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Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

The dumbbell rear delt fly, also called the bent-over reverse fly, is an intermediate dumbbell exercise for the rear delts, with the upper back assisting. You hinge forward, then raise light dumbbells out to the sides.

Page updated October 31, 2026IntermediateDumbbell

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 dumbbell rear delt fly

01
Hold a light dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
02
Soften your knees and hinge at your hips until your torso is close to parallel with the floor, back flat. Let the dumbbells hang under your shoulders, palms facing each other.
03
Keep a soft bend in your elbows and raise the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until your arms line up with your back.
04
Pause for a moment at the top, then lower slowly without letting your torso rise.

Technique

Form cues for the dumbbell 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
Hinge, reach wide, and keep the weights light enough to control.

Comparison

Bent-over vs chest-supported vs cable reverse fly

All three raise your arms out and back to train the rear delts. What changes is what holds your body still, and where in the rep it gets hard.

	Bent-over (this page)	Chest-supported	Cable
What holds you	You hold the hinge yourself	An incline bench holds your chest	You stand, usually upright
Hardest point	The top of the rep	The top of the rep	Tension through the whole range
Lower back	Works to hold the hinge	Rests on the bench	Light work
Good when	You only have dumbbells	You want no swinging at all	You want steady tension and fine load steps

Anatomy

Muscles worked

The rear delts, the back third of your shoulder, do the main work. The rhomboids and middle traps between your shoulder blades help, and your lower back and hamstrings work to hold the bent-over position.

Because the rear delts are small, this is a light exercise. If you have to swing or stand up to finish a rep, the dumbbells are too heavy.

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 dumbbell 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 dumbbell 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.
Lower back: Reduce load, brace before each rep, and stop if you cannot keep a neutral spine.

Progression chain

Easier and harder variations

Regress to

Band Pull-ApartBeginner
Chest-Supported Rear Delt FlyBeginner

Progress to

This is the most demanding step in its chain.

Questions about this exercise

Is the bent-over or chest-supported rear delt fly better?

Neither is better for everyone. The chest-supported version takes your lower back and any swing out of it. The bent-over version needs only dumbbells, but you have to hold the hinge for the whole set.

How heavy should rear delt flys be?

Light. Use a weight you can raise to body level with the same elbow bend on every rep, stopping with one or two clean reps left. For most people that is among the lightest dumbbells in the rack.

Should my arms be straight?

Almost. Keep a soft bend in your elbows and hold that angle the whole way, so the movement comes from your shoulders, not from bending and straightening your arms.

Why do I feel rear delt flys in my traps?

Usually the dumbbells are too heavy, or you are shrugging or pinching your shoulder blades hard to finish the rep. Go lighter, keep your shoulders down away from your ears, and think about moving your arms out wide rather than squeezing your back.

Can I do a rear delt fly seated?

Yes. Sit on the end of a bench, lean your chest toward your knees and raise the dumbbells the same way. It takes your legs out of it, but you still hold the lean yourself; the chest-supported version on an incline bench removes that too.

What muscles does the dumbbell rear delt fly work?

The dumbbell 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 dumbbell rear delt fly?

You need dumbbell. 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 dumbbell 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 dumbbell rear delt fly suitable for beginners?

It is tagged intermediate. A simpler starting point in the same progression chain is the band pull-apart.

More rear delt exercises

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