Butterfly Exercise Machine – Definitive FAQ Guide

A butterfly exercise machine is essential for all commercial gyms. It is a safer alternative to a dumbbell fly.

Not all butterfly workout machines are the same though. Different manufacturers make different variations of the same machine.

Are you looking for the one best suited to your needs? Read this FAQ guide.

It is a rich source of information about commercial butterfly exercise machines. You will find the answers to all the important questions you may have here.

So, let’s begin,

Table of Contents

1. What is a butterfly exercise machine?

A butterfly exercise machine targets the chest & shoulder muscles. It is a more targeted version of a dumbbell fly.

Mechanism: Isolation

Type: Strength equipment

Joint: Shoulder (Single joint exercise)

Force: Push

Main muscle targeted: Pectorals (major & minor)

Secondary muscles: Deltoid, biceps, serratus anterior

Other names: A pec fly machine, A Machine fly, A seated lever fly machine, etc.

Figure 1 – A butterfly exercise machine

Looking for commercial-grade butterfly machines tailored to your gym’s needs? YR Fitness designs and manufactures durable, high-performance chest machines for professional use. Talk to us to get started.

2. What is the function of a butterfly exercise machine?

A butterfly exercise gym machine is a user-friendly piece of gym equipment. Its main functions are:

• Builds strength & definition of chest muscles
• Promotes good posture
• A safer alternative to a dumbbell, pectoral-fly

Its balance of safety, posture support, and chest isolation reflects priorities often seen among leading commercial gym equipment manufacturers.

The butterfly exercise machines at YR Fitness are adaptable to both beginners & professionals. They are based on original designs.

And follow the functional path of the human body, when in use. 

Figure 2 – A combination butterfly exercise machine

Need safe, biomechanically aligned chest machines for your facility? Reach us to explore your options with YR Fitness.

3. What are the parts of a butterfly exercise machine?

The main parts of a butterfly exercise machine are:

• Adjustable seat
• Back-pad
• Weight load
  • Selectorized or pin loaded
  • Plate loaded
• Movement arms
• Elbow pads
• Adjustable handles
• Pulleys
• Cables
• Instructional placard
• Shroud

4. What are the variations of a commercial butterfly exercise machine?

There are two variations of butterfly exercise machines. Based on the path of the movement arms.

For the First Variation

• The shoulder, elbow, & hand are all in the same horizontal plane. 
• There is no support for the elbows.

            Figure 4 – A butterfly machine with elbow pads

For the Second Variation

• The elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle & the forearms are perpendicular to the floor of the gym.
• There is an increase in the range of motion

Figure 5 – Arm, elbow, hand, all in the same plane

5. What are the key features of a butterfly exercise machine?

A butterfly exercise machine has the following key features:

• Versatility
• Adjustable
• Weight load options
• Compact & Comfortable
• Accessories

Versatility

A butterfly exercise machine helps develop more than one chest muscle. It is easy to use for both beginners & advanced users.

There is little to no learning curve.

Adjustable

The seat height on a butterfly machine is adjustable to accommodate various users. Some models have adjustable handles as well.

Adjustable handles increase the range of movement. 

If you want your pec fly machine to double as a rear delt machine as well. Then get one with rotating handles at the top.

Weight Load Options

There are two types of butterfly machines when it comes to weight load.

• Pin loaded or selectorized
• Plate loaded

Figure 6 – A plate loaded exercise machine

Figure 7 – A pin loaded exercise machine

Butterfly exercise machines usually have attached weight stacks. Though plate loaded machines are available as well in the wholesale market.

Compact

Compared to other strength machines, a pec fly is compact. It has a small footprint. It is easy to move and store. It is very comfortable to use as well.

These features increase the comfort level of butterfly workout machines:

• High-density foam upholstery
• PU leather, furniture-grade covers
• Adjustable seat
• Effective design (Prevents unnecessary strain)

Accessories

Butterfly exercise equipment has many convenient accessories, like:

• A cup or cell phone holder
• Towel rack
• Instructional placard & diagrams, etc.

Figure 8 –  An instructional placard & bottle holder on a butterfly exercise machine

These accessories increase the benefits of exercise machines. Not all machines have the same accessories.

The type & number of accessories depends on the manufacturer. 

All accessories are sweat-proof & rust-resistant.

6. What are the specifications of a butterfly exercise machine?

The important specifications of a commercial-grade, butterfly exercise machine are as follows:

Let YR Fitness guide you through selecting the right technical specs for your gym’s footprint. Contact us for tailored assistance.

7. What is the construction and upholstery of a butterfly exercise machine?

A butterfly exercise machine is a multi-functional machine. Its construction & upholstery details are as follows:

Figure 9 – High-density foam padding for the seat

8. What is the difference between a pec-fly and a pec-deck butterfly exercise machine?

They are both variations of a butterfly exercise machine.

Although they look very similar & work the same muscles. There are small differences between a pec-fly & a pec-deck exercise machine.

Like:

A Pec-fly Exercise Machine

• Handles are wide apart.
• Upon extension, a user’s arms are parallel to the floor
• A wider range of motion 
• Target: Outer chest muscles
• Better for increasing chest size

Figure 10 – A pec-fly machine

A Pec-deck Exercise Machine

• Handles have a different arrangement
• Elbows form a 90-degree angle with the gym floor
• This restricts the range of motion
• Target: Inner chest muscles
• Better for isolating chest muscles

9. What is a rear-delt or pec-fly butterfly exercise machine?

It is a combo version of the original butterfly exercise machine. It performs two different chest & shoulder workouts.

• A pectoral fly
• A rear deltoid fly

This machine is also known as a reverse fly machine.

• Target muscles: Deltoids, Rhomboids
• Alternative to a “bent-over lateral raise”
• Safer due to the attached weight stack
• Higher weight capacity than free weights
• Adjustments to better isolate the deltoids include:
  • Adjustable grip
  • Adjustable range of motion
  • Adjustable trajectory

10. What is the importance of the pivot arms on a pec-fly or rear delt, butterfly exercise machine?

The pivot arms on this machine make it easy to switch between the two exercises. They have pop pins at the top to adjust the range of motion for either exercise.

The pivot or lever arms work independently. You can use them with both hands or a single-hand action. There is also the option of using an alternating action.

Pivot arms come with two types of handles:

• Horizontal handles
• Vertical handles

Figure 13 – Horizontal & vertical handles on the pivot arms

11. What are the benefits of a butterfly exercise machine?

The benefits of a butterfly exercise machine are:

• Adjustable Seat Height
• Variations
• Adjustable Handles
• Pin & Plate Loaded Options
• Quality Construction
• Ease of Use

Adjustable Seat Height

The seat height on a butterfly machine is adjustable. This makes it easy to use for people of all sizes & builds.

The mechanism may be pop-pin, pull-pin, step-ladder, etc. 

YR Fitness has built-in torsion springs in the seats of the butterfly machines. The elegant & high-quality torsion springs make seat adjustment very comfortable.

Figure 14 – Seat height adjustment with torsion springs

Variations

There are many variations of commercial butterfly exercise machines available to buy. Each has its benefits & qualities.

These variations include:

• A pectoral fly machine
• A pectoral deck machine
• A pectoral fly /rear-delt combo machine

Adjustable Handles

The pectoral fly / rear-delt combination has pop-pin adjustable handles. To shift between the two exercise options.

Pin Loaded & Plate Loaded Options

A wholesale commercial butterfly machine is usually pin loaded. The attached weight stack makes it compact & easy to move.

There is a plate loaded version of the pectoral fly machine available as well. It is larger and heavier than the selectorized version.

Quality Construction

YR Fitness butterfly exercise machines have high-quality construction. This makes them:

• Durable
• Stable during use
• Suitable for high-intensity workouts

Ease of Use

A butterfly exercise machine is simple & straightforward. It has all the benefits of free weights & safety features of machines.

The instructional placard is displayed on the shroud. Both written & figurative instructions for use are given. 

Looking for low-maintenance, high-function machines for your gym? Contact us to explore our commercial lineup.

12. What is the difference between a pectoral fly performed with a butterfly exercise machine, a cable machine and a dumbbell?

A pectoral fly exercise can be done with different types of equipment. This includes:

• Butterfly Exercise Machine
• Dumbbells
• Cable machines

The differences between the three methods are as follows:

Butterfly Exercise Machine

• User is locked in place (Safer)
• Good range of motion
• Higher weight capacity
• No learning curve

Figure 15 – A machine fly

Dumbbells

• Free weights
• Learning curve
• Wide range of motion
• Risk of injury

Figure 16 – A dumbbell fly

Cable Machines

• Sustained tension throughout the exercise
• One arm can be crossed over the other
• The direction of motion depends on the pulleys
• Safer than dumbbells

Figure 17 – A standing cable fly

13. Why should you invest in wholesale butterfly exercise machines?

Wholesale butterfly exercise machines are a good investment. This is because they are:

• Compact machines
• Easy to move & store
• Easy to use
• Little or no learning curve
• Pivoting arms
• No injury risks
• More than one variety available
• Safer than free weights
• Versatile
• Cost-effective

To have a closer look at all the variations of butterfly exercise machine, visit: YR Fitness.com

14. What is the advantage of a long back pad on a butterfly exercise machine?

The back pad or backrest on a butterfly exercise machine is usually long & narrow. It is built this way to provide maximum support.

The user can lean back on it for the pectoral fly & have chest support when doing rear delts. 

Figure 18 – The long & narrow back pad of a butterfly exercise machine

15. What is an incremental add-on weight on a butterfly exercise machine?

The weight stack on selectorized machines is fixed. It is made of rectangular weight plates, stacked on top of each other. 

The weight load during a workout is selected by inserting a magnetic pin at the desired level. 

The weight load can be increased in fixed increments of 10 lbs. If you need to increase the weight load but not in a 10 lbs. increment. 

This is where the incremental add-on weight comes in. 

It weighs less than the next weight plate on the weight stack. But it will give you the option of increasing your weight load.

An incremental add-on weight usually is 5 lbs. or 2.5 Kgs.

16. Conclusion

Butterfly workout equipment is a safe and simple substitute to free weights. It is an important machine for any commercial gym setup.

I hope that you have found this FAQ guide of some help in your search for wholesale butterfly machines for your business.

YR Fitness boasts an extensive range of butterfly exercise gym machines. All under one roof. The high-quality construction and original designs are an added benefit.

So, don’t wait around?

Head on to YR Fitness, and choose from a versatile range of machines.

Browse & ask for a quote today!