How to do the Cable Supine Reverse Fly
ShouldersDeltsCableBeginner
The cable supine reverse fly challenges your rear delts and upper back through a unique lying angle that eliminates momentum and forces honest muscle engagement. Master this movement and you build the shoulder stability that makes every pressing and pulling exercise stronger.
Add this to my personalized plan →Muscles worked
Primary
Deltoids
Secondary
TrapeziusTriceps
Step-by-step
- Lie on your back on the floor or bench between two low cable pulleys, gripping the opposite handles with arms extended above your chest.
- Pin your shoulder blades down into the surface and keep a soft bend in your elbows throughout the movement.
- Pull both handles out and down in a wide arc toward the floor at your sides, squeezing your rear delts at the bottom position.
- Return the handles slowly and under full control back to the starting position, resisting the cable pull on the way up.
Common mistakes
- Letting the shoulders shrug up toward the ears during the pull, which shifts load off the delts onto the traps — consciously press your shoulders down before each rep.
- Using too much weight and bending the elbows to compensate, turning the fly into a row — drop the load and maintain that fixed slight elbow angle throughout.
- Rushing the eccentric return and losing tension — the upward phase should take at least two seconds to keep the rear delts under productive load.
Pro tip — Focus on initiating the movement by driving your upper arms outward rather than pulling with your hands — this subtle mental cue recruits the posterior delt fibers first and keeps the smaller rotator cuff muscles from taking over.
Sets & reps by goal
Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps
Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.
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