Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
The bent-over dumbbell reverse fly is a rear-shoulder exercise in which you hinge forward and sweep two dumbbells out to the sides with slightly bent arms. It works the rear deltoids, with the middle trapezius and rhomboids assisting as the shoulder blades move.
Also called: Rear Delt Fly, Reverse Fly, DB Reverse Fly, Bent Over Fly · Equipment: dumbbell · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees softly bent.
- Push your hips back and hinge forward until your torso is close to parallel with the floor, with a flat back. Let the dumbbells hang beneath your shoulders.
- Set a slight bend in your elbows and keep that angle for the whole set. Brace your trunk and keep your neck in line with your spine.
- Sweep the dumbbells out and up to the sides, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your back.
- Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and your torso still as the dumbbells rise.
- Pause briefly at the top, then bring the dumbbells back down under control along the same arc until they hang beneath your shoulders again.
- After the last rep, drive your hips forward to stand up tall with the dumbbells at your sides before setting them down.
- Sweep wide, elbows lead the dumbbells
- Flat back, chest close to parallel
- Upper arms level with your back, then return
- Shoulders down away from your ears
- Torso still, soft elbows fixed
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Posterior deltoid: posterior | Prime mover | C |
| Rhomboids | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: middle | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: lower | Stabiliser | D |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | D |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Torso rising with each rep
Fix: Hold your torso still at the same angle and move only your arms.
Shrugging the dumbbells up
Fix: Keep your shoulders down away from your ears as the dumbbells rise.
Elbows bending into a row
Fix: Keep a slight fixed elbow bend and sweep the dumbbells wide.
Swinging through the top
Fix: Pause with your upper arms level with your back, then bring the dumbbells down slowly.
Rounded back
Fix: Push your hips back, brace, and keep a flat back from first rep to last.
Head craned up
Fix: Keep your gaze on the floor just ahead of your feet.
What the research says
General fitness · first choiceMuscle growthRehab & prehabEndurance
- Muscle focus — The rear deltoids are the main movers by anatomy. There is no captured study measuring muscle activity or growth for this exercise, so its targeting rests on anatomy and coaching experience.
- Load and effort — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets finish close to failure, and true failure adds only a small extra return. Many lifters use light loads and moderate-to-higher rep sets here.
- Volume and frequency — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns, and training a muscle about twice a week is a common way to spread that volume.
- Tempo — Studies find growth is similar across rep durations from about half a second to eight seconds when sets are hard, so a controlled pace is a matter of technique more than of growth.
Swap it mid-workout
- Cable Bent-Over Lateral Raise
- Cable Rear Delt Fly
- Cable External Rotation
- Cable Face Pull
- Reverse Pec Deck
- Barbell High Pull
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the dumbbell rear delt fly in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.