Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Setup

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, hinge forward through the hips with a flat back, knees slightly bent, dumbbells hanging below the chest.

Execution

1. 1Maintain the hinge position throughout
2. 2Raise the dumbbells out to the sides, elbows with a slight fixed bend (10-30 degrees)
3. 3Keep elbows above wrist height, leading with the pinky side
4. 4Raise until elbows reach shoulder height, then lower with control

Key cues

• Fixed slight elbow bend, 10-30 degrees throughout
• Elbows lead, pinkies up
• Elbows reach shoulder height, not higher
• Controlled tempo, no swinging

Common faults

• Swinging the weight using momentum
• Standing too upright, reducing the rear-delt angle
• Bending the elbows too much, turning it into a row
• Using too heavy a weight and sacrificing form

Tweaks

• Chest-supported version for stricter isolation
• Seated bent-over version for more stability
• Slow eccentric-focused tempo

Muscles

Notes

One of the most common bodybuilding accessory movements for shoulder balance; frequently under-trained relative to front and side delts.

Sources

• Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise - ExRx.net
• The BEST Rear Delt Exercise - Athlean-X

Attribution: ExRx.net / General Bodybuilding Canon