Dumbbell Reverse Fly
The dumbbell reverse fly has you hinged forward at the hips, arms hanging below you, sweeping a pair of light dumbbells out and up until they're roughly level with your shoulders. It targets the rear deltoids and the muscles of the upper middle back that pull your shoulder blades together, an area that gets little direct work from pressing exercises. It suits anyone whose training leans heavily on chest and shoulder presses and wants to balance that out with some pulling work for the back of the shoulder.
Why it works
Sweeping the arms out to the sides from a bent-over position moves the shoulder through horizontal abduction, which is the specific motion that targets the rear deltoids directly, along with the rhomboids and mid-traps that draw the shoulder blades toward each other. Because your torso is already hinged forward and holding still, the working muscles can't borrow help from momentum the way they might in an upright row or shrug. Training this pulling-together motion regularly is one of the more direct ways to counterbalance the forward shoulder rounding that comes from a lot of pressing and desk time.
Set up
- Hold a light dumbbell in each hand and hinge forward at the hips until your torso is close to parallel with the floor.
- Let your arms hang straight down below your shoulders with a soft bend in the elbows.
- Keep your back flat and your core braced before the first rep, rather than letting your spine round.
How to do it
- Sweep both arms out to the sides, leading with your elbows rather than your hands.
- Raise the dumbbells until they're roughly level with your shoulders, keeping the slight elbow bend throughout.
- Draw your shoulder blades toward each other briefly once the dumbbells reach shoulder height.
- Lower the dumbbells back down slowly under control, resisting the pull of gravity.
- Keep your torso still and hinged throughout; only your arms should move.
Form cues
- Torso stays hinged and still, arms do the moving.
- Lead with the elbows, not the hands.
- Draw the shoulder blades toward each other up top.
- Keep a soft bend in the elbow the whole time.
Breathing: Exhale as you sweep the dumbbells out and up, inhale as you lower them back down.
Common mistakes
Standing the torso up partway through the set instead of staying hinged forward.
Fix: Set a lighter weight if your back starts standing up before the set is finished; the hinge position is what puts the rear delts to work.
Turning the movement into a shrug by driving through the traps instead of the rear shoulders.
Fix: Keep your shoulders away from your ears throughout the lift, focusing the effort into sweeping the elbows out rather than up.
Using momentum to jerk the dumbbells up rather than lifting them with the shoulders.
Fix: Slow the tempo down and pick a lighter weight; this exercise loses most of its value once momentum takes over.
Rounding the lower back to reach further forward at the start.
Fix: Hinge from the hips with a flat back and stop the forward lean at whatever point your spine stays neutral.
How to program it
- Twelve to fifteen light reps for two or three sets suits this exercise well, since it's meant to train the rear shoulder muscles, not test your max weight.
- Two or three times a week works fine given how light the loads usually are here compared to the pressing work it's balancing out.
- Place it after your main pulling or pressing work, since it's better suited as a finishing movement than a heavy opener.
- If your shoulders round forward during the day from desk work, this is a useful one to keep in rotation year-round rather than cycling it in and out.
Safety notes
- Keep the weight light. This exercise is easy to turn into a swinging shrug once the dumbbells get too heavy, which shifts stress away from the rear delts and onto the neck and traps.
- Stop the hinge at a point where your lower back stays flat and supported rather than rounding forward.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How much weight should I use for dumbbell reverse flies?
Go lighter than you'd expect. This exercise is meant to isolate the small rear shoulder muscles, and most people find 12 to 15 reps with a fairly light dumbbell feels harder than it looks.
What muscles does the reverse fly work?
Mainly the rear deltoids, with the rhomboids and middle trapezius helping pull your shoulder blades together. It's the main direct exercise for the back of the shoulder in most routines.
Can I do reverse flies without dumbbells?
Yes, a resistance band anchored in front of you and pulled apart at chest height trains the same pulling-together motion if you don't have dumbbells.
How many times a week should I train rear delts?
Two or three times a week works well since the loads involved are light and the movement recovers quickly. It pairs naturally with any day that includes chest or front-shoulder pressing.