REAR
SHOULDER FLYS
 MPEG:
Rear Shoulder Fly
CORRECT FORM
|  1)
Sit on a bench with your torso rested on your legs. Hold a
dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other.
2) Maintaining
your palm in the same position throughout the entire exercise,
raise our arms out to the side by bending at the shoulder.
Keep your elbow as straight as possible, but not locked while
lifting the weight. |
3) Lift the weight
to the level where it is parallel to the floor. Move at the shoulder.
Going past this point should not be dangerous in a normal, non-injured
shoulder.
4) Lower the
weight slowly as you return to the starting position.
5) Inhale as
you lower the weight, exhale as you lift the weight.
 6)
Another method of performing this exercise is by squeezing your
shoulder blades together as you pull the weights up and back. Doing
this activates the rhomboids and middle/lower trapezius. The posterior
deltoid still gets some work, but the weight is shifted. There are
better exercises for building up the middle back muscles, so the
rear fly should really be used for building up the posterior deltoid
muscle.
7)
To increase the workload on the posterior deltoid AND the rotator
cuff muscles in the back of the shoulder, start with your palms
facing back (against your body). As you raise the dumbbells, turn
your palms in a direction facing forward. This will make your shoulder
rotate externally and therefore increase the amount of work done
in the posterior shoulder muscles.
MUSCLES
USED
SAFETY
CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
 The
main concern in any exercise such as this is the position of your
lower back. This is not for people who have lower back problems. An
easy solution would seem to be lying on your front side over a bench.
However, it is very difficult to breathe in this position.
Another idea is to start in the same position as
you would for dumbbell rows. This way, you will exercise one shoulder
at a time (the left shoulder in the picture to your right). Your
back is protected much more because it is stabilized by your other
arm and leg and more importantly, your lower back is not bent over
so far as in the above pictures.
EFFECTIVENESS
The rear deltoid
raise or shoulder fly in some form is a highly effective way to target
the posterior deltoid and create a more full looking shoulder. The
heaviest stress is placed at the top of the movement. It can be stressful
on the back and therefore it is recommended that a modified position
be used with one arm trained at a time.
HELPFUL
WITH TRAINING FOR
Bodybuilding, boxing,
martial arts, tennis (backhand), swimming
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