Cable Rear Delt Fly
How to Do Cable Rear Delt Fly With Proper Form
Set both pulleys around shoulder to head height.
Take the left cable with your right hand and the right cable with your left hand so the cables cross in front of you.
Step back until both cables are taut, stand tall, and keep a small consistent bend in the elbows.
Open the arms outward by moving the upper arms away from one another rather than pulling with the hands.
Keep the chest facing forward and avoid rotating the torso to create range.
Finish when the arms reach a controlled side position without aggressive shrugging or forced shoulder extension.
Return slowly until the arms cross again, then repeat.
Form Check & Technique
DO THIS (Technique Tips)
- Keep pulley height repeatable
- Keep a soft fixed elbow bend
- Move the upper arms, not the hands
- Keep the chest facing forward
- Control the return into the crossed position
AVOID THIS (Common Mistakes)
- Using a row-like elbow bend
- Rotating the torso
- Shrugging aggressively
- Setting pulleys too high or too low for the intended path
- Pulling the arms far behind the body
- Using too much weight
- Letting the stack slam
About Cable Rear Delt Fly
The cable rear delt fly is a standing horizontal-abduction exercise that uses opposing cable lines to train the posterior deltoids while the upper-back muscles help control the shoulder blades. A104 owns cable-specific rear-delt intent, while A080 remains the generic dumbbell rear-delt fly and A089 the reverse pec deck.
Cable Rear Delt Fly Muscles Worked
The posterior deltoid drives horizontal abduction.
- The middle trapezius and rhomboids help control the shoulder blades, while the infraspinatus can assist depending on arm rotation.
Sets & Reps Guidance
Technique / Learning
2-3 sets of 12-15 light reps.
Strength Focus
2-4 sets of 8-12 strict reps.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
3-4 sets of 10-20 reps near technical fatigue.
General training baseline. Need.fit automatically adjusts exact sets, reps, and working weight based on your individual fitness level, recovery, and progress over time.
Exercise Variations & Alternatives
Rear Delt Fly
Variation targeting Rear Delt
reverse pec deck
face pull
y raise
Barbell Bench Press
Learn proper barbell bench press form, muscles worked, grip and bar-path cues, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for strength or muscle.
Dumbbell Bench Press
Learn dumbbell bench press form, muscles worked, setup, range-of-motion cues, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for controlled chest training.
Cable Rear Delt Fly vs Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Both use horizontal abduction, but dumbbells are loaded by gravity while cables are loaded along the pulley line. Keep A104 focused on cable setup and line of pull.
What Pulley Height Changes
Pulley height changes the line of pull. Shoulder-to-head height is a practical starting point, but the final page should match the actual Need.fit media.
Crossed Cables vs One-Arm Flyes
Crossed cables train both sides simultaneously; single-arm cable flyes can simplify setup and make torso rotation easier to monitor.
Rear Delts vs Rhomboids and Traps
The rear delts move the upper arms while the rhomboids and trapezius help control the shoulder blades. Feeling upper-back work is normal.
How Far Should You Pull Back?
Stop before torso rotation or forced shoulder extension becomes the movement. More travel is not automatically more rear-delt stimulus.
Sources & References
- [1]
- [2]
- [3]American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews — PubMed (PMID 41843416)View Source