Cable exercise

Cable Rear Delt Fly form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The cable rear delt fly pulls two crossed high cables outward and back, isolating the posterior deltoids along with the rhomboids and middle trapezius. Lifters favor the cable version because it keeps tension on the rear delts through the full arc, including the peak-contraction position where dumbbells lose resistance, making it a precise hypertrophy and shoulder-health choice for balancing heavy pressing volume.

Cable Rear Delt Fly illustration

How to do Cable Rear Delt Fly

  1. 1Set both pulleys to shoulder height in a cable crossover, and grip the left cable with your right hand and the right cable with your left, without handles if preferred.
  2. 2Step back until the cables are taut and cross in front of you, arms extended forward with a slight elbow bend.
  3. 3Brace your core and stand tall with your chest up.
  4. 4Exhale as you pull your arms apart in a wide arc until your wrists are in line with your shoulders, squeezing the rear delts.
  5. 5Avoid shrugging or bending the elbows further to turn it into a row; inhale as you let your arms return slowly to the crossed start position.

Related exercises

Arm Circles

Shoulders · Duration

Arnold Press (Dumbbell)

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Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise (Dumbbell)

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Bicep Curl (Cable)

Arms · Cable

Track Cable Rear Delt Fly in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.