How to Use the Rear Delt Fly Machine

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How to use this apparatus specifically for the rear delt fly will be covered in this article.

The rear delt fly machine/pec fly machine is commonly known as a “pec deck.” A seated lever fly is another name for it. But the pec deck can be used for more than just pec exercises. Any pec dec can be modified to become a rear delt fly machine. The seated lever fly machine will typically have the instructions on it.

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Benefits of the Rear Delt Flyes

The rear delt fly is a powerful and adaptable upper back exercise that can be performed with dumbbells or a pec fly/delt fly machine. The upper back muscles are specifically targeted by the rear delt fly with a fly machine.

In addition to the rear deltoid, the traps, lats, and rhomboids are also successfully targeted by the rear delt fly.

Dumbbells are typically used for this exercise, which is typically performed with an arched back and hip hinges. You have an advantage when using the fly machine because it allows you to intensify the isolation component of your delt flyes.

If you feel confident performing a delt fly with proper form or if you prefer to train with light weights and high repetitions, using free weights is a great option.

The fly machine is going to be a hack that enables you to lift heavier while maintaining a sizable range of motion if you want to increase the load without sacrificing your form.

When using cables and free weights, range of motion is crucial for the delt fly. You have some flexibility using the fly machine in this regard, and you may even be able to benefit from partial range of motion exercises.

Muscles Worked by the Rear Delt Fly Machine

Primary Muscle Groups:

The rear delt fly machine targets your rear delts primarily, as you might have guessed.

The anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids are the three main fibers that make up the deltoid. This exercise puts the most strain on your posterior deltoids.

Secondary Muscle Groups:

The rear delt fly machine also works the rhomboids, traps, and other auxiliary muscles in your upper back.

Beginners may find the rear delt fly machine intimidating, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It may or may not be pre-set for a rear delt fly when you approach a pec fly machine at a gym. You can change it if it’s not, so don’t worry.

Make sure that the rear delt fly machine is specifically set to 0 to adjust for the delt fly. Your delt setting is as shown. It is ideal to place the handles directly behind the seat. It’s time to perform the rear delt fly now that the machine is set from pec fly to rear delt fly.

Here’s how you perform the rear delt fly on a machine:

Sit down on the seat with your stomach and chest touching the back of the seat after setting the seat to 0 and making sure the handles are behind the seat. You should appear to be leaning backward on the chair.
Make sure your seat is adjusted so that your feet are flat on the ground. Your hands should be at roughly shoulder height while you are seated straight and with good posture. If not, adjust the seat so that they are.
Go to the machine and select a weight. Work your way up from the bottom. 50-150 lbs is common.
Leaning against the seat while maintaining an upright posture, grasp the top portion of the handles with a pronated grip (knuckles up).
Utilizing and tightening your back muscles, spread the levers as far apart as you can.
Reposition the levers gradually to their initial position.
Depending on the load and training style, repeat 8–20 times.

Primarily the shoulders, and more specifically the posterior deltoids, should feel this exercise.

Your traps, lats, and rhomboids should also feel it. Remember that excessive fly machine use may result in an imbalance between the upper and lower traps.

The fact that a rear delt fly with dumbbells effectively engages the lower traps when you hinge at the hips is a big part of its advantage. It is best to avoid thinking of the fly machine as a complete replacement unless it is absolutely necessary for your situation because there aren’t many isolation exercises for the lower traps.

An upper body workout hack is a pec fly machine. When using the fly machine instead of dumbbells, you’ll probably be able to lift more weight. If the pec fly machine’s range of motion is restricted, you might want to think about lightening the load.

If you insist on using a particular weight but are still experiencing range of motion problems, try performing partial reps.

9. How to Use the Rear Delt Fly Machine2

To do a partial rep on the delt fly machine:

Do the first rep with a complete range of motion, but pause at the “top,” or apex of the lift.
Slowly lower the levers, only lowering them halfway.
It will be challenging to stop and begin a new rep at the halfway point, but if you can manage it, it’s a great way to increase the resistance and still complete a significant number of repetitions.

Alternatives for the Rear Delt Fly Machine

Not all upper back exercises are as effective as the rear delt fly on the fly machine. If accessibility to a fly machine is an issue with your gym,we’ve got you covered!

There are many other exercises you can do to target the back and shoulders if you’re at home or just can’t seem to locate a fly machine that isn’t in use when you need it.

Dumbbell Bent over Raise

The rear delt fly with the fly machine is an alternative to the conventional dumbbell fly, as was mentioned earlier in the article. You don’t have to stop performing this traditional shoulder exercise just because you mastered the rear delt fly machine.

The rear delt fly is an excellent exercise for beginners and advanced bodybuilders alike and can be performed as a dumbbell bent-over raise.

How to perform a bent-over raise with dumbbells:

Obtain two small dumbbells. 10-30 lbs is common. This exercise requires a full range of motion, so make sure the weights are light enough for you to perform at least 10 solid reps.
With the two dumbbells in your hands, squat down into the starting position and hunch your hips. Knees should be slightly bent.
Extend your arms out while holding the weights, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
Put the dumbbell at shoulder height with both sides parallel to the floor and your arms rotated so that your knuckles are pointing up. You are now standing up. This is the lift’s top station.
Once more, slowly lower the weights to your waist.
Bring your arms upward and downward, as if you were a large bird flapping its wings. You should move from the top of your shoulders to the side of your hips during each repetition.

Cable option:

If you have access to a cable machine, then the rear delt fly can be an insanely effective time under tension exercise to help you get bigger, fast.

To use a cable for the bent-over cable rear delt fly:

The exercise will feel about three times as heavy as it would with dumbbells, so set the weights low. 5-25 lbs is common.
Hook up the cables’ attachments. Take into consideration removing the handles. Handles will disrupt your form and put unnecessary strain on your wrists. When using a cable machine that isn’t equipped with handles or attachments, be aware of the risk and watch out for your fingers when climbing back down.
Once the cables are in place, grab the left cable with your right arm and the right cable with your left arm while in the starting position. A cable crossover exercise would be similar to this.
Hinging at the hips and slouched. Keep your shoulders rolled back and your spine straight. Avoid hunching over at the top of your back.
Raising the cables to shoulder height while flapping your arms like a bird’s wings requires you to have your elbows slightly bent. Don’t lower your arms all the way to your sides; instead, bring them back down to your waist. Maintain cable tension throughout the exercise. The elbows should not be pulled behind your back.
Depending on the load’s weight and the stage of your training, repeat for 10–20 times. Take the weight down if you are unable to perform at least 10 reps with proper form or without bending your elbows behind your back.

Rear Delt Fly Machine Mistakes

1. Gripping the Handles Too Tightly

Many weightlifters are instructed to exercise while maintaining a firm grip at all times. Even though this is frequently the case, it occasionally has the opposite effect.

Some people who grip the handles of the rear delt fly machine tightly rely on their traps to bring the handles back.

Instead, take a very light grip on the handles and make an effort to only use your rear delts to complete the exercise motion.

2. Shrugging Upwards

A further error with the rear delt fly machine is to shrug your shoulders upward. People attempt to load on more weight than they can handle, which is when this mistake most frequently occurs.

They’re then compelled to shrug and bring the handles back with the help of their traps. While working out your traps is certainly beneficial, this exercise targets your rear delts.

Lower the weight and concentrate on maintaining your shoulders down and back throughout the exercise motion to get the most out of your rear delts.

3. Rushing the Motion

Finally, there are way too many people who rush through the rear delt fly machine. The rear delt fly machine should be performed slowly and deliberately, even though an explosive movement may be advantageous for some exercises.

Rushing through the motion will only minimize your gains and lessen the tension on your rear deltoids!

Lateral Raises Vs. Rear Delt Raises

There are many similarities between lateral raises and rear delt flies, including the muscle groups they work. The rear delt fly will resemble a lateral raise in appearance. The lateral raise is a fantastic deltoid isolation exercise that also has some upper back advantages. The rear delt fly is the same.

The main distinction between a lateral raise and a vertical raise is a rear delt fly, is that, in the rear delt fly, your arms are going behind your back.

They simply rise and fall to shoulder height during a lateral raise. The rear delt fly requires you to bend your back and hinge at the hips, which is a crucial difference in form between the two.

If you’ve ever wondered why occasionally you might see people hunching at the hips while performing a lateral raise at the gym, this is probably the explanation. The back is even more effectively targeted when you pull the weights behind you. Although both exercises are typically regarded as isolation exercises, the lateral raise is more of a deltoid isolation exercise than the rear delt raise is.

The anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids are the main muscle groups for each. Just more synergist muscles from the back are used in the rear delt fly.

It is possible to convert any pec fly machine into a rear delt fly machine. With the lats, traps, and rhomboids acting as muscle synergists, this reverse fly exercise isolates the posterior deltoids, or back deltoids.

Increasing the resistance without sacrificing your form is the main advantage of using the fly machine.

Although these exercises are typically limited to, and are performed best with lighter weights, cables and free weights are also excellent deltoid training methods.

If you have trouble with form during your shoulder exercises, there are several shoulder stability exercises that can be done to help. The fly machine is a useful tool to isolate the deltoids and simultaneously target the muscle in the upper back, though it shouldn’t be relied upon solely to engage the shoulders and back.

FAQs

How to Master the Rear Delt Fly

The rear delt fly, also known as the rear delt raise or the bent-over dumbbell reverse fly, is a weight training exercise that targets your upper back muscles and shoulder muscles, particularly the posterior deltoids, or rear deltoids, on the backside of your shoulders.

Rear Delt Machine Alternative

Standing Rope Face Pull Place the pulley at eye level and grasp the rope’s end with your thumbs pointing downward. …
Dumbell Rear Delt Fly. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. …
Bent-Over Face Pull.