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Shoulders

Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly

The Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly is a strength exercise on a cable machine for your shoulders. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: rear delts 45%, mid traps 13% and rhomboids 11%.

Level: IntermediateEquipment: CableSingle-joint (isolation)Unilateral: one arm or leg at a time

How to do it

  1. Set a pulley at its lowest position and clip on a single handle.
  2. Stand side-on to the machine and take the handle with the hand farther from the pulley.
  3. Hinge forward until the torso is close to parallel with the floor, free hand on the knee.
  4. Raise the arm out and up across and away from the body until it is level with the back.
  5. Lower slowly until the hand is back under the chest, then switch sides after the set.

Tips

  • Keep the hips square; the free hand on the knee helps you stay still.
  • Keep a fixed soft bend in the elbow.
  • Let the arm cross fully under the body at the bottom.

Common mistakes

  • Rotating the torso open to lift the handle.
  • Rounding the lower back.
  • Letting the cable yank the arm back down.

Muscles worked by the Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly

  • Rear delts Primary45%
  • Mid traps Secondary13%
  • Rhomboids Secondary11%
  • Side delts Minor7%
  • Lower traps Minor5%
  • Rotator cuff Stabilizer5%
  • Spinal erectors (lower back) Stabilizer5%
  • Obliques Minor4%
  • Hamstrings (biceps femoris) Stabilizer3%
  • Triceps (long head) Stabilizer2%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Holding a hinge adds back and hamstring work. One side at a time. Opening the arms backward is shoulder horizontal abduction, which the rear delt leads; the mid traps and rhomboids retract the shoulder blades and the infraspinatus assists from deep.

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Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly work?

Mainly the rear delts. The mid traps and rhomboids assist.

Is the Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly good for beginners?

The Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Bent Over Lateral Raise first and build up from there.

What is a good alternative to the Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly?

For example the Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Fly, Cable Rear Delt Fly (Cuff) and Bent Over Lateral Raise. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

Sources

  • Reinold et al. 2004, JOSPT 34(7):385-394
  • Ekstrom et al. 2003, JOSPT 33(5):247-258

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