Home / Exercises / Dumbbell Rear Fly
Dumbbell Rear Fly animation

How to do the Dumbbell Rear Fly

ShouldersDeltsDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell rear fly is one of the most effective tools for building the posterior deltoids, a muscle group that directly improves shoulder health and creates that three-dimensional shoulder appearance serious lifters are after. Master this movement and you will balance your pressing strength while carving depth into the back of your shoulders.

Add this to my personalized plan →

Muscles worked

Primary
Deltoids
Secondary
TrapeziusTriceps

Step-by-step

  1. Hinge at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, holding a dumbbell in each hand with a soft bend in your elbows.
  2. Brace your core and let the dumbbells hang directly below your chest, palms facing each other as your starting position.
  3. Drive both arms out and up in a wide arc, leading with your elbows and squeezing your rear delts at the top without shrugging your traps.
  4. Lower the dumbbells with control over two to three seconds, resisting gravity on the way down to maximize time under tension.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and turning the movement into a body swing — drop the load and keep your torso locked in the hinge so the rear delts do all the work.
  • Letting the elbows drop below shoulder height at the top — focus on raising them to ear level so the posterior delt reaches full contraction rather than the mid-back taking over.
  • Rounding the upper back during the hinge — actively pull your shoulder blades apart at the start and maintain a neutral spine throughout so the target muscle is properly positioned to fire.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, externally rotate your wrists so your pinkies finish slightly higher than your thumbs — this small adjustment maximally shortens the posterior deltoid and produces a noticeably stronger contraction than a neutral grip alone.

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.

More Shoulders exercises

Barbell Front RaiseBarbell Front RaiseBarbell Rear Delt RowBarbell Rear Delt RowBarbell Seated Behind Head Military PressBarbell Seated Behind Head Military PressBarbell Upright RowBarbell Upright RowBarbell Upright RowBarbell Upright RowCable Cross Over Revers FlyCable Cross Over Revers Fly
Want this built into a full plan?2fit4u turns moves like this into your personalized weekly program — free to start.
Build my free plan →