Suspension Reverse Fly

How to do the Suspension Reverse Fly

1. 1Set the suspension straps to roughly waist height, then face the anchor point and grip one handle in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
2. 2Walk your feet forward toward the anchor until your body is at a moderate lean — roughly 45° from vertical is a good starting angle; the more horizontal you are, the harder the movement.
3. 3Extend your arms fully in front of you at shoulder height, let your body hang back so the straps carry your weight, and keep your body rigid from heels to head.
4. 4Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, and ensure your hips stay in line with your shoulders and feet throughout the set.
5. 5Initiate the movement by pinching your shoulder blades together, then open your arms out to the sides in a wide arc, keeping a slight bend in your elbows and your palms facing down throughout.
6. 6Continue opening until your arms are level with your shoulders and your hands are roughly in line with your torso — do not let your hands travel behind your body.
7. 7Hold the contracted position for one second, feeling the squeeze across the back of your shoulders and upper back.
8. 8Lower your arms back to the start position under control over two to three seconds, resisting the pull of the straps until your arms are fully extended.
9. 9Complete all reps, then walk your feet back toward the anchor to return to standing.

Form tips

• Lead the movement with your shoulder blades — retract them first before your arms begin to open; this ensures the rear delts and trapezius do the work rather than the biceps or momentum.
• Keep a slight, fixed bend at the elbows throughout the arc; a fully locked-out or overly bent arm both shift stress away from the rear deltoid.
• Point your thumbs toward the ceiling at the top of the movement to reinforce external rotation at the shoulder, which increases rear delt and infraspinatus activation.
• Control the descent for at least two seconds on every rep — the eccentric phase under load is where much of the strength and muscle stimulus comes from.
• If you feel the movement in your neck or upper traps rather than your rear delts, consciously pull your shoulders down and away from your ears before each rep.

Common mistakes

• Letting the hips sag or pike during the movement, which breaks full-body tension and turns the exercise into a partial, uncontrolled pull rather than a controlled fly.
• Swinging or using momentum to open the arms, which offloads work from the rear deltoid and increases injury risk at the shoulder joint.
• Raising the arms above shoulder height at the top, which shifts tension to the upper trapezius and places the shoulder in a vulnerable impingement position.
• Bending the elbows too much during the arc, which effectively turns the reverse fly into a row and removes the horizontal abduction emphasis that targets the rear delt.
• Rushing through the lowering phase by letting the straps pull the arms forward without resistance, which eliminates eccentric tension and slows progress.

Frequently asked questions