10 Best Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly Alternatives for Rear Delt Strength

The Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly is done standing with dumbbells. Ranked closest by our scoring: Reverse Flyes With External Rotation and the Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation.

The Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly has you hinge forward, raise a dumbbell to each side, then rotate palms down. Reverse Flyes With External Rotation is the closest match: brace chest down on an incline bench instead of hinging on your feet, then sweep the dumbbells up until your palms face each other. With neither dumbbells nor a bench, the Kettlebell Windmill keeps one arm locked overhead while you bend sideways, so your shoulder holds rather than lifts and your abs and obliques do the work.

Dumbbell Rotation Reverse FlyWatch the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly

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

How to Do the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly

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

Delts, with trapezius, rhomboids · Dumbbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing inwards.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
  3. Raise your arms out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, until they are parallel to the floor.
  4. Rotate your arms so that your palms are facing downwards.
  5. Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Dumbbell Rotation 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. Reverse Flyes With External Rotation

    1. Reverse Flyes With External Rotation

    84% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Isolation

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the delts.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. To begin, lie down on an incline bench set at a 30-degree angle with the chest and stomach pressing against the incline.
    2. Have the dumbbells in each hand with the palms facing down to the floor. Your arms should be in front of you so that they are perpendicular to the angle of the bench. Tip: Your elbows should have a slight bend. The legs should be stationary while applying pressure with the ball of your toes (your heels should not be touching the floor). This is the starting position.
    3. Maintaining the slight bend of the elbows, move the weights out and away from each other in an arc motion while exhaling.
    4. As you lift the weight, your wrist should externally rotate by 90-degrees so that you go from a palms down (pronated) grip to a palms facing each other (neutral) grip. Tip: Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together to get the best results from this exercise.
    5. The arms should be elevated until they are level with the head.
    6. Feel the contraction and slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
    7. 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 Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
  2. Double Kettlebell Windmill

    2. Double Kettlebell Windmill

    83% match

    Abs · Advanced · Compound

    A looser match: it works the abs rather than the delts.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Place a kettlebell in front of your front foot and clean and press a kettlebell overhead with your opposite arm. Clean the kettlebell to your shoulder by extending through the legs and hips as you pull the kettlebell towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrist as you do so, so that the palm faces forward.
    2. Keeping the kettlebell locked out at all times, push your butt out in the direction of the locked out kettlebell. Turn your feet out at a forty-five degree angle from the arm with the locked out kettlebell.
    3. Bending at the hip to one side, sticking your butt out, slowly lean until you can retrieve the kettlebell from the floor. Keep your eyes on the kettlebell that you hold over your head at all times.
    4. Pause for a second after retrieving the kettlebell from the ground and reverse the motion back to the starting position.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, not delts
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
  6. Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External RotationPlay demonstration

    6. Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation

    75% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    Pick this when you want an easier version that works the delts one side at a time.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
    2. Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
    3. Rotate your arms externally, bringing the dumbbells up towards your head while keeping your elbows in the same position.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly Alternative

You reach for a substitute here when the right pair of dumbbells is not free, or the gym you are in only stocks kettlebells and barbells. The Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly needs nothing but two dumbbells and room to hinge forward, so the plainest swap keeps you on your feet: the Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation stands you tall with the same pair of dumbbells, raises your arms out to the sides, then rotates them up towards your head instead of down, which puts the rotator cuff into the lift alongside the delts. Move to a kettlebell and the emphasis shifts: the Windmill variants and the Kettlebell Bent Press bend your whole trunk to one side under an overhead kettlebell, so your abs and obliques do far more of the work than your rear delts.

How to Choose the Right Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly Substitute

Staying on your feet, the Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation is the plainest swap: raise the same pair of dumbbells to your sides, then rotate them up towards your head instead of down. If lying down is fine, Reverse Flyes With External Rotation braces you chest down on an incline bench and sweeps the weights out and up from palms down to a palms facing finish level with your head, landing on the same delts a different way. Once dumbbells run out and only kettlebells are near, the Kettlebell Windmill and the Double Kettlebell Windmill keep a kettlebell locked out overhead while you bend to one side, so your shoulder holds steady and your abs do the lifting; treat them as a stand in rather than a straight swap. Barbell rollout and Landmine 180 ask even more of your abs.

Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly FAQ

What if I only have kettlebells, not dumbbells?

The Kettlebell Windmill and the Double Kettlebell Windmill keep a kettlebell locked out overhead while you bend sideways, so your shoulder holds steady and your abs and obliques do the work rather than your rear delts. Use them when dumbbells are not an option, not as a straight swap for your rear delts.

Which alternative also works the rotator cuff?

The Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation does. You stay standing with the same pair of dumbbells, raise your arms out to the sides, then rotate them up towards your head, and rotating upward is what brings the rotator cuff into the lift alongside the delts. It is the plainest way to add that extra shoulder work without leaving your feet.

Which swap keeps the work on the same rear delts?

Reverse Flyes With External Rotation lands on the same rear delts with the same pair of dumbbells, and the shoulder-blade squeeze at the top keeps your upper back in the lift, even though you brace chest down on an incline bench instead of hinging on your feet. Every kettlebell and barbell option here shifts the load toward your abs instead.

Can I do the Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly at home?

Yes, it only needs a pair of dumbbells and room to hinge forward, so a home rack already covers it. Reverse Flyes With External Rotation uses the same pair of dumbbells, but you brace chest down on an incline bench and sweep them up until your wrists finish palms facing each other instead of palms down. It still lands on the same delts, so an incline bench is the only extra thing you need.

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