The 8 Best Reverse Fly Alternatives (2026)

The reverse fly, also called a rear delt fly, is a horizontal-abduction isolation exercise for your posterior deltoids, the small muscles that cap the back of your shoulder. You can do it bent over with a pair of dumbbells, backward on a pec deck machine, or standing at a cable stack, and in every version you’re moving your arms out and back in a wide arc while your elbows stay mostly straight. It’s one of the few exercises that isolates the rear delts almost on their own, which matters because most pressing and pulling work barely touches them, for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps at a time.

You might need a substitute for a few reasons. The rear delt machine is often the busiest piece of equipment in a commercial gym’s shoulder section, and you’re not waiting around for it. Bent-over dumbbell reverse flies can aggravate a cranky lower back if you’re hinging for high reps, and the light weights involved make it tempting to swing the dumbbells instead of actually working the muscle. Or maybe you’ve noticed your rear delts lagging behind your front and side delts and you want a couple of angles that hit them harder than your current rotation does.

Here are the 8 reverse fly alternatives I’d reach for, picked for how directly they isolate the rear delts, how easy they are on the shoulder joint and lower back, and what equipment they actually need. A few of these are near-identical swaps for whichever version of the reverse fly you normally run, and a couple pull double duty as upper back builders when you want more from the same set. I’ll tell you when to use each one and exactly how to do it.

Table of Contents

1 The 8 Best Reverse Fly Alternatives
2 Reasons to Choose a Reverse Fly Alternative
3 Muscles Worked by the Reverse Fly
4 FAQs
5 Key Takeaways
6 Other Alternative Exercises

The 8 Best Reverse Fly Alternatives

Reverse Pec Deck
Face Pull
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Band Pull-Apart
Rear Delt Row
Prone Y and T Raise
Single-Arm Cable Reverse Fly

1. Reverse Pec Deck

When to Perform the Reverse Pec Deck

This is the closest swap there is if your gym’s setup is a machine you normally sit backward on, since it’s usually the exact same machine loaded in the opposite direction. Use it when you want a locked, guided path that takes your lower back and stabilizer muscles almost entirely out of the movement, which makes it a good pick for beginners or for anyone training rear delts at the end of a long session when their form is starting to slip. I usually program it for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, either in the same slot a bent-over reverse fly would sit in or as the last exercise on a shoulder day.

How to Perform the Reverse Pec Deck

Set the seat height so the handles line up with your shoulders, then sit facing the machine’s pad with your chest against it.
Grab the handles with a neutral or overhand grip, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Pull your arms back and out in a wide arc, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement.
Let the handles return under control back to the starting position, feeling a stretch across your rear delts.

Equipment: reverse pec deck or dual-function pec deck machine.

This video from Muscle & Motion shows how to perform the machine reverse fly with correct form.

Maximize Posterior Deltoid Gains with the Machine Reverse Fly

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Reverse Pec Deck

Keep your chest pinned to the pad the whole set. Arching off it lets your back take over from your rear delts.
Stop the arc once your arms reach shoulder width apart behind you, rather than yanking the handles all the way to your sides.
Use a slower tempo on the way back in. Most people rush this half of the rep and lose tension.
Go lighter than your ego wants. The rear delts are small and fatigue fast, so 15 clean reps beats 10 sloppy ones.

2. Face Pull

When to Perform Face Pulls

Reach for face pulls when you want a rear delt exercise that also builds your upper back and works your rotator cuff, which makes it one of the better choices for shoulder health rather than pure rear delt size. It’s a staple I’d put on almost any pull day or as a warm-up before pressing, since the external rotation at the end of the rep primes your shoulders for overhead work. I’d run 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps here, lighter and higher rep than most of the other options on this list.

How to Perform Face Pulls

Attach a rope to a high pulley and set it to roughly eye level.
Grab the rope with both hands, palms facing each other, and step back to create tension.
Pull the rope toward your face, splitting your hands apart as your elbows drive back and up.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the pull, then return under control to the start.

Equipment: cable machine, high pulley, rope attachment.

This video from Renaissance Periodization shows how to perform the cable rope face pull.

Cable Rope Facepull

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Face Pulls

Aim the rope at your face, not your chest. Pulling too low turns this into a row and takes tension off your rear delts.
Keep your upper arms roughly parallel to the floor at the top instead of letting your elbows drop.
Lead with your elbows, not your hands, to keep the rear delts and rotator cuff doing the work.
Don’t lean back to muscle the weight up. If you need to lean, the load is too heavy.

3. Cable Rear Delt Fly

When to Perform the Cable Rear Delt Fly

Use this once you want more constant tension than a dumbbell gives you, since a cable keeps your rear delts loaded through the entire range instead of losing resistance at the top the way free weights do. It’s my pick for a dedicated arm or shoulder day where isolation is the whole point, and it’s easy to load in small increments as you get stronger. I’ll run 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps per side, crossing the cables in front of you for a longer stretch at the start of each rep.

How to Perform the Cable Rear Delt Fly

Set both pulleys on a dual cable machine to roughly shoulder height and attach single handles.
Grab the left handle with your right hand and the right handle with your left hand, crossing your arms in front of you.
Step back slightly, keep a soft bend in your elbows, and pull both handles out and back in a wide arc.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the back of the movement, then return under control to the crossed starting position.

Equipment: dual cable machine, two single handles.

This video from Colossus Fitness shows how to perform the standing cable rear delt fly.

How To PROPERLY Perform a Standing Cable Rear Delt Fly

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Cable Rear Delt Fly

Keep a soft, fixed bend in your elbows through the whole set. Straightening or bending them more mid-rep shifts work onto your triceps and biceps.
Set the pulleys at shoulder height, not overhead or below your waist, to keep the resistance in line with the rear delt’s actual movement pattern.
Pull with your elbows leading the way, the same cue as a face pull, rather than yanking with your hands.
If your gym only has a single cable stack, do one arm at a time instead of skipping the exercise.

For more cable-specific rear delt work, see our cable rear delt exercises roundup.

4. Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly

When to Perform the Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly

If your usual reverse fly is a machine or cable version, this is the free-weight swap to run when that equipment is busy or you’re training at home with nothing but a pair of dumbbells. It also demands more from your lower back and core to hold the bent-over position, so it doubles as light posterior chain work while your rear delts do the main job. I’d program it for 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, and I’d keep the weight light enough that you can hold the hinge without your lower back rounding by the last rep.

How to Perform the Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and hinge at your hips until your torso is close to parallel with the floor, with a slight bend in your knees.
Let the dumbbells hang straight down below your shoulders, palms facing each other.
Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise both dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc until they’re roughly in line with your torso.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, then lower the dumbbells back to the start under control.

Equipment: a pair of dumbbells (a flat bench to brace your chest on is optional but helps take your lower back out of it).

This video from V Shred shows how to perform the bent-over dumbbell reverse fly.

Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly (Rear Delt Workout!)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly

Pick a weight you can control. This exercise is where I see the most swinging and momentum, and it’s almost always because the dumbbells are too heavy.
Keep your neck neutral by looking at the floor a couple of feet in front of you rather than craning your head up.
Chest-support the movement on an incline bench if your lower back fatigues before your rear delts do.
Pause for a full second at the top of each rep instead of bouncing straight back down.

Looking for more dumbbell-only rear delt work? Check out our rear delt dumbbell exercises guide.

5. Band Pull-Apart

When to Perform Band Pull-Aparts

This is your grab-and-go option, the one you can do at home, on the road, or as a quick warm-up before any pressing or pulling session. Since a band gets harder to pull the further you stretch it, you get a strong peak contraction right where your shoulder blades come together, which is exactly the position most rear delt exercises struggle to load hard. I like this one for 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 25 reps, either as a finisher or as part of a shoulder warm-up before heavier work.

How to Perform Band Pull-Aparts

Hold a resistance band with both hands, arms extended straight out in front of your chest, palms facing down.
Keep a slight bend in your elbows and your shoulders down away from your ears.
Pull the band apart by driving your hands out to the sides until the band touches your chest.
Return to the starting position under control, resisting the band the whole way back.

Equipment: one resistance band (a light or medium band is usually enough).

This video from FITBODY with Julie Lohre shows how to perform band pull-aparts for shoulder stability.

Band Pull Aparts Exercise Demonstration For Shoulder Stability

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for Band Pull-Aparts

Keep your arms straight but not locked, and pull with your shoulder blades instead of just your hands.
Vary your grip width and your hand orientation (palms up, palms down, palms facing each other) across sets to shift the emphasis slightly each time.
Go up a band tension once you can hit 25 clean reps without your form breaking down.
Keep the band at chest height. Pulling it toward your face or your waist changes which muscles do the work.

For more no-equipment and light-equipment options, see our rear delt bodyweight exercises guide.

6. Rear Delt Row

When to Perform the Rear Delt Row

Use this when you want to load your rear delts heavier than an isolation exercise ever will, since a wide-grip row lets you add real weight while your rear delts, rhomboids, and mid traps all share the load. It’s a good main pulling exercise for a back or shoulder day rather than a finisher, and it builds thickness across your whole upper back at the same time. I’d program 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps here, heavier and lower rep than the pure isolation options on this list.

How to Perform the Rear Delt Row

Grip a barbell with a wide overhand grip, roughly 1.5 to 2 times shoulder width.
Hinge at your hips until your torso is around 45 degrees to the floor, with a soft bend in your knees.
Row the bar up toward your upper chest, flaring your elbows out wide to the sides rather than tucking them.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, then lower the bar back down under control.

Equipment: a barbell (dumbbells or a wide-grip cable row attachment work too if you prefer those).

This video from OriGym shows how to perform the barbell rear delt row.

How To Do Barbell Rear Delt Row | Exercise Demo

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Rear Delt Row

Flare your elbows wide, not tucked to your sides. A tucked elbow shifts the row toward your lats instead of your rear delts.
Keep your torso angle fixed through the set instead of standing up to help move the weight.
Row to your upper chest or collarbone, not your belly button, to keep the rear delts and upper traps as the main target.
Start lighter than a standard bent-over row. The wide grip and higher elbow flare make this harder to load than it looks.

If you’re also swapping out pulling exercises elsewhere in your program, our lat pulldown alternatives guide covers the lat-focused side of back day.

7. Prone Y and T Raise

When to Perform the Prone Y and T Raise

This pair is what I’d program when the goal is shoulder health and posture as much as rear delt size, since the Y position also works your lower traps and the T position hits your rear delts and mid traps directly. Lying face down on an incline bench also removes any temptation to swing the weight, since your torso is locked against the pad. Use light dumbbells, plates, or even just your bodyweight, for 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps per position, and pair them together in the same set if you want a bigger stimulus.

How to Perform the Prone Y and T Raise

Set an incline bench to about 30 to 45 degrees and lie face down with your chest supported and a light dumbbell in each hand.
For the Y raise, let your arms hang straight down, then raise them up and out at roughly a 45 degree angle to form a Y shape with your body.
For the T raise, raise your arms straight out to the sides until your body forms a T shape, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Lower under control after each rep, and alternate between the two positions or run them as separate sets.

Equipment: an incline bench and a pair of light dumbbells (start with 5 pounds or less, this exercise is harder than it looks).

This video from Simone Sports Performance shows how to perform the prone Y and T raise on an incline bench.

Prone Y, T, A Raise on Incline Bench

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Prone Y and T Raise

Keep your chest pinned to the bench the entire set. If your upper body lifts off the pad, the weight is too heavy.
Use lighter dumbbells than you think you need. Most lifters are humbled the first time they try this with real weight.
Lead each rep with your thumbs pointed up rather than your knuckles, which keeps the emphasis on your rear delts and traps instead of your shoulders.
Don’t rush the eccentric. A slow 2 to 3 second lowering phase is where most of the work happens.

For a deeper look at why this muscle group gets neglected in the first place, see our growing underdeveloped rear delts guide.

8. Single-Arm Cable Reverse Fly

When to Perform the Single-Arm Cable Reverse Fly

Use this once you’ve noticed one side lagging behind the other, since training unilaterally forces each rear delt to do its own work instead of letting your stronger side compensate. It also lets you rotate your torso slightly into each rep for a bit of extra stretch, something a two-arm version can’t give you. I’d run 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps per arm here, finishing your weaker side first so it always gets full effort.

How to Perform the Single-Arm Cable Reverse Fly

Set a cable pulley to roughly shoulder height and attach a single handle.
Stand side-on to the machine and grab the handle with the hand furthest from the stack, crossing it in front of your body.
Keeping a slight bend in your elbow, pull the handle out and back in an arc, rotating your torso slightly away from the machine as you go.
Squeeze your shoulder blade at the end of the movement, then return under control to the starting position.

Equipment: cable machine, single handle attachment.

This video from SET FOR SET shows how to perform the bent-over single-arm cable rear delt fly.

Bent Over Single-Arm Rear Delt Cable Fly | SFS Exercise Library

Watch this video on YouTube.

Tips for the Single-Arm Cable Reverse Fly

Match your reps and your weight across both sides. Don’t let a stronger arm push through extra reps just because it can.
Keep your torso rotation small and controlled. A big twist turns this into momentum instead of shoulder work.
Brace your free hand on the machine frame if you need extra stability while you get used to the single-arm setup.
Drop the weight slightly compared to your two-arm cable fly, since you’ll feel this version is harder to stabilize.

Reasons to Choose a Reverse Fly Alternative

There are a few good reasons to swap the reverse fly for one of the options above. None of them are a downgrade. Each one still trains the rear delts directly, and a few of them add extra work for your upper back or core at the same time. For more background on why this muscle group needs deliberate attention in the first place, see our rear delt exercises guide.

Your gym’s rear delt machine is always taken. Bands, dumbbells, and cables all cover you without a wait.
You want more upper back carryover. The face pull and rear delt row both build your rhomboids and traps alongside your rear delts, which the isolation-only options don’t.
Your lower back doesn’t love bent-over positions. The reverse pec deck, cable rear delt fly, and prone Y and T raise all support your torso, so your lower back stays out of it.
You train at home with minimal gear. A single resistance band covers you for band pull-aparts anywhere, with no machine required.
One side is weaker than the other. The single-arm cable reverse fly forces each rear delt to work independently instead of letting your dominant side take over.

Muscles Worked by the Reverse Fly

Your posterior deltoid sits at the back of your shoulder cap and is the main muscle every version of the reverse fly is built around, but it never works completely alone. The exercises on this list bring in your upper back to different degrees depending on how much rowing or pulling motion they involve:

Posterior deltoid: the primary target on every exercise here, loaded hardest in the reverse pec deck, cable rear delt fly, bent-over dumbbell reverse fly, and single-arm cable reverse fly, where the movement is closest to pure horizontal abduction.
Rhomboids: work hard on the face pull and rear delt row, pulling your shoulder blades together as you finish each rep.
Middle trapezius: active on the face pull, rear delt row, and T raise, and it’s a big part of what gives your upper back width when viewed from behind.
Lower trapezius: the main secondary mover on the Y raise, and one of the more neglected muscles in a typical shoulder routine.
Infraspinatus and teres minor: your external rotator cuff muscles, worked hardest by the face pull’s finishing position, where they help stabilize your shoulder joint.
Latissimus dorsi: a secondary mover on the rear delt row, since a wide-grip pulling motion always recruits some lat even when the elbow flare shifts most of the emphasis to your upper back.

FAQs

What’s the closest alternative to a reverse fly?

The reverse pec deck if your gym has one, since it’s usually the same machine you’d already be using, just facing the other direction. If the machine is taken or you don’t have access to one, the cable rear delt fly is the next closest thing, since it keeps the same wide arc and constant tension.

Is the face pull as good as the reverse fly for rear delts?

It’s close, but not identical. A face pull splits the work between your rear delts, upper traps, and rotator cuff, so it doesn’t isolate the rear delts quite as directly as a reverse fly does. What it lacks in pure isolation it makes up for in shoulder health benefits, so I like using both in the same program rather than picking one over the other.

Can I build rear delts without any equipment?

Yes, though it takes more creativity than most other muscle groups. A resistance band covers band pull-aparts anywhere, and the prone Y and T raise works with nothing but your own bodyweight if you don’t have dumbbells handy. Neither needs a gym, just a flat surface to lie on for the prone version.

Why are rear delts so hard to grow?

Mostly because they get so little direct work in a typical program. Pressing exercises barely touch them, and most pulling exercises like rows and pulldowns are dominated by your lats and biceps instead. Unless you program a dedicated isolation exercise like the ones on this list, your rear delts can go weeks getting almost nothing.

What’s the best reverse fly alternative for bad shoulders?

Band pull-aparts and the reverse pec deck are usually the friendliest options, since neither forces your shoulder into an unstable position under load. If a specific exercise causes pinching or sharp pain, drop the weight and shorten the range before you decide the exercise itself is the problem.

How many rear delt exercises should I do per week?

Two dedicated exercises across your week is usually enough for most lifters, split between a pulling day and a shoulder day. If your rear delts are a genuine weak point, you can push that to 3, mixing a heavier option like the rear delt row with a couple of lighter isolation movements like the cable fly or band pull-apart.

Key Takeaways

If you want the closest one-to-one swap, go with the reverse pec deck when your gym has one, or the cable rear delt fly when it doesn’t. If shoulder health matters as much as rear delt size, build your program around the face pull instead. Training at home with just a band, the band pull-apart will still build real rear delt strength over time. And if one side is noticeably weaker than the other, the single-arm cable reverse fly is the one exercise on this list built specifically to fix that. Pick based on what equipment you’ve got and what your shoulders can tolerate, and progress the same way you would with a reverse fly: more weight, more reps, or a slower tempo over time.

Other Alternative Exercises

If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.

About Kyle Risley

Kyle Risley founded Lift Vault in 2016 to make finding great powerlifting programs easier. Since then, the site has grown to include hundreds of programs for strength, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and more. He currently lives in Massachusetts and continues to compete in powerlifting.