Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Bent Over Cable Reverse Fly
- Stand between two low pulleys and grip the left cable with your right hand and the right cable with your left.
- Hinge forward until your torso approaches parallel with the floor, cables crossed beneath you.
- Set a slight fixed bend in your elbows.
- Sweep both arms out and up in a wide arc, leading with the backs of your hands.
- Finish with your arms level with your shoulders and shoulder blades squeezed.
- Lower under control, letting the cables cross again at the bottom.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Set the cables so they cross in front of you at the bottom of each rep.
- Keep a fixed slight bend in the elbows throughout.
- Lead with the backs of the hands and finish with the shoulder blades squeezed.
- Sweep along the widest arc you can hold. Narrow, bent-arm reps drift into row territory.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Straightening and rebending the elbows, which brings the triceps into it.
- Standing too upright, which changes the line of pull to the side delts.
- Going heavy enough that the torso has to rock to move the handles.
- Raising the torso as the set fatigues, which hands the work to the side delts and traps.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Band Pull Apart
Trains the same muscles
Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press
Assisted Machine Dip
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Overhead Press
Barbell Upright Row
Bear Crawl
Put It Into Practice
Workouts Featuring This Lift
Cable Workout Plan
An upper body focused program built entirely on the cable stack, using constant tension and adjustable angles across three sessions…
Read guide →
Chest and Shoulders Workout
A chest and shoulders session that pairs heavy pressing with direct delt work, run twice a week for eight weeks…
Read guide →
German Volume Training Program
The classic ten sets of ten method, four days a week for six weeks, one of the most brutal and…
Read guide →
Lat and Upper Back Workout
Two different back sessions a week for eight weeks, one led by vertical pulling for width and one by heavy…
Read guide →
Pull Day Workout
The complete pull day: back, rear delts, and biceps in one focused session. Run it three times a week or…
Read guide →
Push Pull Workout Plan
A four-day push/pull split that trains the whole body twice a week in two movement patterns, with legs built into…
Read guide →
Superset Workout Plan
A full body program built entirely on antagonist supersets, cutting session time by a third without cutting a single working…
Read guide →
Workout Plan for Men Over 40
A twelve-week strength program built for lifters over forty, with joint-friendly exercise selection, three sessions a week, and enough recovery…
Read guide →