Bent Over Dumbbell Fly

Hinge your torso forward and let the dumbbells hang down, keeping your back straight and your gaze toward the floor. Brace your abs and lock your torso in place. Even a small change in your torso angle can shift where you feel the work.

With a slight bend in your elbows, raise the dumbbells out and back to either side. Think of your elbows spreading wider than your hands. Keep the feeling that your rear delts are opening your arms behind you to reduce neck and trap involvement.

Pause briefly at shoulder height, then slowly bring the dumbbells back together. Control the descent and keep your rear delts working as they lengthen under tension.

Focus on your rear delts opening and closing your arms. If you feel yourself pulling with your arms, bend your elbows a little more and try again.

Using torso momentum to lift the weights makes your traps take over before your rear delts. Repeating with your head lifted can quickly tense your neck, so keep your gaze down.

Exhale as you raise the weights out, and inhale as you bring them together. A steady breathing rhythm makes it much easier to keep your torso angle fixed.

Your rear delts respond much more to pauses and tempo than to heavy weight. You only need to raise the dumbbells about to shoulder height, so choose a weight you can pause with for 1 second at the top.