10 Best Band Reverse Fly Alternatives for Rear Delt Strength

The Band Reverse Fly is done standing with a band. Ranked closest by our scoring: Back Flyes - With Bands, the Band Pull Apart and the Dumbbell Rear Fly.

The Band Reverse Fly anchors a band at chest height and pulls your arms out to the sides until you squeeze your shoulder blades together, training the rear delts in one clean line. Back Flyes - With Bands is the nearest swap, running a band around a rack post for the same pull. If you would rather hold a weight in each hand, Reverse Flyes gives your arms independent control instead of a shared band.

Band Reverse FlyWatch the Band Reverse Fly

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Band Reverse Fly

The steps for the Band Reverse Fly itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Delts, with upper back, trapezius · Band · Beginner · Isolation

  1. Attach the band to a stationary object at chest height.
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the band with both hands in front of you.
  3. Keep your arms straight and lift them out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground.
  4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
  5. Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Band Reverse Fly Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Band Reverse Fly on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Back Flyes - With Bands

    1. Back Flyes - With Bands

    94% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    Pick this when you want to work the delts with less balance to manage.

    • Band
    How to perform it
    1. Run a band around a stationary post like that of a squat rack.
    2. Grab the band by the handles and stand back so that the tension in the band rises.
    3. Extend and lift the arms straight in front of you. Tip: Your arms should be straight and parallel to the floor while perpendicular to your torso. Your feet should be firmly planted on the floor spread at shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
    4. As you exhale, move your arms to the sides and back. Keep your arms extended and parallel to the floor. Continue the movement until the arms are extended to your sides.
    5. After a pause, go back to the original position as you inhale.
    6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
    • Equipment: a band, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Band Reverse Fly
  3. Dumbbell Rear FlyPlay demonstration

    3. Dumbbell Rear Fly

    90% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
    2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
    3. Extend your arms straight down towards the ground, palms facing each other.
    4. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lift your arms out to the sides and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: rear-delt fly, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
    • Equipment: free weights, not a band
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
  7. Sled Reverse Flye

    7. Sled Reverse Flye

    89% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Isolation

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the delts.

    • Other
    How to perform it
    1. Attach dual handles to a sled connected by a rope or chain. Load the sled to a light weight.
    2. Face the sled, backing up until there is some tension in the line. Take both handles at arms length at about waist level. Bend the knees slightly and keep your chest and head up. This will be your starting position.
    3. Without flexing the elbow, pull the handles upward and apart, performing a reverse fly with some external rotation. Your palms should be facing forward as you do this.
    4. Return to the starting position, taking a couple steps back to take the slack out of the line.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: rear-delt fly, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Band Reverse Fly
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Band Reverse Fly

Why You Might Need a Band Reverse Fly Alternative

A lifter reaches for a swap here for ordinary reasons: the band is worn thin, the anchor point at chest height is already taken, or dumbbells are sitting free while the bands are locked away. Band Reverse Fly asks your rear delts to pull the arms out to the sides from a band anchored at chest height. A dumbbell swap trades that band for a steady weight and lets each arm move on its own path, which suits a lifter working around one side that lags. A sled version starts from waist height with your knees bent and turns your palms to face forward as you pull the handles apart, a twist the band version does not ask for. Band Reverse Fly stays the standard when a band and an anchor point are both free.

How to Choose the Right Band Reverse Fly Substitute

Back Flyes - With Bands keeps the same band and anchor point if that is what you have. Band Pull Apart needs no anchor at all: you hold the band in both hands with your arms straight out in front and pull it apart to your chest, elbows extended. If dumbbells are free, Dumbbell Rear Fly has you hinge forward at the hips and lift your arms out to the sides, while Reverse Flyes puts your chest on an incline bench for the same sweep. Cable Cross-over Revers Fly pulls two low cables back and upward from a forward lean. Sled Reverse Flye adds a small twist to the same pull, starting from waist height with bent knees and palms facing forward.

Band Reverse Fly FAQ

What should I use if I only have dumbbells?

Reverse Flyes is the dumbbell swap: your chest and stomach press against an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, and you sweep the arms out to the sides, so each arm moves on its own instead of sharing one band. With no bench, Dumbbell Reverse Fly and Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise do the same sweep standing, hinged forward at the hips with your back straight, raising the arms until they are parallel to the floor.

How do I keep my torso still during a rear delt raise?

Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench has you lean forward until your forehead touches an incline bench, torso parallel to the floor, then lift the dumbbells straight to the side without swinging. Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise (Support Head) runs the same raise from a hinge at the hips with your back straight.

How do I make this move harder without changing bands?

Sled Reverse Flye keeps the same pulling-apart motion but starts from waist height with your knees bent, and turns your palms to face forward as you pull, a twist the band version does not need. The steps start it with a light load on the sled, and you can add plates to the sled as it gets easier, which is a kind of progression a band cannot give you.

Can I do the Band Reverse Fly at home?

Yes. Back Flyes - With Bands runs the band around any solid post, and Band Pull Apart needs no anchor at all, just the band held in both hands in front of you. Dumbbell Rear Fly and Dumbbell Reverse Fly work at home with a pair of dumbbells, and Reverse Flyes needs an incline bench to press your chest against, so count it as a home option only if you have one.

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