8 Best Reverse Pec Deck Fly Alternatives ( Without Machine)

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Many of you might be doing reverse pec deck fly to train the rear delts, which is great! You can target your rear delts easily with this exercise. However, there are many occasions or situations where you won’t have access to the pec deck machine. Like if the gym is overcrowded or there are fewer pec deck machines in the gym. Or you might be at home and you don’t have a pec deck machine.

So here in this article, you will find some of the best alternatives to reverse pec deck fly which you can do at home. You might need only the basic home gym equipment like dumbbells and barbells. But before discussing the alternatives, let’s first know about the reverse pec deck fly and muscles engaged during the movement.

Muscles Worked During Reverse Peck Deck Fly

When you perform a reverse pec deck fly, your rear delts, mid trapezius, and rhomboids are the primary muscle that gets activated. Usually, reverse pec flys are done to target the posterior deltoid, but you can also do this to strengthen the entire upper back muscles. Mid traps are one of the underused muscles and get weaker with time. Due to this, there are many postural problems down the line.

So to maintain proper posture and to strengthen your upper back, you should do reverse flys. So if you don’t have any equipment like a pec deck fly machine, then these are the best alternatives for you.

Reverse Pec Deck Fly Alternatives

Best reverse pec deck fly alternatives are dumbbell rear delt flys, rear delt row and W raises with dumbbells. We will discuss each of them and some other best alternatives here. So let’s begin!

1. Seated Rear Lateral Raises

If you can’t do reverse pec deck fly, then this exercise is for you. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and that’s it. You can do this very easily at home and can strengthen your rear delts. The posterior deltoid muscle is most often being undertrained and gets weaker with time. So don’t skip rear delt exercises during your shoulder workout.

Seated rear lateral raise is one of the best ways to target the rear delts. According to the ACE study, this exercise is ranked No. 1 when it comes to maximum rear delt activation when compared with many other shoulder exercises. So by this, you can say that it is the most effective alternative to reverse fly.

How to do

1. Hold two light pairs of dumbbells and sit on a bench with your knees at about 90° angle.

2. Now bend forward while keeping your back straight and hold the dumbbells to the side and this will be your starting position.

3. Start moving the dumbbells up with a slight bend in the elbow and raise it to the sides at about shoulder height.

4. Squeeze your rear delta at the top and then bring the arms back to the starting position.

Recommended Reps- 12-15

You can also go heavy with this exercise but make sure that you are not swinging too much. Also, focus on your rear delts while you raise your arms. Focus is more important than repetitions.

2. Barbell Rear Delt Row

Rows are an effective way to train not only the lats but the rear delts too! You just need to remember that when you are targeting your lats, your elbows should be in and the barbell should touch your abdominals at the top whereas, for rear delts, you should bring the bar towards your lower chest.

This exercise targets the rear delts and is a good compound exercise, you can easily replace reverse pec deck flys with this exercise.

How to do

1. Hold the barbell and stand straight on the ground. Both hand should be placed shoulder-width apart.

2. Now bend down by taking your hips back without rounding your lower back and keeping your chest up while facing down.

3. Lift the barbell and take it towards your lower chest such that it looks like a T shape.

4. Return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.

Recommended Reps- 12-15

If you are a beginner then don’t use heavy weights because it can injure your shoulder joints and can cause serious problems. It’s always better to start the exercise with some warm-up set with light weights before jumping onto the main set.

3. Dumbbell W Raises

If you have postural problems then this workout is for you. It will help you to target those weak muscles which we develop from either sitting too long at a desk or doing other official jobs. This will work your rear delts and rhomboids along with mid and lower traps which are important muscles to keep your shoulders in a much safer position.

This exercise is one of the best alternatives not only because it hits your rear delts, but also because it strengthens the mid traps and other scapular muscles which keeps your scapula stable. So definitely add this as an alternative to reverse pec flies.

How to do

1. Set up an incline bench at about 60° angle. Pick two dumbbells and lay down on a bench with your chest down. Choose light dumbbells for this exercise.

2. Take your hands forward with elbows under the shoulders and at a 90° angle. From this position move the dumbbells up with thumbs facing up and form a W.

3. Breath out on the way up and squeeze Hi kye the back shoulder muscles. Come down to the starting position while breathing in.

Recommended Reps- 15-20

Don’t use heavy dumbbells during this exercise as it is not meant for that purpose. You can use heavy weights in compound movements but not in these corrective exercises.

Pro-Tip

So let’s talk about my best pro tip for this exercise. One best way to create maximum tension on the entire upper back muscle and to improve posture is by holding the top position for about 3-5 seconds. If you can’t hold that long, then do it without dumbbells. Afterward, you can add dumbbells and progress from there.

4. Landmine Rear Delt Row

Now, this exercise is a unilateral movement where you can focus on each aide separately. So if your one aide is weaker than the other then do this exercise to bring balance.

Landmine set-up is a great way to perform different exercises and you just need a barbell for it. Try this move and you will get that perfect burn on those rear delts.

How to do

1. Place a barbell at the corner of the wall and stand next to the barbell as shown in the video.

2. Now bend down by taking your hips back and grabbing at the end part of a barbell from one hand. Your hips should be back and your chest should be up. This will be your starting position.

3. Start lifting the barbell by moving your elbows to the side rather than keeping it in as this will allow you to engage more rear delts.

Recommended Reps- 12-15

This exercise will effectively challenge your rear delts as the positioning itself allows you to engage more rear delts. If you haven’t done this exercise before then start with light weights.

Afterward, you can increase the weights as your strength improves. So definitely add this as an alternative to reverse deck fly.

5. One-Arm Supinated Dumbbell Rows

Another great move is to strengthen those posterior deltoids. The best part of this exercise is the supinated grip which allows external rotation which is another function of the rear delts. You can’t train your rear delta-like this on a pec deck machine. So you can do this to strengthen your rear delts.

How to do

1. Bend down and hold the barbell with one hand which is placed on a rack. You can also do this on a dumbbell rack or a bench.

3. Pick a dumbbell and then start moving it up with your hands facing at the front. Your elbow should go out at about 45° angle to hit the rear delts.

4. Squeeze your rear delts at the top and then return back to the starting position.

Recommended Reps- 15-18

It’s very important to maintain an underhand grip to maximally activate your rear delts. So always remember this and correct yourself whenever you go wrong.

Also at the beginning, you should start with the lighter weights and then gradually increase the weights according to your strength. I have seen many people just move the weights without feeling and contracting the right muscle they want to target. Don’t do this.

Instead, keep your from the right and concentrate on the rear delts during this exercise. Focus and concentration are key to getting the most out of the exercise.

6. TRX Reverse Fly

TRX suspension is very convenient and can be used easily at home. There are many exercises you can do with TRX. One of the alternative exercises of reverse pec deck fly is TRX reverse flys.

This exercise looks almost similar to the TRX reverse fly. It also engages your core and improves body stability. So you can replace pec deck fly with TRX reverse flys.

How to do

1. Attach a TRX at the top corner of the hook and hold both ends of the TRX. Hold the handles of the TRX and step back.

2. Lean back slightly and keep both arms straight to the front. This will be your starting position.

3. Start the exercise by moving your hands back with a slight bend in the elbow.

Recommended Reps- 15-20

Here, as you lean back, your abs will be engaged to a greater extend. So if you are a beginner who has a weak core, you should be more upright. Slowly, you can lean back and go down as you improve your strength.

7. Side-Lying Reverse Fly

This is another unilateral movement to target the rear delts. This exercise is another great alternative to reverse fly. If you are doing a usual dumbbell rear delt fly for a while and want to try something different, then this exercise is a great option for you.

How to do

1. Lay on your side while holding a dumbbell in one hand. Keep one hand down below your head and the other hand straight to the side.

2. Now start the exercise by moving the arm upward while keeping the elbow extended. Breath out as you move the dumbbell up.

3. Stop at the end when your arms are perpendicular to the floor and then slowly bring your arm back to the starting position.

4. Now switch and do the same exercise from the other side.

Recommended Reps- 15-18

You don’t have to go heavy on this because this is an isolation exercise. You can go heavy on rows and presses but not on this. This is an isolation exercise that should be done with lighter and with proper form.

8. Resistance Band Reverse Fly

Just like a TRX suspension, we have other options like resistance bands which can be used easily at home. There are many exercises you can do with it. One of them is the reverse fly. This works exactly like reverse pec deck fly and involves the same muscles.

How to do

1. Take a resistance band and roll it over the pillar. Bring it at about a shoulder height and keep your arms up.

2. Keep your elbows bent and arms in line with your shoulder. This will be your starting position.

3. Start the exercise by moving your arms back with a slight bend in the elbow. Keep the tension on the rear delts while you move.

4. Stop at the end when your arms are at a 90° angle and squeeze your rear delts. Maintain the tension and then slowly bring your arms back to the starting position.

Recommended Reps– 15-20

Remember to breathe out as you move your hands back and breathe in on the way front. Also, keep your back and neck neutral as you move.

Final Review

So we discussed here the alternative options if you don’t have a pec deck fly machine. All of these exercises will train your rear delts and you can include them in your workout as a substitute to reverse pec fly.

Another important thing to remember is that you can’t do all of these exercises in one go. You just need to pick 2-3 exercises and do them for a while. After a few weeks, you can try some other exercise, and this way you should plan your workout.

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