Skip to main content

ClapMove · clapmove.com

Exercise handout — move better, feel better.

Back

Reverse Machine Flyes

IntermediateStrengthTier T3

You sit at a reverse-fly machine with the handles set at shoulder level and your chest on the pad. You grip a handle in each hand and sweep both arms out to the side and back. You feel it in the rear shoulders.

Targets: Shoulder

Stop if

Choose an easier exercise if pain reaches 6 out of 10 or becomes sharp. Stop and rest if pain reaches 8 out of 10.

This is the general ClapMove rule. This exercise has no extra stop rule of its own.

  • Pain 6 out of 10 or more: choose an easier exercise.
  • Pain 8 out of 10 or more: stop and rest.

Equipment needed

  • Works at the gym

machines

Gym

  • gym machine (No safe home substitute has been reviewed yet.)

Dosage

3

Sets

8

Reps / Time

60 sec

Rest

controlled

Tempo

Step-by-Step Guide

Set up

  • Adjust the handles to the rear and the seat height, and select a weight. Hold both handles together in front of the shoulders, then keep the swept, semicircular rear-delt-contracted position.
  1. A man seated at a machine, holding a handle in each hand together in front of his shoulders, elbows slightly bent.

    Step 1 of 3

    Sit at the reverse-fly machine with your chest against the pad, grip one handle in each hand with your palms facing each other, and hold both handles together in front of your shoulders with a slight, fixed bend in both elbows.

  2. The same man, both arms now swept out to the side and back in a semicircle, a handle in each hand, rear delts contracted.

    Step 2 of 3

    Keeping the same slight bend in your elbows, sweep both arms out to the side and back in a semicircular motion, contracting your rear delts, and pause at the rear of the movement.

  3. A man seated at a machine, holding a handle in each hand together in front of his shoulders, elbows slightly bent.

    Step 3 of 3

    Sit at the reverse-fly machine with your chest against the pad, grip one handle in each hand with your palms facing each other, and hold both handles together in front of your shoulders with a slight, fixed bend in both elbows.

What you should feel

A contraction felt in the rear delts, at the back of the shoulders, as the arms sweep out to the side and back: "contracting your rear delts."

Breathing

  • Breathe normally.

Safety Information

Keep the arms at the same, slightly bent elbow angle throughout the entire movement -- never straighten the elbows fully or bend them further into a rowing pull -- because all of the motion should occur only at the shoulder joint. If you have a shoulder impingement, rotator-cuff injury, recent shoulder or upper-back surgery, or an unstable shoulder, ask a physical therapist or physician before attempting this exercise, because it loads the shoulder through a wide horizontal range against a machine's resistance. Stop and return the handles to the starting position with control immediately if you feel a pinch, sharp pain, or numbness in the shoulder, upper back, or arm at any point in the sweep. Stop if the exercise causes pain or you become unwell. Seek appropriate professional advice about symptoms or suitability.

Get your free personalized program at clapmove.com/register

Printed from clapmove.com. ClapMove is not a replacement for professional medical advice — always consult a healthcare provider before starting any exercise program.