flat to shorten the lever and settle your torso. - Use this as an activation drill for 15 to 20 slow reps before pressing work, or as a high-rep finisher when your chest is already fatigued. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What muscles does the Lying Elbow Touch work? The pectoralis major is the primary mover, since it pulls the upper arms toward the midline as the elbows close. The front shoulders assist, the triceps hold the elbow bend, and the serratus anterior and shoulder blade stabilizers keep the arm path steady. ### Is the Lying Elbow Touch good for beginners? Yes. With no load and the floor limiting the range, it is one of the safest ways to learn what a chest contraction feels like before moving on to flys or presses. ### How bent should my elbows be during the Lying Elbow Touch? About 90 degrees works best for most people. A fixed bend keeps the focus on chest adduction and prevents the rep from turning into a pressing or extension movement. ### Why can't I get my elbows to touch at the top? Tight chest muscles or letting the hands drift over the face can limit the closure. Make sure the elbows finish above the sternum, and if they still fall short, work within your current range and it will improve as mobility develops. ### Should my elbows drop all the way to the floor on each rep? No. Stop when the upper arms reach roughly shoulder level; going lower usually causes shoulder pinching or a lower back arch without adding chest work. ### Can I do the Lying Elbow Touch with dumbbells instead? Yes, holding light dumbbells converts it into a lying fly variation, but start with no weight until the elbow path and squeeze feel consistent. ### How many reps of the Lying Elbow Touch should I do? For activation, 15 to 20 slow reps before pressing works well. As a finisher, take it to 20 to 30 reps or until the chest squeeze becomes hard to maintain. ### Is it a problem if my lower back arches during the exercise? It usually means the arms are opening too far or the core has relaxed. Bend your knees with feet flat on the mat, brace lightly, and shorten the range until your back stays settled. ### Can the Lying Elbow Touch replace chest pressing exercises? Not entirely, since it trains the squeezing or adduction function of the chest without load, while presses build strength through a fuller pushing pattern. It works best alongside pressing rather than instead of it.