Rear Delt Fly (Dumbbell)

How to do the rear delt fly

1. Hold a light dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Hinge forward at the hips with a flat back until your torso is close to parallel with the floor. Let the dumbbells hang below your shoulders.
3. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and hold that angle for the whole set.Breathe
4. Raise the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc, until your arms are about level with your torso.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment at the top.
6. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the start, without letting them swing.

Breathing. Breathe in while the dumbbells hang. Breathe out as you raise them, and breathe in again as you lower them.

Tips

• Point your pinky fingers slightly up at the top, as if you pour water from the dumbbells, if that helps you feel the rear delts.
• If your lower back gets tired before your shoulders, do the fly chest-down on an incline bench.

Muscles worked

The rear delt fly works mainly the rear delts and upper back.

Sets, reps and rest

These numbers come from the same rules as the Oh My Coach app. Use a load that leaves 1 to 3 reps in reserve. When you reach the top of the range in every set, add a little load or move to the harder version (double progression). What is double progression?

Common mistakes

• Using dumbbells that are too heavy

  Why it matters: A heavy load makes you swing the torso and bend the elbows, so other muscles take over the lift.

  Fix: Pick a weight you can raise with a still torso and the same elbow bend on every rep.

• Turning it into a row

  Why it matters: When the elbows bend more on the way up, the lats and biceps do more and the rear delts do less.

  Fix: Lock the slight elbow bend in place and move only at the shoulder.

• Standing up during the set

  Why it matters: As the torso rises, the arc moves more to the side delts and the rear delts work less.

  Fix: Keep your hips back and your torso near parallel to the floor. Rest your forehead on an incline bench if this is hard.

• Shrugging the shoulders up

  Why it matters: The upper traps take over and the rear delts lose tension.

  Fix: Keep your shoulders away from your ears and lead the movement with your hands, not your shoulders.

Make it easier or harder

This exercise gets harder with load. When every set reaches the top of the rep range with good form, add the smallest weight step you have. To make it easier, use less load or a shorter range of motion while you learn the movement.

Versions of this exercise

Band pull-apart

rear delts, upper back · resistance bands · Beginner

Full guide coming soon

Alternatives

Same main muscle and the same movement pattern first, from the same rules as the app's swap list.

Face Pull (Cable)

rear delts, upper back · cable machine · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Band face pull

rear delts, upper back · resistance bands · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

Band pull-apart

rear delts, upper back · resistance bands · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

Prone Y-raise

rear delts, upper back · No equipment · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

What you need

• Dumbbells

Take care if

If your lower back or shoulder hurts during the set, stop. Try the fly chest-down on an incline bench with lighter weights.