Alternatives · Rear Delts
7 Reverse Pec Deck Alternatives for Rear Delts and Rhomboids
The machine is popular because the pad does the stabilizing and lets you train the rear delts hard. When it is taken or missing, these seven swaps get close with cables, dumbbells, a band or the floor.
The short answer
The Cable Rear Delt Fly is the best Reverse Pec Deck alternative when the machine is busy, since it keeps the same wide sweep with steady cable tension. With dumbbells, a Rear Delt Fly done chest-down on an incline bench is the closest copy of the pad. At home, the Band Pull-Apart trains the rear delts and rhomboids with nothing but a light band.
The best Reverse Pec Deck alternative for your situation
| No equipment | Prone T Raise |
|---|---|
| With a resistance band | Band Pull-Apart |
| With dumbbells | Rear Delt Fly or Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise |
| On a cable stack | Cable Rear Delt Fly or Face Pull |
| On a machine | Chest Supported Row |
What a Reverse Pec Deck alternative has to replace
The Reverse Pec Deck moves your arms backward in a wide arc while your chest rests on a pad. That arc is horizontal abduction, driven by the rear delts, and at the end of it your shoulder blades draw toward each other, which is where the rhomboids come in. Resistance comes from a weight stack through a cam, so it stays fairly even across the range and changes in small, repeatable steps.
The feature that matters most is support. Because your torso cannot rock or hinge, the rear delts and rhomboids are the only things left to tire, which makes it easy to train close to failure. A replacement should keep the arms-back sweep at shoulder height and, ideally, some way to stop the torso from helping. It can swap the weight stack for dumbbells, cables or a band, as long as the load stays light enough to keep the arc wide.
7 Reverse Pec Deck alternatives, best first
1. Cable Rear Delt Fly
The Cable Rear Delt Fly is the same sweep without the seat. Standing between two pulleys, you take your arms back through the shoulder-height arc, and the cables keep tension on from the start of the rep. Because nothing supports your chest, you have to hold yourself tall, which costs a little load. It suits anyone in a gym whose machine is taken or out of order.
Swapping it in: Set the pulleys at shoulder height and use a slightly lighter load than your machine weight for 3 sets of 12 to 15. Stagger your feet to keep the torso still.
2. Rear Delt Fly
The Rear Delt Fly is the dumbbell answer, and it gets closest to the machine when you do it chest-down on a bench set to about 30 degrees. The bench plays the role of the pad, so the torso stays out of the lift. Gravity makes the top of the arc the hardest point, and the infraspinatus takes over part of the rhomboids’ share. It suits home gyms with an adjustable bench.
Swapping it in: Lie face down on the incline and do 3 sets of 12 to 20 with light dumbbells. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top to bring the rhomboids back in.
3. Chest Supported Row
If the machine you wanted is occupied but the Chest Supported Row is free, you keep the same pad and the same rhomboid squeeze. The difference is bent elbows: it is a row, so the arms shorten and you can load it heavier, while the rear delts share work with the lats. Flaring the elbows high keeps it nearer the fly pattern. It suits a crowded gym floor.
Swapping it in: Flare the elbows out to shoulder level and pull the handles toward your upper chest for 3 sets of 10 to 12. Hold the squeeze one second.
4. Band Pull-Apart
The Band Pull-Apart is the home version most people reach for. Standing with a band held at shoulder height, you pull your hands apart until the band meets your chest, which copies the machine’s arc and its finishing squeeze. Bands resist least at the start and most at the finish, so the rhomboids end each rep under the most load. It suits home sessions and warm-ups.
Swapping it in: Run 3 sets of 20 with a light band, or spread 100 total reps through the day. Narrow your grip on the band for more tension on every rep.
5. Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
No bench? The Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise does the same sweep standing and hinged over, with your own torso replacing the support of the pad. That makes it harder to keep strict, because your lower back holds the hinge the whole set. It also leans toward the rear delts and infraspinatus rather than the rhomboids. It suits lifters with only a pair of dumbbells.
Swapping it in: Use a light pair for 3 sets of 12 to 15. If standing makes the hinge drift, sit on the end of a bench with your chest resting on your thighs.
6. Prone T Raise
Lie face down and the floor becomes your pad. The Prone T Raise lifts straight arms out to the sides, the same line the machine’s handles travel, and the squeeze at the top loads the rhomboids and rear delts together. The only resistance is arm weight, so it will not replace a heavy stack set, but it suits no-equipment days and beginners.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 15 to 20, thumbs up, holding the top for two seconds. Rest your forehead on a folded towel so your neck stays neutral.
7. Face Pull
The Face Pull trains the same rear delts on a cable with the elbows bent and high, and it adds the lower traps plus an outward turn of the arms at the finish. It is broader and less isolating, so the rear delts get less of the total work, but it covers more of the upper back in one exercise. It suits gyms where a cable stack is easier to get than the machine.
Swapping it in: Do 3 sets of 15 with the rope at eye height, separating your hands past your ears. Keep one isolation exercise, such as the Cable Rear Delt Fly, in the week too.
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 Reverse Pec Deck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse Pec Deck (original) | Machine | Gym | Beginner | Rear Delts, Rhomboids |
| Cable Rear Delt Fly | Cable | Gym | Intermediate | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
| Rear Delt Fly | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
| Chest Supported Row | Machine | Gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rhomboids, Rear Delts |
| Band Pull-Apart | Resistance Band | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rear Delts, Rhomboids |
| Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
| Prone T Raise | Bodyweight | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rhomboids, Rear Delts |
| Face Pull | Cable | Gym | Beginner | 1 of 2: Rear Delts |
How to choose
Start with what you wanted the machine to do. If it was pure rear delt isolation, the Cable Rear Delt Fly or an incline-bench Rear Delt Fly stays closest. If you liked the rhomboid squeeze, pick the Band Pull-Apart, Prone T Raise or Chest Supported Row.
- Gym, machine taken: Cable Rear Delt Fly.
- Dumbbells and a bench: Rear Delt Fly face down on the incline.
- Dumbbells, no bench: Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise.
- Home with a band: Band Pull-Apart.
- No equipment: Prone T Raise.
- Heavier upper-back work: Chest Supported Row with elbows flared.
Keep reps between 12 and 20 on every option except the row, which works best at 10 to 12.
Full Reverse Pec Deck guide: form, muscles worked and mistakes →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best reverse pec deck alternative with cables?
The Cable Rear Delt Fly is the best cable alternative. Set two pulleys at shoulder height, take the left cable in your right hand and the right in your left, and draw your arms back until your hands are level with your shoulders on either side. It copies the machine’s arc with steady tension, though you will use a little less weight because nothing supports your chest.
What can I do instead of the reverse pec deck at home?
The Band Pull-Apart is the easiest home option, needing only a light band. If you have dumbbells and an adjustable bench, do the Rear Delt Fly lying face down on a 30-degree incline, which mimics the machine’s pad. With nothing at all, the Prone T Raise works the rear delts and rhomboids from the floor.
Is the reverse pec deck the same as a reverse fly?
They train the same arc with different support. The Reverse Pec Deck is a machine where a pad holds your chest and a weight stack sets the load. A reverse fly, the Rear Delt Fly, uses dumbbells while you hinge or lie on a bench, so gravity sets the resistance and you control the torso yourself. The machine makes it easier to push close to failure.
What is a good reverse pec deck alternative with dumbbells?
The Rear Delt Fly done chest-down on an incline bench is the closest dumbbell swap, because the bench takes the place of the machine’s pad. Without a bench, the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise does the same sweep while you hold a hinge. Keep the dumbbells light enough to pause at the top for a full second.
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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