Reverse Fly Alternatives for Massive Rear Deltoids

Your shoulder muscles, correctly called your deltoids, are made up of three sections of fibers called heads.

The anterior or front deltoid is usually the most well-developed. That’s because it’s involved in every pressing exercise you do – both horizontal and overhead. You can also target this deltoid head with front raises.

The medial or side deltoid, located on the outside of your shoulders, gives your upper body its width. Also known as the middle delts, this deltoid head is worked whenever you lift your upper arm out and away to the side of your body, e.g., dumbbell and cable side raises.

The final deltoid head is the rear delt. As its name implies, this muscle is located on the back of your shoulder. The rear delt is often underdeveloped and needs plenty of direct training to ensure that it doesn’t lag behind the other two deltoids.

One of the most common exercises for the rear delt is reverse flys, which can be done seated, bent over, or lying face down on a bench.

But, as effective as this exercise is, it may not be the best way to target your rear deltoids.

There is very little tension on your muscles at the start of each rep, and the long levers mean that you won’t be able to lift heavy weights without cheating. So, while it’s better than nothing, if you want to beef up your rear delts, there are better exercises you can use.

In this article, we reveal the best reverse fly alternatives for bigger, more muscular rear deltoids.

The Best Reverse Fly Alternatives for Bigger Rear Delts

Need to bulk up your rear delts but need an alternative to reverse flys? These are the best exercises to use!

1. Reverse Cable Crossover

One of the disadvantages of dumbbell reverse flys is that there is very little tension on your rear delts at the start of the movement and lots at the end. Using cables instead of dumbbells keeps your muscles under tension for longer, making this a more effective exercise.

How to do it:

1. Attach D-shaped handles to the top pulleys on a cable crossover machine. Alternatively, you can grip the cables themselves.
2. Take the left handle/cable in your right hand and the right handle/cable in your left hand and stand in the middle of the machine. Cross your wrists.
3. Open your arms and draw your arms out and back to form a T-shape. Pull your shoulders down and back as you do so.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat.

2. Face Pulls

If you only do one rear deltoid exercise, this should probably be it. As well as working your rear delts, face pulls also work your middle trapezius and rhomboids. These muscles usually work together and are critical for both posture and shoulder health.

Do a set of face pulls between every set of bench press to alleviate shoulder pain and develop the front and back of your upper body equally.

How to do it:

1. Attach a rope handle to a high pulley machine. Hold one end in each hand and, with your arms straight, step back to tension the cable. Adopt a split stance for balance and brace your core.
2. Keeping your arms up and parallel to the floor, bend your elbows and pull your hands into the side of your head. Imagine you are trying to stick your thumbs in your ears.
3. Extend your arms and repeat.

3. Wide Grip Bent-over Row

Bent-over rows are usually thought of as a back exercise – and they are! But, done with a wide grip and pulling the bar into your chest, this move is also an excellent rear deltoid, mid-trap, and rhomboid exercise. Go light to ensure your lats don’t inadvertently take over during this exercise.

How to do it:

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand, wider than shoulder-width grip. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward from the hips until your upper body is roughly parallel to the floor. Let your arms hang down from your shoulders, and do not round your lower back.
2. Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar up and into your chest. Keep your wrists straight.
3. Extend your arms and repeat.
4. You can also do this exercise using a T-bar row machine.

4. Wide Grip Seated Row

While wide grip bent over rows are an excellent exercise, they can also be hard on your lower back. In fact, you may find it impossible to maintain a neutral spine as you do it. Wide grip seated rows are a lot more lower back-friendly, so they may be better for some lifters.

How to do it:

1. Attach a straight bar to a low pulley row machine. Hold the bar with a wider than shoulder-width grip. Sit on the machine with your legs slightly bent and your torso upright. Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
2. Leading with your elbows and with your wrists straight, bend your arms and pull the bar into your chest.
3. Extend your arms and repeat for the desired number of reps.

5. Resistance Band Pull-apart

The best thing about this exercise is that, providing you have a resistance band handy, you can do it almost anywhere and anytime. I’ve managed to do a few sets while writing this article!

Keep a resistance band in your pocket and pump out a few sets of pull-aparts throughout your day to strengthen your rear deltoids and improve your posture. Band pull-aparts are the perfect antidote to spending hours hunched over your computer.

How to do it:

1. Hold a resistance band with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Seated or standing, raise your arms, so your hands are level with your shoulders. Pull your shoulders down and back.
2. Without bending your elbows, open your arms and stretch the band out across your chest.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. High-rep sets (20-30) work best with this exercise.

Related: Band Pull-Apart For Better Posture

6. Single-Arm Rear Delt Dumbbell Row

It’s all too common to have one side stronger than the other. Bilateral (two-sided) exercises can disguise this problem and even make it worse. This move is unilateral (one-sided), which will make it easier to identify and then fix left-to-right strength imbalances.

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in one hand. Lean forward and place your free hand on a knee-high bench. You can also put your knee on the bench if you wish. Let the dumbbell hang down from your shoulder with your palm facing backward.
2. Leading with your elbow, bend your arm and pull the dumbbell straight up. Do not round your lower back or bend your wrist.
3. Extend your arm and repeat for the desired number of reps.
4. You can also do rear delt dumbbell rows with both arms.

7. Reverse Pec Deck Flys

This exercise is performed on the pec deck machine, but the movement is reversed. Reverse pec deck flyes require less stabilization than many other rear delt exercises as the machine guides the action.

As such, you don’t have to worry about balancing the weight or coordinating your movements. Because of this, most exercisers will be able to use heavier weights which is very beneficial for muscle strength and hypertrophy.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the pec deck machine with your chest against the pad. Reach out and grab the handles with a neutral or pronated grip as preferred. Extend but do not fully straighten your arms. Your hands should be level with or just below your shoulders.
2. Open your arms and draw the handles out and back until your arms form a T-shape with your body.
3. Return to the starting position, stopping just short of letting the weights touch down, and repeat.

8. Wide Grip Inverted Row

Like most rowing exercises, inverted rows are usually associated with the latissimus dorsi. And while this can be a good lat exercise, you can also modify it to make it much more rear delt and upper back-centric. Simply move your hands out wider and pull your chest up to the bar.

How to do it:

1. Set the bar on a Smith machine to about hip height. Alternatively, you can use a barbell in a power rack.
2. Sit on the floor below the bar and hold it with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
3. Lift your body so your knees and hips are straight and your arms are extended.
4. Bend your elbows and pull your chest up to the bar. Keep your wrists and entire body straight.
5. Straighten your arms and repeat.
6. Make this exercise easier by raising the bar, so your body is at a steeper angle, or more challenging by raising your feet or resting a weight plate on your hips.

9. Supine Cable Reverse Cable Flys

Some lifters find it all but impossible to separate their arms from their lower back. Every exercise they do involves some kind of swinging or swaying. Needless to say, this makes whatever exercise you are doing less effective, and could even lead to injury.

Supine cable reverse flys are virtually cheat-proof, making them ideal for anyone who struggles to keep their torso stationary.

How to do it:

1. Using a cable crossover machine, begin by setting up the pulley handles at the highest point on each side. Grab the left pulley with your right hand and the right pulley with your left hand, so the cables are crossed. Lie down on the bench and align your shoulders with the cable pulleys on each side.
2. Now, pull both pulleys down with your arms extended until your hands are level with your head.
3. Return to the starting position and then repeat for the desired number of reps.

10. Wide Grip Chest Supported Rear Delt Row

This is another rear deltoid exercise that all but eliminates the chance to cheat. With your chest resting against an inclined bench, it not only stops you from using body English to raise the weights, but it also takes the stress off your lower back. This is an excellent exercise for anyone suffering from lower back pain.

How to do it:

1. Lie face down on an inclined bench set to around 30-degrees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders. Raise the bench on blocks if you are unable to straighten your arms.
2. Rotate your wrists so the backs of your hands are facing the front, i.e., a pronated grip. Pull your shoulders down and back.
3. Leading with your elbows, pull the weights up and out, so your upper arms are perpendicular to your body. Pull your shoulders down and back.
4. Extend your arms and repeat.

11. Prone Incline Dumbbell Press 

Most pressing exercises work your anterior deltoids more than your rear delts. That all changes when you do prone incline dumbbell presses. This exercise is a lot tougher than it looks, so don’t go too heavy too soon!

How to do it:

1. Set an incline bench to 45-degrees. With a dumbbell in each hand, lie face down on the bench. Raise the dumbbells up to your shoulders and pull your shoulders down and back.
2. Press the weights forward and up so your arms form a straight line with the rest of your body.
3. Lower the weights back to your shoulders and repeat.

12. Rear Deltoid Barbell Extension

This is one of the few rear deltoid exercises that involve shoulder joint extension. Looking like a cross between a barbell hack squat, bent-over row, and triceps kickback, this unusual movement is a little awkward but highly effective for building posterior deltoid strength and mass. You’ll probably feel it in your triceps too.

Be warned; this one is a lot harder than it looks, so go light!

How to do it:

1. Hold a barbell behind your back, palms facing backward. Bend your knees and lean forward without rounding your lower back. The barbell should be across the back of your knees.
2. Keeping your arms straight, raise the bar out and back behind you as high as possible.
3. Lower the bar back to your legs and repeat.

13. Scapular Wall Slides

Scapular wall slides, also known as wall angels, are a surprisingly tough real delt, rhomboid, and middle trapezius exercise. Instead of working your muscles with weights, for this movement, you’ll be working against the tension generated by your pecs.

The tighter your pecs are, the harder you’ll find this exercise. So, as well as working your upper back, scapular wall slides also provide your chest with a useful stretch. Scapular wall slides are an excellent postural exercise. If your posture needs work, do this exercise every day.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your back against a smooth wall. Your feet should be slightly in front of your hips, knees bent for stability.
2. Raise your arms and, with your elbows bent to 90 degrees, press them against the wall. Your upper arms should be parallel to the floor. Press your lower back into the wall.
3. From this position and keeping your arms and the backs of your hands against the wall, slide your hands upward. Reach up as far as you can while maintaining the pressure against the wall.
4. Slide your hands back down and repeat.
5. If you find this exercise too hard, do it while lying on the floor instead.

More Alternatives:

• 10 Great Alternatives to Dips
• 8 Best Shoulder Press Alternatives For Savage Delts
• Sizzling Cable Lateral Raise Alternatives for Wider, Sculpted Shoulders
• The 13 Best Landmine Press Alternatives for Massive Shoulders
• 10 Best Face Pull Alternatives: Exercises for Better Posture and Shoulder Health
• The Best Pec Deck Alternatives for an Awesome Chest

Reverse Fly Alternatives – Wrapping Up

With all the other muscles you need to train to build a balanced physique, it’s easy to overlook the rear deltoids. After all, you can’t see them in the mirror, so they’re often out of sight and out of mind.

But, neglecting this small but important muscle will have a significant impact on not just the appearance of your shoulders but also how they function. Underdeveloped rear deltoids can contribute to shoulder pain, which is something that every lifter needs to avoid.

So, stop ignoring your rear deltoids or training them just with reverse dumbbell flys. Instead, use these 13 alternatives to beef up your rear deltoids, so your shoulders are developed from every possible angle.

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