Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly Overview
The bent over cable rear delt fly is a pull move for your shoulders. You use a cable machine with two handles. It works your rear delts the most. The rear delts are the back part of your shoulders. It also works your middle back. You bend forward and pull the cables out to your sides. The cable keeps steady tension the whole rep. This move is good for lifters with some practice. The rear delts are often weak and overlooked. Training them helps your posture and your shoulder health. It also builds fuller, rounder shoulders. It fits well on pull days or shoulder days. You can do it after your bigger lifts. It is a great way to add balance to your upper body.
What Is The Point of the Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly?
The bent over cable rear delt fly builds your rear deltoids and improves shoulder stability. This exercise fixes rounded shoulders and creates better posture.
How To Do The Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly
- Set both cable pulleys to about shoulder height and attach a handle to each, or use no attachment and grab the cable ends. Stand in the middle and grab the handles so your arms cross in front of you.
- Grab the left handle with your right hand and the right handle with your left hand so the cables cross. Step back to create tension and set your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge forward at your hips to about a 45 degree torso angle. Keep your back flat and your core braced so your spine stays neutral in the hinged position.
- Let your arms hang down and slightly crossed with a soft, fixed bend in your elbows. You should feel tension pulling across your rear shoulders in this start position.
- Pull the cables out to your sides in a wide arc, leading with your elbows and pinky sides of your hands. Think about spreading your arms apart rather than pulling with your biceps.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement as your arms reach out wide. This is where the rear delts and mid-back do their hardest work.
- Hold the peak contraction for a beat, keeping the tension in your rear delts and not your traps. Do not shrug your shoulders up toward your ears.
- Slowly return your arms to the crossed start position over 2 to 3 seconds, resisting the cables the whole way. Feel the rear delts control the movement back.
- Repeat for your target reps, keeping your torso still and your elbow angle fixed. Most lifters do best here in the 12 to 20 rep range for 3 to 4 sets.
Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly Form Tips
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows the whole set.
- Lead the pull with your elbows, not your hands.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Keep your back flat as you hinge forward.
- Move in a wide arc out to your sides.
- Keep your neck in line with your back.
- Return the handles slowly and with control.
- Keep your core tight for a steady base.
- Breathe out as you pull. Breathe in as you return.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly
- Using too much weight and turning it into a row. Overloading forces you to bend your arms and yank the cables back with your lats and biceps. Keep the weight light, hold a fixed elbow bend, and move only at the shoulder in a wide arc.
- Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears. Shrugging shifts the work to your traps and away from the rear delts you are targeting. Keep your shoulders pulled down and think about spreading your arms wide, not up.
- Standing too upright. A tall torso changes the angle so the rear delts stop being the prime mover. Hinge forward to around 45 degrees so the cables load the back of your shoulders.
- Bending and straightening your elbows. Flexing at the elbow turns the fly into a triceps or row movement and takes the rear delts out of it. Keep a soft, fixed elbow bend throughout.
- Swinging your torso to move the weight. Using body English to heave the cables robs the target muscle and stresses your lower back. Keep your torso locked in the hinge and let the rear delts do the work.
- Skipping the shoulder blade squeeze. Not retracting at the end leaves the mid-back and rear delts under-worked. Pinch your shoulder blades together and hold briefly at the peak.
- Rushing the eccentric. Letting the cables snap your arms back fast wastes the lowering phase and can jerk the shoulder. Control the return over 2 to 3 seconds.
- Rounding your lower back in the hinge. A rounded spine under load, even light load, is a bad habit and a back risk. Keep your back flat and your core braced the whole set.
- Pulling your arms too far back past your body. Overpulling behind your torso can stress the shoulder without adding rear delt work. Bring your arms out wide to about in line with your body and stop.
- Losing constant tension by letting the stacks rest. Cables give you tension the whole way, so pausing fully at the start wastes that benefit. Keep steady tension from start to finish.
- Holding your breath. Losing your brace in the hinge lets your form collapse. Breathe steadily and keep your trunk tight so your spine stays protected.
Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly Workout Tips
- Keep the weight light and the reps high. The rear delts are small muscles that respond best to controlled, higher-rep work, so leave your ego at the door on this one.
- Hold a soft, fixed bend in your elbows the whole set. This keeps the movement a true fly rather than a row, so the rear delts do the work.
- Chase the mind-muscle connection with your rear shoulders. Focus on spreading your arms apart and squeezing your rear delts, which reliably recruits the muscle better than just moving the handles.
- Use the crossed-cable setup for constant tension. Crossing the cables loads the rear delts through the entire range, including the stretched start position.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the peak. That retraction is where the rear delts and mid-back work hardest, so pause and feel it.
- Control the eccentric over 2 to 3 seconds. Resisting the cables back keeps tension on the rear delts and adds to the training effect.
- Keep your shoulders down, not shrugged. This keeps the traps from taking over and directs the load into the rear delts.
- Program this on shoulder or pull day to balance your physique. Strong rear delts improve your posture and round out shoulders that pressing alone leaves underdeveloped.
- For growth, aim for 3 to 4 sets in the 12 to 20 rep range. Higher reps and constant cable tension are a great match for this muscle.
- Progress with small weight jumps or more reps once your form is clean. Progressive overload works on rear delts too, just in a higher rep range.
- Keep your torso still in the hinge. If you are swinging to move the weight, it is too heavy, so drop the load and let the rear delts work.
- Try a one second pause at the peak for a few sets. Pausing kills momentum and maximizes the rear delt contraction.
- Film your set from the side to check your torso angle and elbow bend. A quick video shows whether you are flying cleanly or sneaking in a row.
- Do not chase failure with heavy weight here. The rear delts respond better to quality controlled reps than to grinding heavy loads.
- Use cables over dumbbells when you want constant tension. Cables keep the rear delts loaded even at the start, which free weights do not.
- Be consistent. Well-developed rear delts take patient, regular high-rep work, but they transform how your shoulders and posture look over time.
Questions & Comments
Be the first to ask a question about this exercise.