10 Best Dumbbell Rear Fly Alternatives for Rear Delt Strength

The Dumbbell Rear Fly hinges you forward and pulls both arms out to the sides until your shoulder blades meet. The Dumbbell Reverse Fly is the closest swap because it runs the exact same standing hinge with the same pair of dumbbells, the only change being that your arms start hanging in front of you rather than straight down. With a resistance band anchored at chest height, the Band Reverse Fly trains the same delts without any weight in your hands.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Rear Fly

Dumbbell Rear Fly
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Trapezius, Rhomboids
How to Perform Dumbbell Rear Fly
  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.

Ranked Dumbbell Rear Fly Alternatives

Best Match
Dumbbell Reverse Fly

1. Dumbbell Reverse Fly

99.9% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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 in front of you, palms facing each other.
  4. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
Reverse Flyes

2. Reverse Flyes

99.9% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. To begin, lie down on an incline bench with the chest and stomach pressing against the incline. Have the dumbbells in each hand with the palms facing each other (neutral grip).
  2. Extend the arms in front of you so that they are perpendicular to the angle of the bench. The legs should be stationary while applying pressure with the ball of your toes. This is the starting position.
  3. Maintaining the slight bend of the elbows, move the weights out and away from each other (to the side) in an arc motion while exhaling. Tip: Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together to get the best results from this exercise.
  4. The arms should be elevated until they are parallel to the floor.
  5. Feel the contraction and slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise

3. Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise

99.2% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and core engaged.
  3. Raise your arms out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, until they are parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sled Reverse Flye

4. Sled Reverse Flye

99.2% Match
Delts Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench

5. Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench

97.7% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight while holding a dumbbell in each hand and with an incline bench in front of you.
  2. While keeping your back straight and maintaining the natural arch of your back, lean forward until your forehead touches the bench in front of you. Let the arms hang in front of you perpendicular to the ground. The palms of your hands should be facing each other and your torso should be parallel to the floor. This will be your starting position.
  3. Keeping your torso forward and stationary, and the arms straight with a slight bend at the elbows, lift the dumbbells straight to the side until both arms are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you lift the weights. Caution: avoid swinging the torso or bringing the arms back as opposed to the side.
  4. After a one second contraction at the top, slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat the recommended amount of repetitions.
Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise (support Head)

6. Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise (support Head)

97.7% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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. Raise your arms out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, until they are parallel to the ground.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

7. Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

96% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Raise your arms out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, until they are parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Rear Delt Raise

8. Barbell Rear Delt Raise

95.2% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip, palms facing down.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Raise the barbell out to the sides, keeping your arms straight, until they are parallel to the ground.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Band Reverse Fly

9. Band Reverse Fly

90% Match
Delts Band Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral Raise

10. Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral Raise

89.7% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
  2. Sit on the bench with your chest against the backrest and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  3. Extend your arms straight down with your palms facing each other.
  4. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Rear Fly Alternative

The Dumbbell Rear Fly needs a pair of dumbbells and room to hinge forward, which is exactly what disappears first when a gym gets busy or when you train from a home setup with one dumbbell pair already claimed. The alternatives here keep the same out-to-the-sides pull for the rear delts while changing what fills your hands and, in some cases, whether you hinge at all. The Barbell Rear Delt Raise moves the same pull onto a bar, so one piece of equipment does the job instead of two dumbbells. The Band Reverse Fly needs only a resistance band and an anchor, so a length of rubber replaces the dumbbells entirely. The Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral Raise sits your chest against an incline bench instead, so you never have to hold the hinge at all.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Pick by what is actually free. A working dumbbell station means the Dumbbell Reverse Fly, which uses the identical dumbbells and the same standing hinge, so nothing about your setup has to change. If only a barbell is open, the Barbell Rear Delt Raise keeps that same pulling motion and lets you load a single bar instead of juggling two dumbbells. Training with just a resistance band, the Band Reverse Fly still drags your shoulder blades together against tension that builds as the band stretches through the movement. If you would rather not hinge at all, the Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral Raise lets you sit with your chest against an incline bench and remove the hinge altogether.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which alternative uses a barbell instead of dumbbells?

The Barbell Rear Delt Raise. It moves the same hinge-and-raise onto a single bar, so you load one piece of equipment instead of two, and your rear delts still do the work as the bar comes up level with the floor.

How do I make the Dumbbell Rear Fly harder as I progress?

The Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral Raise braces your chest against a 45-degree bench and runs the same out-to-the-sides raise, so you cannot swing for momentum. The Barbell Rear Delt Raise has you hinge forward and raise the bar with straight arms rather than bent elbows, a longer lever that is harder to finish. Either one makes the same weight feel heavier on your rear delts once the standing version feels easy.

Which alternative asks less of my balance?

The Dumbbell Incline Rear Lateral Raise. You sit with your chest against the backrest of an incline bench and raise the dumbbells out to the sides from there, so your legs and core do not need to hold the hinge steady. It trains the same delts with one less thing to balance.

Can I do the Dumbbell Rear Fly at home?

Yes, with a pair of dumbbells, a resistance band and an anchor, or dumbbells plus an incline bench. The Dumbbell Reverse Fly keeps the same standing hinge with dumbbells you likely already own. The Reverse Flyes has you lie with your chest and stomach pressing against an incline bench instead. The Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench rests your forehead on an incline bench while you lift the dumbbells straight out to the sides.

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