Cable Reverse Fly

Muscles worked

Shoulders

Primary muscle

Rear delt

Equipment

Cable

Movement pattern

Pull

Difficulty

Intermediate

What it is for

Hypertrophy

Also known as

Cable rear delt flyReverse cable crossover

Watch the full tutorial

• Bending and straightening the elbows through the rep. That turns the fly into an extension and leaves the rear delt half loaded. Hold a slight, fixed elbow bend from start to finish.
• Squeezing the shoulder blades together at the end of each rep. That squeeze comes from the rhomboids and traps, not the rear delt. Let the arm open from the shoulder and keep the blades relatively still.
• Using the torso to start the movement. With the cables crossed it is easy to sway and steal the first few degrees. If you need to move to begin the rep, the load is too heavy for this exercise.

Which muscles does the cable reverse fly work?

The rear deltoid is the main muscle: it pulls the arm back in the horizontal plane. The infraspinatus and teres minor assist, rotating the shoulder outward as the arms open, along with the middle traps and rhomboids, which hold the shoulder blade in the final part. Standing with the cables pulling forward, the abs and spinal erectors work so the torso does not follow the load.

Cable, dumbbell or machine reverse fly: which one should you choose?

The crossed cable loads the rear deltoid at the start too, with the arms crossed in front, where dumbbells offer almost no resistance; and it is done standing, without tiring the lower back in a hip hinge. Choose it when you want to work the stretched position or when you arrive already fatigued from rows. Dumbbells work without cables or for quick supersets. The reverse fly machine, with the chest supported, is the most comfortable for loading heavy.

How many sets and reps of the cable reverse fly should you do?

A common starting point is 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps, leaving 1 to 3 reps in reserve, with a one-second pause with the arms open. The rear deltoid is small and usually undertrained, so it responds to light loads and clean sets. It can go at the end of a shoulder day, on back day after the rows, or even as the first exercise to switch it on before pressing.

How high should the pulleys be and how do you hold the cables in the reverse fly?

Set the pulleys at shoulder height or slightly above, so the cables reach the hands almost horizontally. Cross the cables: the right hand takes the left one and vice versa, either without handles, holding the cable stopper, or with small handles, palms facing down. Step back so there is tension with the arms crossed in front, fix a slight elbow bend and open until the arms line up with the shoulders, no further back.