How to Do the Rear Delt Fly: Form, Starting Weight, Sets
The Rear Delt Fly is a dumbbell exercise that mainly works your rear delts. Beginners start with 2 sets of 12–15 reps and add 1 kg once every set hits the target.
Form in 3 steps
- Hold a pair of dumbbells, bend your knees slightly, and hinge forward with a flat back.
- Keep a slight bend locked in your elbows. Breathe out and raise your arms out to the sides up to shoulder height.
- Pause briefly at the top, then breathe in and slowly lower back to the start.
Common mistakes
- Rounding your back: it strains your lower back. Keep your chest open and your back flat.
- Squeezing your shoulder blades too hard: your upper back takes over. Think about reaching your arms wide.
- Swinging the weights: your rear delts miss out. Go light and slow.
Starting weight for beginners
DailyFit sets your first weight from your body weight, sex and training experience. For beginners it looks like this:
| Example | Starting weight |
|---|---|
| 70 kg man, beginner | 4kg |
| 60 kg woman, beginner | 2kg |
If you can't hit the target reps with good form on the first set, go one step lighter. Machines can be labeled differently.
Sets, reps and rest by goal
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1 min 30 sec |
| Build muscle | 3 sets | 10–15 reps | 1 min 15 sec |
| Lose fat | 3 sets | 12–15 reps | 45 sec |
| General health | 2 sets | 12–15 reps | 1 min |
When should you add weight?
When every set reaches the top of the rep range, add 1 kg next time. If a set falls short, keep the weight. Fall short twice in a row and drop 10% to build back up. DailyFit does this math for you from your log.
When to pick another exercise
If your lower back bothers you, skip this one for now. Mark it as sore in DailyFit and the app swaps this exercise out of your routine.
Alternatives
Add the Rear Delt Fly to today's workout?
Tell DailyFit your goal, time, equipment and any sore spots, and it builds today's workout. Ducky counts your reps out loud and the rest timer runs itself.
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FAQ
How much weight should a beginner use on the Rear Delt Fly?
DailyFit starts beginners at about 5% of body weight (65% of that for women). That is about 4 kg for a 70 kg man and 2 kg for a 60 kg woman. If you can't hit the target reps with good form on the first set, go one step lighter.
Bending over bothers my lower back. What can I do instead?
Lie chest-down on an incline bench and do it from there to take the load off your back. If you pick lower back as a problem area in DailyFit, this exercise is left out of your routine. If you have pain, stop and see a professional.
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