The Dumbbell Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt Fly
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, then hinge at the hips until the torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
Let the arms hang straight down beneath the shoulders, palms facing each other, with a slight bend in the elbows.
Brace the core, set a flat back, and lock the slight elbow bend in place for the rest of 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
Builds the rear delts for balanced shoulder development.
Strengthens the muscles between the shoulder blades for better posture.
Counters the forward-shoulder pull from heavy pressing volume.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Standing too upright, which turns the lift into a half lateral raise and misses the rear delts.
Pulling the dumbbells back like a row, swapping rear-delt isolation for mid-back rowing work.
Shrugging the shoulders at the top, which trades rear-delt work for trap engagement.
Rounding the lower back at the hinge, which loads the spine instead of the working muscles.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
