What muscles does the rear delt fly work?

Chest fibers under stretch with the triceps taken out of the equation, so the pecs get the work directly. It is classed as a chest fly movement and trains the shoulders primarily.

How many sets and reps of rear delt fly should I do?

3 sets of 10 to 15, resting 60 to 90 sec between sets. Finisher after pressing, when the chest is already warm.

Is the rear delt fly good for beginners?

With coaching or a lighter load, yes. Learn the position at low weight for a few weeks before adding anything meaningful.

Shoulders · Chest fly

Rear Delt Fly

The rear delt fly is a dumbbell chest fly movement for the shoulders. Here is the setup, the execution, the mistakes worth avoiding, and how to program it.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Trains

Shoulders

Level

Intermediate

BENT-OVER POSTUREREAR DELTS SQUEEZE

Muscles worked

Chest fibers under stretch with the triceps taken out of the equation, so the pecs get the work directly.

Set up

1
Set the shoulder blades back and down and keep a fixed, slight elbow bend.
2
Find the line where the chest feels the stretch without the shoulder rolling forward.
3
Feet planted, ribs down, no arching to move more weight.

How to do it

1
Open the arms in a wide arc until the chest is fully stretched.
2
Reverse the arc by squeezing the chest, arms sweeping together.
3
Pause and squeeze at the point of peak contraction.
4
Keep the elbow angle fixed the entire time.

Common mistakes

Bending the elbows to press
Fix: Fix the elbow angle. A fly that turns into a press is just a bad press.
Overstretching the shoulder
Fix: Stop at a stretch you control, not the deepest point available.
No pause at the squeeze
Fix: Hold the contracted position for a beat every rep.