Need to build balanced, more developed shoulders? The dumbbell rear delt fly will be one of the most beneficial isolation exercises to add to your workout routine. Most individuals spend a good amount of their training on their front or medial deltoids and completely ignore training their rear delts, which causes muscular imbalances, rounded shoulders and bad posture. Regardless of your experience level, understanding the proper execution of dumbbell rear delt raises can greatly improve your training and allow for more muscle engagement.
What is the Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly?
The dumbbell rear delt fly (also known as the rear delt dumbbell fly, or rear delt fly with dumbbells) is an isolation exercise and mostly focused on building rear delts (back shoulder muscles). While press-type exercises build mostly front shoulder deltoids, the dumbbell rear delt fly is important for shoulder strength, balance, pulling movements and keeping your posture upright. The bent-over dumbbell rear delt fly is widely used, with other options like the seated version and incline.
What Does the Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly Work?
The exercise primarily targets:
Primary Muscle
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Posterior deltoids (rear delts)
Secondary Muscles
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Rhomboids
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Middle trapezius
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Lower trapezius
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Infraspinatus
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Teres minor
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Rotator cuff muscles
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Upper back stabilizers
The shoulders are abducted into a horizontal pattern which would allow the rear deltoids and the upper back to actually help your dumbbells move through the exercise.
Benefits of the Rear Delt Fly Dumbbell Exercise
Here's why you should integrate rear delt dumbbell flies into your workouts:
1. Builds Balanced Shoulders
Loads of people at the gym do a lot of pressing movements, leading to the anterior delts being way superior. Rear delt flys are really important for balanced shoulder development.
2. Improves Posture
When excessive push-ups contribute to rounded shoulder posture, strengthening our posterior delts also helps improve posture and counteract those effects.
3. Increases Shoulder Stability
This exercise targets the small stabilizing muscles that support the shoulder socket.
4. Enhances Pulling Strength
The Rear deltoids assist with exercises such as Rows, Pull-ups, Face Pulls, and most other upper-body pulling movements.
5. Reduces Injury Risk
Strong shoulder muscles help keep the shoulder joint more neutral during pressing movements or other overhead lifts.
How to Do Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Step 1: Choose Appropriate Dumbbells
Use light to medium dumbbells. Whether you’re home training with our rubber hex dumbbell set or using our urethane dumbbell set in your gym, picking out a comfortable weight often beats maxing it out in your workout routine.
Step 2: Stand with Feet Shoulder-Width Apart
Take a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your knees slightly bent.
Step 3: Hinge at the Hips
This will result in the standard “rear delt fly dumbbell bent over” position. Drive hips back. Maintain a flat back. Keeping your spine neutral, bend to the point where your torso almost parallels the floor. This bent-over position allows the rear delts to perform most of the work.
Step 4: Position Your Arms
Let the dumbbells hang directly beneath your shoulders.
Keep:
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Slight bend in elbows
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Palms facing each other
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Neck neutral
Step 5: Lift the Dumbbells
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Lift your arms in a wide arc out to your sides.
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Try to keep thinking of it as pulling down your arms with your elbows instead of your hands.
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Keep pulling until the elbows are level with your shoulders.
Step 6: Pause
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Squeeze the back of your shoulders at the top for 1-2 seconds.
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Do not shrug at all with your shoulders.
Step 7: Lower Slowly
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Keep weights under control.
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Keep gravity away when lowering dumbbells.
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Repeat your chosen amount of reps.
Rear Delt Fly Dumbbell Bent Over Form
Getting the correct technique for your bent-over dumbbell rear delt fly will significantly help results. Watch out for the below cues:
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Chest up, flat back, brace core, slight knee bend, and arms slightly bent;
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Pull with rear shoulders; do not swing weights
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Explode to the top and lower in a controlled manner, no momentum
Using the correct rear delt dumbbell fly form will keep you engaging your rear delt.
Seated Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
The seated dumbbell rear delt fly is an excellent variation for beginners.
How to Perform It
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Sit at the edge of a bench.
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Lean your chest toward your knees.
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Hold dumbbells beneath your legs.
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Raise both arms outward.
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Squeeze your rear delts.
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Lower slowly.
Benefits
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Reduces momentum
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Better isolation
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Easier to maintain proper posture
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Less stress on the lower back
Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
The bent over dumbbell rear delt fly remains the most popular version.
Compared with the seated variation, it offers:
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Greater range of motion
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Increased core engagement
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Improved overall stability
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Better athletic carryover
But to stay upright, one needs both body control and balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the dumbbell rear delt fly good for beginners?
Yes, that’s a very effective exercise for promoting shoulder health, and the better posture, the better muscular balance is maintained. If you are a beginner, use a lighter weight and focus on your posture.
Should I do the exercise standing or seated?
Both are effective.
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Seat dumbbell rear delt raise: Simpler setup/technique and more stable.
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Rear delt raise dumbbell bent over: Hits the stabilizers more
How heavy should the dumbbells be?
The most interesting aspect for many of us is what an easy weight that actually is. Keep the focus on controlling the weight perfectly. When equipping a home gym, invest in 5-75 rubber hex dumbbell set with rack systems designed to scale as your fitness improves.
How often should I train rear delts?
Train rear delts 2-3 times weekly for almost everyone, as long as you allow enough recovery.
Can rear delt flys improve posture?
Yes. Strengthening your posterior deltoids and rear upper back will counteract round shoulders resulting from hours of sitting and pressing too hard.
Final Thoughts
The dumbbell rear delt fly is a highly effective exercise for stronger, more balanced shoulders. Focus on proper form, controlled reps, and gradual progression to improve shoulder strength, posture, and overall upper-body development.
