Alternatives · Rear Delts
7 Rear Delt Fly Alternatives for Machines, Cables, Bands or Nothing
The dumbbell version looks simple, but holding the hinge while the weights try to swing is harder than it looks. These seven swaps load the same rear delts from a pad, a cable, a band, or the floor.
The short answer
The Reverse Pec Deck is the best Rear Delt Fly alternative in a gym, because the chest pad removes the hinge and leaves the rear delts to decide when the set ends. The Cable Rear Delt Fly suits anyone who wants tension across the whole arc. At home, the Banded Rear Delt Fly copies the movement without dumbbells, and the Prone T Raise needs no equipment at all.
The best Rear Delt Fly alternative for your situation
| No equipment | Prone T Raise |
|---|---|
| With a resistance band | Banded Rear Delt Fly |
| With dumbbells | Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise |
| On a cable stack | Cable Rear Delt Fly or Face Pull |
| On a machine | Reverse Pec Deck |
| For heavier loading | Chest Supported Row |
What a Rear Delt Fly alternative has to replace
The Rear Delt Fly is horizontal abduction: with your torso hinged over, your arms sweep out and back until they are level with your back. The rear delts drive it and the infraspinatus assists, while the elbows stay softly bent so each arm works as one long lever. Dumbbells load it through gravity, so resistance is lightest at the bottom and heaviest near the top, and the weight has to stay small or the rep turns into a swing.
What ends most sets is not the rear delts but the hinge. Holding a bent-over position while lifting takes lower-back endurance and discipline. A good substitute keeps the arms-out sweep at shoulder level and the light, controlled loading. It can trade away the hinge, the dumbbells, or the gravity-based resistance curve, and several of these options do exactly that.
7 Rear Delt Fly alternatives, best first
1. Reverse Pec Deck
Most dumbbell sets end when the hinge gives out, not when the rear delts do. The Reverse Pec Deck solves that by putting your chest against a pad, so the same wide sweep happens seated and upright. The cam keeps resistance steadier than gravity does, and the rhomboids pick up a bigger share. It suits gym lifters who want to take rear delt sets close to failure without swinging.
Swapping it in: Take 3 sets of 12 to 15 and hold the arms level with your shoulders for a beat. Set the handles so your arms start slightly in front of your chest, not behind it.
2. Cable Rear Delt Fly
The cable version keeps the arc but moves where it is hardest. Standing upright with the cables crossed, you get tension from the first inch instead of only near the top, where dumbbells finally start to feel heavy. No hinge is needed at all. It suits gym lifters who find the bottom half of each dumbbell rep does almost nothing and want every inch to count.
Swapping it in: Set both pulleys at shoulder height and do 3 sets of 12 to 15. Grab the bare cable ends or use single handles, and pause one second with the arms wide.
3. Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
If you want to stay with dumbbells, the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise is the stricter cousin. Lowering the chest until it is nearly level with the floor makes gravity pull straight against the arc, and turning the hands so the little finger leads adds outward rotation. It needs nothing beyond the dumbbells you already own, so it suits home lifters who want a change without buying equipment.
Swapping it in: Go one dumbbell size lighter than your fly weight and do 3 sets of 12. Or lie chest-down on an incline bench to take the hinge out entirely.
4. Banded Rear Delt Fly
No dumbbells at all? The Banded Rear Delt Fly keeps the hinge and the wide sweep but swaps iron for a band under your feet or between your hands. A band gets harder as it stretches, so the top of the rep, where your arms reach back level, becomes the toughest point. It suits home training and a travel bag, where a set of dumbbells is not an option.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 15 to 20 with a light band and pause two seconds at the top. Shorten your grip on the band to make each rep harder.
5. Prone T Raise
The Prone T Raise is the fly with both the dumbbells and the hinge removed. Lying face down, you lift straight arms out to the sides into a T, so the rhomboids and lower traps join the rear delts. The load is only the weight of your arms, which is light, but it needs nothing but floor space and suits beginners or a high-rep finisher.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 15 with thumbs pointing up and a two-second hold. Hold a light water bottle in each hand once the bodyweight version gets easy.
6. Face Pull
The Face Pull is not a fly, but it covers the same rear delts with more help. Pulling a rope toward your eyes with the elbows high brings in the lower traps and turns the arms out at the end, so the infraspinatus works harder than it does on the fly. It suits gym lifters who want one cable movement to cover rear delts and upper back together.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 with the pulley at eye level. Keep one dedicated rear delt isolation exercise in the week, since the Face Pull shares the work around.
7. Chest Supported Row
For heavier rear delt loading, the Chest Supported Row pulled with the elbows flared wide handles far more weight than any fly. The pad takes the hinge out, much as the machine fly does, but the elbows bend and the rhomboids and lower traps take a large share. It suits intermediate lifters who want one heavy upper-back movement that still reaches the rear delts.
Swapping it in: Flare the elbows to about 70 degrees from your sides and pull toward the upper chest for 3 sets of 10. Keep a light fly elsewhere in the week for isolation.
Illustrations adapted from Everkinetic via workout-guide, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.
Side by side
| Exercise | Equipment | Where | Level | Muscles shared with the Rear Delt Fly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rear Delt Fly (original) | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Reverse Pec Deck | Machine | Gym | Beginner | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
| Cable Rear Delt Fly | Cable | Gym | Intermediate | 2 of 2: Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Banded Rear Delt Fly | Resistance Band | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rear Delts, Infraspinatus |
| Prone T Raise | Bodyweight | Home or gym | Beginner | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
| Face Pull | Cable | Gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Infraspinatus, Rear Delts |
| Chest Supported Row | Machine | Gym | Beginner | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
How to choose
Pick based on what ends your sets now. If holding the hinge is the problem, anything with a pad solves it: the Reverse Pec Deck in a gym, or an incline bench with the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise at home. If the bottom of the rep feels empty, the Cable Rear Delt Fly fixes the resistance curve.
- Gym: Reverse Pec Deck or Cable Rear Delt Fly; Face Pull for a broader upper-back move.
- Dumbbells only: Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise.
- Home with a band: Banded Rear Delt Fly.
- Nothing at all: Prone T Raise.
- Heavier work: Chest Supported Row with flared elbows.
BackMaxx rates the Rear Delts zone on its own, so a weekly re-scan shows whether the swap is pulling its weight.
Full Rear Delt Fly guide: form, muscles worked and mistakes →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best rear delt fly alternative with dumbbells?
The Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise is the best dumbbell alternative: the same light pair, a deeper hinge and the little finger leading. If holding the hinge is what limits you, lie chest-down on an incline bench and do the same raise from there. That setup is the closest free-weight version of the Reverse Pec Deck and lets you push every set harder.
What can I do instead of rear delt flys at home?
Use the Banded Rear Delt Fly if you own a band, since it copies the movement almost exactly. With no equipment, the Prone T Raise trains the same muscles lying face down on the floor, with only the weight of your arms as resistance. Both suit high reps, 15 to 20 per set, because the load is light.
What machine can replace the rear delt fly?
The Reverse Pec Deck is the machine replacement. You sit facing the pad, which supports your chest, and open your arms backward to shoulder level. It removes the hinge completely, so only the rear delts and rhomboids limit the set. If the machine is busy, a cable stack at shoulder height gives you the Cable Rear Delt Fly.
What is a good cable alternative to the rear delt fly?
The Cable Rear Delt Fly is the direct cable alternative. Set both pulleys to shoulder height, hold the opposite cable in each hand, and sweep your arms apart while standing upright. Unlike dumbbells, the cable loads the start of the rep, not just the top. The Face Pull is the other cable choice if you want the lower traps working alongside the rear delts.
Which of these does your back actually need?
BackMaxx scores your rear delts and the five other back zones from one photo, then builds each session around whichever one is furthest behind.
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