10 Best Reverse Flyes With External Rotation Alternatives for Limited Equipment

If you can’t perform Reverse Flyes With External Rotation, use bent-over reverse fly, face pulls, band pull-aparts, prone Y raises, or single-arm cable rear-delt fly. Cue a hip hinge, slightly bent elbows, and scapular retraction on each rep to emphasize posterior and lateral deltoid activation and limit compensatory trap dominance.

Original Exercise: Reverse Flyes With External Rotation

Reverse Flyes With External Rotation
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
How to Perform Reverse Flyes With External Rotation
  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.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Pull
  • Movement type: Isolation

Ranked Reverse Flyes With External Rotation Alternatives

Best Match
Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation

1. Dumbbell Upright Shoulder External Rotation

90.1% 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 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.
Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly

2. Dumbbell Rotation Reverse Fly

84.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Dumbbell Lying External Shoulder Rotation

3. Dumbbell Lying External Shoulder Rotation

81.3% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie on your side on a flat bench with your upper arm against your side and your elbow bent 90 degrees.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in your hand with your palm facing down.
  3. Keeping your upper arm against your side, slowly rotate your forearm upward as far as possible.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your forearm back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Cable Standing Shoulder External Rotation

4. Cable Standing Shoulder External Rotation

79.6% Match
Delts Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold the cable handle with your arm extended in front of you, parallel to the ground.
  3. Keep your elbow slightly bent and your shoulder blades pulled back.
  4. Slowly rotate your arm outward, away from your body, while keeping your elbow in the same position.
  5. Pause for a moment at the end of the movement, then slowly return to the starting position.
Landmine 180

5. Landmine 180

78.7% Match
Abs Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with both hands in front of your chest.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and rotate your torso to the right, swinging the barbell down towards your right hip.
  3. As you reach the bottom of the movement, quickly reverse the motion and rotate your torso to the left, swinging the barbell up and across your body towards your left shoulder.
  4. Continue this twisting motion, alternating sides, for the desired number of repetitions.
Internal Rotation With Band

6. Internal Rotation With Band

78.2% Match
Delts Band Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Choke the band around a post. The band should be at the same height as your elbow. Stand with your right side to the band a couple of feet away.
  2. Grasp the end of the band with your right hand, and keep your elbow pressed firmly to your side. We recommend you hold a pad or foam roll in place with your elbow to keep it firmly in position.
  3. With your upper arm in position, your elbow should be flexed to 90 degrees with your hand reaching away from your torso. This will be your starting position.
  4. Execute the movement by rotating your arm in a forehand motion, keeping your elbow in place.
  5. Continue as far as you are able, pause, and then return to the starting position.
Kettlebell Pass Between The Legs

7. Kettlebell Pass Between The Legs

72.2% Match
Abs Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place one kettlebell between your legs and take a comfortable stance. Bend over by pushing your butt out and keeping your back flat.
  2. Pick up a kettlebell and pass it to your other hand between your legs, in the fashion of a "W". Go back and forth for several repetitions.
Dumbbell Palm Rotational Bent Over Row

8. Dumbbell Palm Rotational Bent Over Row

71.9% Match
Upper-back Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
  3. Let your arms hang straight down, palms facing your body.
  4. Engage your core and pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  5. As you pull the dumbbells up, rotate your palms so they face away from your body.
Landmine 180's

9. Landmine 180's

71.7% Match
Abs Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Position a bar into a landmine or securely anchor it in a corner. Load the bar to an appropriate weight.
  2. Raise the bar from the floor, taking it to shoulder height with both hands with your arms extended in front of you. Adopt a wide stance. This will be your starting position.
  3. Perform the movement by rotating the trunk and hips as you swing the weight all the way down to one side. Keep your arms extended throughout the exercise.
  4. Reverse the motion to swing the weight all the way to the opposite side.
  5. Continue alternating the movement until the set is complete.
Kettlebell Figure 8

10. Kettlebell Figure 8

71.1% Match
Abs Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Pass the kettlebell between your legs, switching hands as it reaches the back of your legs.
  4. As the kettlebell comes forward, pass it to the other hand between your legs.
  5. Continue passing the kettlebell between your legs in a figure 8 motion.

Why You Might Need a Reverse Flyes With External Rotation Alternative

You may substitute Reverse Flyes With External Rotation for several reasons: shoulder pain, recent rotator-cuff issues, lack of dumbbells, or a need for a different movement pattern. Some lifters experience impingement when combining horizontal abduction with forced external rotation; switching to face pulls or band pull-aparts lets you train external rotators (infraspinatus and teres minor) with safer joint angles. Other times you want stricter posterior-delt isolation without trunk momentum, choose a prone Y raise or single-arm cable rear-delt fly and cue a controlled eccentric with elbows fixed ~15–30° to maintain tension on the deltoid.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on joint tolerance, available equipment, and the movement pattern you need to emphasize. For rotator-cuff strength and external rotation, choose face pulls and actively rotate the humerus outward at the end range. For strict posterior-delt horizontal abduction with minimal spinal involvement, choose prone Y raises or bent-over reverse flys and hinge at the hips with neutral spine. If you need progressive loading, use single-arm cable rear-delt flys and pause 1–2 seconds at peak contraction to overload the posterior deltoid. Prioritize scapular control and range-of-motion that produces posterior/lateral delt activation without pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Reverse Flyes With External Rotation work?

Reverse Flyes With External Rotation primarily targets the posterior and lateral deltoids while recruiting the middle trapezius and rhomboids for scapular retraction. The external rotation component increases activation of the infraspinatus and teres minor, improving rotator-cuff engagement and shoulder stability.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Reverse Flyes With External Rotation?

Prone Y raises on the floor are the best bodyweight alternative: lie face down, thumbs up, lift arms while initiating movement from the scapula and keep the neck neutral. Focus on a slow eccentric and a deliberate scapular squeeze to maximize posterior-delt activation without external load.

Can I build muscle without doing Reverse Flyes With External Rotation?

Yes, you can build deltoid muscle using alternatives that replicate the same movement vectors and progressive overload, such as face pulls, single-arm cable rear-delt flys, and bent-over reverse flys. Track load, reps, and time under tension, and prioritize full range-of-motion with proper scapular control to stimulate hypertrophy.

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