The Dumbbell Laying Reverse Fly is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the shoulders. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesShoulders
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Laying Reverse Fly
Set a bench to about a 45 degree incline and lie face-down on it with a dumbbell in each hand.
Let the arms hang straight toward the floor, palms facing each other, with a slight bend in the elbows.
Brace the core, plant the toes on the floor, and lock the slight elbow bend for the set.
Open the arms out to the sides in a wide arc, leading with the elbows toward the ceiling.
Squeeze the rear delts and the middle of the back together at the top of the lift, pausing briefly.
Lower the dumbbells under control over 2 to 3 seconds back to the hanging start position.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Isolates and builds the rear delts for balanced shoulder development.
Removes lower-back strain through the chest-supported position.
Improves posture by strengthening the upper-back muscles that pull shoulders open.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Bending and straightening the elbows mid-rep, which sneaks the triceps and traps into the lift.
Pulling the dumbbells back like a row, swapping rear-delt isolation for mid-back rowing work.
Shrugging the shoulders up at the top, which trades rear-delt work for trap engagement.
Loading too heavy, which forces swinging form and removes the strict isolation the bench enforces.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Laying Reverse Fly, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
