Comparison · Traps
Face Pull vs Rear Delt Fly: Which Is Better for Your Rear Delts?
Both sit in the rear delt slot of most programs and both run 12 to 15 reps. The difference is how much else comes along: the face pull brings the lower traps and rotators, the fly keeps the work on the delts.
The verdict
The Face Pull and the Rear Delt Fly both train the rear delts, but the Face Pull is a bent-arm cable pull that also works the lower traps and infraspinatus, while the Rear Delt Fly is a fixed-elbow dumbbell arc that isolates the rear delts. Pick the Face Pull for broader upper-back coverage in a gym; pick the Rear Delt Fly for direct rear delt work at home.
Illustrations adapted from Everkinetic via workout-guide, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.
At a glance
| Aspect | Face Pull | Rear Delt Fly |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Cable | Dumbbell |
| Where | Gym | Home or gym |
| Level | Beginner | Beginner |
| Back zone it leads | Traps | Rear Delts |
| Muscles | Infraspinatus, Rear Delts, Lower Traps | Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Typical work | 3 × 12–15 | 3 × 12–15 |
| Arm path | Elbows bend; hands finish beside the ears | Elbows stay softly fixed; arms sweep out wide |
| Resistance curve | Cable tension steady from the first inch | Near zero at the bottom, heaviest at the top |
| Torso position | Standing tall, no hinge to hold | Hinged forward, or seated or chest-down on a bench |
| Shoulder blades | Drawn back and down at the finish | Mostly still; the upper arm does the moving |
| What ends the set | Lower traps letting the shoulders climb | Holding the hinge, or the delts themselves |
| Loading | Small stack increments, moderate weight | Light dumbbells; each jump is big for the muscle |
| What it adds to a program | Rear delts plus lower traps and rotators | Focused rear delt volume wherever you have dumbbells |
What the Face Pull and Rear Delt Fly have in common
Both movements take the upper arm backward at roughly shoulder height, which is the posterior deltoid’s main job, and both credit the rear delts and infraspinatus as working muscles. Neither is a heavy lift: they live at three sets of 12 to 15, late in a session, and both reward a slow return more than an extra plate. Both are beginner movements with a short learning curve, and in each the usual way to cheat is the same, letting momentum or a lean backward take over from the small muscles at the back of the shoulder. Treat them as volume for a muscle that recovers quickly, not as strength work.
The differences that matter
Arm path and elbow bend. A Face Pull is a pull. The elbows bend as the rope travels toward your eyes, and the hands separate until each finishes beside an ear, elbows at shoulder height. The Rear Delt Fly keeps a soft, fixed bend in the elbow and sweeps the arms out in a wide arc. Because the fly’s lever stays long, a light dumbbell feels heavy, and the rear delts carry nearly all of it.
What else joins in. The Face Pull ends with the shoulder blades drawn back and down and the forearms rotated up, so the lower traps and infraspinatus do real work beside the rear delts. The library files it under the Traps zone for exactly that reason, with Rear Delts and Upper Back as secondary zones. The fly asks for very little shoulder blade movement; the rear delts lead and the infraspinatus helps at the wide end.
Where each rep is hardest. A cable pulls with the same force at every point, so the opening inches of a Face Pull are already loaded. A dumbbell only resists gravity, which means almost nothing happens while the arms hang and the top of the rep is the hardest point. The cable is forgiving to learn; the dumbbell exposes any swing at the top.
Setup and what runs out first. The Face Pull needs a cable station and a rope, and you stand upright, so the set ends when the lower traps give up and the shoulders start to rise. Done standing, the Rear Delt Fly makes you hold a hinge, and the hamstrings and lower back can tire before the delts do. Seated or chest-supported versions remove that limit and still need nothing but dumbbells.
When to pick the Face Pull
Choose the Face Pull when you train in a gym with a cable stack and want one movement that covers more than the rear delts. It suits anyone whose upper back looks flat between the shoulder blades, because the finish position trains the lower traps and the outward rotation that rows skip. It is also the easier one to load gradually: the stack moves in small steps, and you can add a one-second hold at the ears before adding weight. Beginners pick it up quickly, since standing upright takes the hinge out of the equation.
When to pick the Rear Delt Fly
Choose the Rear Delt Fly when you train at home, when the cable is taken, or when the rear delts specifically are the part of your back that lags. A pair of light dumbbells gives you the most direct rear delt stimulus available, hardest right at the top where the muscle is shortest. If holding the hinge gives out before your delts do, sit on the end of a bench or lie chest-down on an incline bench. The arc and the muscles stay the same, and the set then ends when the delts are finished.
Can you do both?
They combine well because they load the rear delts at different points in the range. On a pulling day, put the Face Pull first among the small movements, 3 sets of 12 to 15 with a one-second hold at the finish, then close with the Rear Delt Fly for 2 or 3 sets of 15, chest-supported if rows have already tired your lower back. Or split them across the week: face pulls on the pulling day, flys as filler between sets on a pressing day. BackMaxx shows whether Rear Delts or Traps is the zone behind, which tells you which one deserves the extra set.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for rear delts, face pulls or rear delt flys?
The Rear Delt Fly is the more direct rear delt exercise, because the arms stay long and almost nothing else helps. The Face Pull still trains the rear delts well, but it shares the work with the lower traps and infraspinatus. If rear delt size is the only goal, lead with the fly; if you want the whole area behind the shoulders to fill out, the Face Pull covers more ground.
Is a reverse fly the same as a rear delt fly?
Yes, in most gyms the two names describe the same movement: arms sweeping out wide from in front of the body with a soft, fixed elbow. Reverse fly is sometimes used for the machine version, which the library lists separately as the Reverse Pec Deck. Dumbbell, cable and machine versions all train the rear delts; they differ in where the resistance peaks and whether you have to hold a hinge.
Can face pulls replace rear delt flys?
For most people, yes, at least for a training block. Three sets of Face Pulls cover the rear delts along with the lower traps and outward rotation, so dropping the fly costs little. The case for keeping both is a lagging rear delt: the fly adds direct volume with the arms long, and it takes very little recovery.
Should face pulls be heavy or light?
Moderate at most. Pick a stack weight you can pull to the ears for 12 to 15 reps with the elbows level with the shoulders and a one-second hold at the finish. When the weight is too heavy, the shoulders shrug up, the elbows drop and the rep turns into a row toward the chin, which moves the work away from the rear delts and lower traps.
Let your back decide
BackMaxx scores six back zones and eight muscles from one photo. If your traps is what is behind, it builds the week around it — and picks between movements like these for you.
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