A lot of rear delt exercises are done with the wrong form. You may see people working on their delts at the gym by creating momentum and taking tension away from the muscle (which is incorrect). Keep reading to learn how to do a proper machine and dumbbell reverse fly exercise!
Rear Delt Exercises and Their Proper Form
What is the Rear Delt Muscle
To effectively target your rear deltoid muscle, you need to know where it is. It’s the muscle on the back of your shoulder, that runs along the scapula and inserts into the humerus, or upper arm bone.
1. Single-Arm Cable Reverse Fly
The unilateral cable reverse fly will teach you how to evenly stimulate the rear delt muscles as you’re working out each shoulder. This exercise targets a single arm at a time, which is perfect for people whose arms aren’t evenly strong or built. It’ll help stimulate one rear deltoid to catch up with the other.
How to:
- Grab the cable with your arm stretched out across your chest.
- Bring out the cable while keeping your arm straight and shoulders rolled forward.
- Stop when your arm is parallel to the body.
- Then bring the cable back across the chest.
- Do 4 sets of 12 reps for each arm.
Tip: Avoid shrugging the shoulders to keep the focus on the rear delts rather than the traps.
2. Reverse Machine Fly
This second reverse fly exercise will help you to consistently stimulate both rear deltoid muscles at the same time. The machine requires both arms to move at the same time, which helps workout both arms simultaneously with the same amount of weight.
How to:
- Roll your shoulders forward when grabbing the weight in front of you.
- Then bring out the bars to the side until they’re parallel to the shoulders.
- Bring them back together but don’t let them rest.
- Do 4 sets of 12 reps.
Tip: Always keep your shoulders rolled forward to really keep the tension on the rear deltoids.
3. Chest-Supported Dumbbell Reverse Fly
A chest-supported dumbbell reverse fly will stimulate both rear delts muscles without creating momentum with your legs. This is great for anybody looking to get strict with their form. Which is necessary to build muscle!
How to:
- Lie down on the bench on your chest with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Then roll your shoulders forward and lift the dumbbells to the side almost to parallel to the shoulders.
- Bring it back down until they’re a foot apart to avoid a cheated rest.
- Do 4 sets of 12 reps.
Tip: Don’t let your arms hang straight down to keep the tension on your deltoid muscles.
4. Bent Over Reverse Dumbbell Fly
This reverse dumbbell fly will use all of the stimulation techniques from the other reverse fly exercises.
How to:
- Sit down on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Bend over until your chest is just above your knees and roll your shoulders forward.
- Push the weight outwards and stop when your arms are parallel with your body.
- Bring it back down with the dumbbells just a foot apart.
- Do 4 sets of 12 reps.
Tip: Always roll your shoulders forward throughout the whole movement. Avoid creating momentum with your legs and don’t push out too far because you’ll lose tension in the muscles.
Watch this video from our V Shred YouTube channel for a demonstration of these rear delt exercises:
Reverse flys are great rear delt exercises, but only if they’re done in the proper form. Keep these tips in mind during your next deltoid workout!
What are other rear delt exercises in your workout regime? Share them with us in the comments section below!