Exercise:

Reverse Machine Fly

Target Muscle:

Shoulders (Posterior Head)

Fly Machine

Adjust the handles on the fly machine so that they are positioned fully to the rear. Set the height of the seat so that the handles are at shoulder level.

Sit down facing the machine with your chest pressed against the seat. Grab onto the handles with your palms facing inward, and with a slight bend in your elbows, pull them out to your sides and backward until your upper arms are perpendicular to your body.

Lower the handles back until your upper arms are extended in front of you, and repeat.

- In order to maximize the tension on the rear delts, allow your upper arms to hang forward throughout the exercise and do not retract your shoulder blades as you pull the handles back. When you retract your shoulder blades, the muscles of the mid-back begin to take over.

- Always favor moderate weights and strict form on this exercise. Trying to go too heavy and using a lot of momentum can make it increasingly difficult to effectively isolate the rear delts.

- Only pull the handles back until your upper arms are perpendicular to your body, but no further. Once you go past this point, the tension is taken off of the posterior deltoids and the upper back begins performing the bulk of the work.