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Chest-Supported Rear Delt Fly

The chest-supported rear delt fly, also called the prone or incline reverse fly, is a beginner dumbbell exercise for the rear delts, with the upper back assisting. You lie face-down on an incline bench and raise the dumbbells out to the sides.

Page updated October 31, 2026BeginnerDumbbell + Incline bench

What this page is: the form cues, mistakes, ranges, and modifications come from Handler's own exercise library, the same ones the coach uses in the app. The setup steps and comparisons are Handler's editorial guidance. It is general exercise information, not an individual technique assessment or medical advice. Stop any movement that causes pain and seek qualified coaching or clinical care for injuries.

Demonstration loop from Handler's exercise library. Only the still frame loads until you press play.

Step by step

How to do the chest-supported rear delt fly

01
Set an adjustable bench to a low incline, around 30 to 45 degrees.
02
Lie face-down with your chest on the pad and your chin just past the top. Plant your feet.
03
Let light dumbbells hang straight down under your shoulders, palms facing each other, with a soft bend in your elbows.
04
Raise your arms out to the sides in a wide arc until they line up with your body. Keep the elbow bend the same the whole way.
05
Lower slowly back to the start.

Technique

Form cues for the chest-supported rear delt fly

01
Lock in the body position before the first rep.
02
Move only through the target joint and keep the tempo smooth.
03
Stop each set with one or two clean reps still available.
04
Let the bench support your chest so the rear delts do the work.

Comparison

Chest-supported vs bent-over vs floor reverse fly

All three raise your arms out to the sides to train the rear delts. What changes is what holds your body still.

	Chest-supported (this page)	Bent-over	Floor (prone, no weights)
What holds you	The bench holds your chest	You hold your torso bent over	The floor holds you; you lift your arms
Load	Light dumbbells	Light dumbbells	Bodyweight only
Lower back	Rests on the bench	Works to hold you in position	Works to keep your chest still
Good when	You want the rear delts to do the work without swinging	There's no incline bench free	You have no equipment

Anatomy

Muscles worked

The rear delts, the back third of your shoulder, do the main work: they pull your arms out and back. The upper back muscles between your shoulder blades (the rhomboids and the middle traps) help.

The rear delts are small, so most people use far lighter dumbbells here than for rows. If you have to swing or lift your chest off the pad to finish the rep, go lighter.

Troubleshooting

Common mistakes

Swinging the weight.
Changing posture to finish reps.
Cutting the range short.

Programming defaults

Sets, reps, and rest by goal

These are the starting ranges Handler's library assigns to the chest-supported rear delt fly for each training goal. They are defaults the coach adjusts from your logged sets, not a prescription for any individual.

Goal	Sets × reps	Rest between sets
Strength	3 × 8–12 reps	1 min 15 s
Hypertrophy	3 × 10–15 reps	1 min
Fat loss	2 × 15–25 reps	30 s
General fitness	2 × 10–15 reps	45 s

Between sets

Use the same tempo on the next set.
Stop before momentum takes over.

Working around discomfort

Modifications by body area

How Handler adjusts the chest-supported rear delt fly when a lifter reports a sensitive area. These are training modifications, not treatment. Pain that persists or worsens needs clinical assessment.

Shoulder: Use a pain-free range and keep the upper arm path controlled.
Neck: Keep your gaze neutral and avoid shrugging into the neck.

Progression chain

Easier and harder variations

Regress to

This is the first step in its chain.

Progress to

Band Pull-ApartBeginner
Dumbbell Rear Delt FlyIntermediate

Questions about this exercise

Is the chest-supported rear delt fly the same as a prone reverse fly?

Usually, yes. "Prone" means face-down, so a prone reverse fly done on an incline bench with dumbbells is this exercise. Some programs use the same name for a face-down floor drill with no weights; that's Handler's separate prone reverse fly page.

What bench angle should I use?

A low incline of about 30 to 45 degrees works for most people. Your chest should stay supported and your arms should hang straight down without hitting the floor.

How heavy should the dumbbells be?

Light enough that you can raise your arms to body level with the same elbow bend on every rep, and stop with one or two clean reps left. For most people that's well under what they use for rows.

What muscles does the chest-supported rear delt fly work?

The chest-supported rear delt fly primarily works the rear delts. The upper back work as secondary or stabilising muscles. In Handler's library it is classified as a isolation movement.

What equipment do you need for the chest-supported rear delt fly?

You need dumbbell + incline bench. It is programmed in commercial gym, small gym, home gym, hotel gym setups where that equipment is available.

How many sets and reps of the chest-supported rear delt fly should I do?

Handler's default for a strength focus is 3 × 8–12 reps with about 1 min 15 s rest, and for a muscle-building focus 3 × 10–15 reps with about 1 min rest. These are the library's starting ranges, not an individual prescription; the coach adjusts them from what you log.

Is the chest-supported rear delt fly suitable for beginners?

Yes. It is tagged beginner in Handler's library. When it feels easy, the next step in the progression chain is the band pull-apart.

More rear delt exercises

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