Cable Rear Delt Fly

What it is

This exercise isolates your rear deltoids, the muscles at the back of your shoulders. You perform a controlled pulling motion using a cable machine to strengthen and define this important muscle group. Focusing on these muscles helps improve shoulder posture and overall shoulder health.

Technique tips

• Set the pulleys above head height for optimal leverage.
• Cross the cables in front of you before beginning the movement.
• Maintain a slight bend in your elbows, avoiding locked-out arms.
• Pull your arms back and outward, focusing on your rear deltoids.
• Briefly hold the peak contraction to maximize muscle engagement.
• Control the weight slowly as you return to the starting position.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.