Shoulders · Horizontal abduction

Seated Bent Over Rear Delt Raise

The seated bent-over rear delt raise is a dumbbell isolation exercise where you sit at the end of a bench, lean your chest toward your thighs and lift the dumbbells out to the sides. Sitting removes leg drive and lower-back strain, so the rear deltoids and upper back do all the work with little cheating.

Also known as: Seated rear delt fly, Seated reverse fly, Bent over dumbbell reverse fly

Muscle group: Shoulders
Movement pattern: Horizontal abduction
Type: Isolation
Equipment: Dumbbells, Bench
Difficulty: Beginner

What muscles does the seated bent over rear delt raise work?

Primary movers

Rear deltoid

Assisting muscles

Rhomboids
Trapezius (middle)
Infraspinatus
Teres minor

Lifting the arms out to the sides while bent forward is horizontal abduction, the main job of the rear delts. Gravity pulls the dumbbells straight down, so the resistance is greatest when the arms are level.

The rhomboids and middle traps help squeeze the shoulder blades, and the infraspinatus and teres minor stabilise the joint.

Sitting stabilises your lower body and limits swinging. It also lets you fully relax your back so the shoulders are the limiting factor.

Dumbbells are light for this exercise because the muscle is small. Using too much weight shifts the work to the traps and lats.

How to do the seated bent over rear delt raise

Setup

1
Sit at the end of a bench with your feet planted.
2
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lean your torso forward until it is nearly parallel to the floor.
3
Let the dumbbells hang below your chest with palms facing each other.
4
Bend your elbows slightly.

Execution

1
Lead with your elbows and raise the dumbbells out to the sides.
2
Lift until your arms are parallel to the floor.
3
Squeeze your rear delts at the top for a second.
4
Lower slowly to the start.
5
Keep your torso still.
6
Avoid shrugging.

Common seated bent over rear delt raise mistakes

Shrugging

Lifting the shoulders hands the work to the traps.

The fix: Keep your shoulders down and think of moving elbows apart.

Using momentum

Bouncing the torso reduces tension on the delts.

The fix: Choose a lighter weight and keep your chest near your thighs.

Bending the elbows too much

It becomes a row and moves the load to the lats.

The fix: Keep a fixed slight bend and sweep out.

Raising the dumbbells too high

Lifting above shoulder level reduces rear delt work.

The fix: Stop when your arms are parallel to the floor.

How many sets and reps?

Goal	Sets	Reps	Load	Rest
Hypertrophy	3–4	12–15	Light, 1–2 RIR	60 s
Endurance	2–3	15–20	Very light	45 s
Beginner	2–3	12	Light	60 s

Rear delts respond to frequent, light work, so two or three sessions a week is fine. Use a pause at the top and slow the lowering phase. Increase weight in the smallest increments available.

Running the seated bent over rear delt raise in your next block? Hercules logs every set, shows last session's numbers before you lift, and suggests when to add weight.

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