Dumbbell Rear Fly
Skip the guesswork: Dumbbell Rear Fly leans on independent dumbbell loading for round, durable shoulder caps.
How to do Dumbbell Rear Fly
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
- Extend your arms straight down towards the ground, palms facing each other.
- Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lift your arms out to the sides and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Rear Fly Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Start each set with the weaker arm and match it.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Add reps on the smaller bell before you size up.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Size up only when both sides finish equally strong.
Common Dumbbell Rear Fly Mistakes
Dropping the bells hard at the end of a set
Lower them under control so the last rep still counts as training.
Shrugging the traps up to finish the last few reps
Keep the shoulder blade down and end the set when the shrug appears.
Repeating the same load and rep scheme for months
Pick one variable, load, reps, or tempo, and push it every week.
Easier and Harder Than Dumbbell Rear Fly
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Dumbbell Rear Fly — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Dumbbell Rear Fly?
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight. Extend your arms straight down towards the ground, palms facing each other. Use dumbbells and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Dumbbell Rear Fly work?
The Dumbbell Rear Fly primarily targets the delts. It is classified as a shoulders exercise and is performed with dumbbells.
How many sets and reps of the Dumbbell Rear Fly should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Add reps on the smaller bell before you size up. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Dumbbell Rear Fly good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic shoulders patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Dumbbell Rear Fly?
Try the Cable Cross-over Revers Fly, Barbell Standing Bradford Press or the Smith Rear Delt Row. Each trains the delts with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
