Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredCable
- MechanicsIsolation
- Force TypePull (Bilateral)
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
Traps, Upper Back
Target Muscle Group
Shoulders
Standing Cable Reverse Fly Overview
The standing cable reverse fly is a variation of the reverse fly and an exercise used to strengthen the rear deltoids.
The rear deltoids are not only a lagging body part for many lifters, but they also play a key role in maintaining proper posture throughout the day. Having strong and active rear delts can lead to better posture and more shoulder stability during pressing and overhead movements.
You can include standing cable reverse flys in your shoulder workouts, back workouts, and full body workouts.
Standing Cable Reverse Fly Instructions
- Position two cables at chest height and attach a handle.
- Reach across your body and grab one handle with a neutral grip. Repeat for the opposite arm.
- Position the arms straight ahead holding onto each handle and keep a soft bend in the knees.
- Keep the elbows slightly bent and pull the handles laterally without squeezing the shoulder blades together excessively.
- Slowly lower the handles back to the starting position under control.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Standing Cable Reverse Fly Tips
- Ideally we want to focus on the rear deltoids, not the scapular retractors so movement at the shoulder blade should be limited. Move the shoulder within the joint, not the shoulder blade on the ribcage.
- Keep the abs braced and don’t arch the back at the top of the movement.
- Don’t jut your head forward during the movement - this is about stimulation for a small muscle group. Focus during the movement and don’t rely on momentum.
- Allow the arms to move freely but don’t lock out the elbows.
- If handle attachments aren’t available, you may be able to just grab the end of the cables as most have a built in stopping mechanism in the form of a plastic ball which is easily grippable.
6 Comments
"Position two cables at chest height ..." yet the cables are like two feet above his head. Why do the visuals of so many of your videos differ from the voiceover?
The handles are at chest height, I did wonder about this too but I’m fairly certain they mean allow the handles to hang at chest height rather than the actually setting being chest height, hope this helps
I do have some problems with this workout so I wondered if there’s any other workout as an alternative for this?
You can also do just one arm at a time.
Use the dumbell as the alternative.
If I don't have two cables, what would be an alternative?