How do I make the TRX Reverse Fly harder or easier?

Change your foot position. Walking your feet closer to the anchor leans you further back and puts more of your body weight on the straps, while stepping away so you stand more upright makes it easier. A pause with the arms in the T or a slower lowering phase adds difficulty without changing your angle.

What is the difference between the TRX Reverse Fly, the TRX Face Pull and the TRX Y Raise?

All three use the same lean-back setup, but the arm path differs. The reverse fly opens nearly straight arms out to the sides at shoulder height into a T, the TRX Face Pull bends the elbows to bring the hands toward the face, and the TRX Y Raise sweeps straight arms overhead into a Y.

Should my arms be completely straight?

Nearly. Keep a slight bend in the elbows and hold it fixed for the whole rep, because bending the elbows further as you pull turns the movement into a row.

Which grip should I use?

The version shown uses a neutral grip with the palms facing each other, which keeps the thumbs pointing up as the arms open. An overhand grip with the palms down is also common; keep the same grip for the whole set and use whichever lets you reach the T without pinching at the shoulder.

How many sets and reps should I do?

It is usually accessory work, so 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 slow reps suits most people. Pick a lean where the last few reps are hard but your body line and arm path still hold.

TRX Reverse Fly

What Is the TRX Reverse Fly?

TRX Reverse Fly is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, specifically the rear deltoids, and also engages the rhomboids, the trapezius and the rotator cuff muscles at the back of the shoulder. It is a beginner-level movement performed on a suspension trainer: you lean back from the anchor with your arms straight out in front, then open them out to the sides into a T, which pulls your body back toward upright.

The movement trains the arm moving out to the side at shoulder height while the shoulder blades draw together, the opposite of a chest fly. That makes it a common pick for balancing a program heavy in pressing, for warming up the upper back before bench or overhead work, and for rear-shoulder volume when no weights are available. Because the straps only need a sturdy anchor, it fits home, outdoor and travel training as easily as the gym.

Keeping the elbows close to straight is what keeps it a fly rather than a row. In an EMG study of 28 healthy young adults on TRX straps at a 45-degree lean, this straight-arm opening worked the middle trapezius and rear deltoid at close to 90% of a maximal contraction, about double their activity in a low row, with the upper and lower trapezius also above 60%. Your body angle sets the load: walking your feet toward the anchor leans you further back and puts more of your weight on the straps, while stepping away makes it lighter. Changing the arm path changes the exercise, since bending the elbows and pulling the hands to the face makes it a TRX Face Pull, and sweeping straight arms overhead makes it a TRX Y Raise.

The TRX Reverse Fly suits beginners, lifters who want more rear-shoulder and upper-back work, and anyone looking for a light pull to pair with pushing exercises. Starting nearly upright keeps it manageable, and if holding a straight body line or straight arms is still too hard, the Band Reverse Fly and Band Pull-Apart train the same arm path standing. Moving the arms from the back of the shoulders, rather than heaving the body up with the lower back, keeps the work where it belongs.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Deltoid: Primary
Lower Trapezius: High
Rhomboid Major: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Erector Spinae: Medium
Infraspinatus: Medium
Teres Minor: Medium
Gluteus Maximus: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Low

Instructions

Stand facing the anchor point and hold one handle in each hand with your palms facing each other.
Set your feet close together, then lean back until your arms are straight out in front of you at chest height and the straps are taut.
Keep your heels on the floor and your knees soft, brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your body forms one straight line from head to heels.
Set your shoulders down and away from your ears.
With a slight, fixed bend in your elbows, open your arms out to the sides in a wide arc, letting the movement pull your body up toward upright.
Finish with your arms in a T at shoulder height and your thumbs pointing up, and squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment without shrugging or letting your hands travel behind your body.
Slowly bring your arms back together in front of your chest, letting your body lean back to the start position with the straps taut.
Repeat for the desired reps, walking your feet closer to the anchor to make it harder or away from it to make it easier.

Common Mistakes

Bending the elbows into a row
Bending the elbows more as you pull turns the fly into a row, so the arms haul the body up instead of the rear shoulders opening the arms.
Shrugging toward the ears
Letting the shoulders ride up as the arms open moves the effort into the neck and upper traps instead of drawing the shoulder blades back and together.
Sagging hips
Letting the hips drop or fold breaks the straight body line, lightens the load on the upper back and puts strain on the lower back.
Arching the back to finish
Throwing the chest up and arching the lower back to get upright replaces the arm work with a body heave.
Pulling the hands behind the body
Forcing the arms past the line of the shoulders at the top strains the front of the shoulder without adding work for the rear deltoids.
Dropping back into the start
Falling back quickly lets the straps go slack and then jerk the shoulders forward, and it skips the controlled lowering phase.

Injuries

TRX Reverse Fly is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is only part of your body weight, and you can lighten it at any time by stepping back to a more upright stance. The usual strain points are the front of the shoulder when the arms are pulled back past the line of the body, the neck and upper trapezius when the shoulders shrug toward the ears, and the lower back when the hips sag or the spine arches to finish the rep.

Test the anchor and the straps with a gentle lean before every set, and keep the straps taut from the first rep to the last so they never snap tight on your shoulders. Keep the shoulder blades set down, open the arms only as far as a T at shoulder height, and hold one straight line from head to heels. End the set when your grip starts to fail, because losing a handle while leaning back means falling backward.

To regress, stand closer to upright, or train the same arm path with the Band Reverse Fly or the Band Pull-Apart. To progress, walk your feet closer to the anchor, pause for a second with the arms in the T, slow the lowering phase, or move to the Cable Reverse Fly when you want to add load in small steps.

Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain in the front or top of the shoulder, pain that travels down the arm, or numbness or tingling in the hands. A burn across the rear shoulders and upper back is normal fatigue; joint pain is not.

Overview

Primary Focus: Shoulders
Equipment: Suspension trainer and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the TRX Reverse Fly

The TRX Reverse Fly is also known as:

TRX T Deltoid Fly

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I make the TRX Reverse Fly harder or easier?: Change your foot position. Walking your feet closer to the anchor leans you further back and puts more of your body weight on the straps, while stepping away so you stand more upright makes it easier. A pause with the arms in the T or a slower lowering phase adds difficulty without changing your angle.
Q: What is the difference between the TRX Reverse Fly, the TRX Face Pull and the TRX Y Raise?: All three use the same lean-back setup, but the arm path differs. The reverse fly opens nearly straight arms out to the sides at shoulder height into a T, the TRX Face Pull bends the elbows to bring the hands toward the face, and the TRX Y Raise sweeps straight arms overhead into a Y.
Q: Should my arms be completely straight?: Nearly. Keep a slight bend in the elbows and hold it fixed for the whole rep, because bending the elbows further as you pull turns the movement into a row.
Q: Which grip should I use?: The version shown uses a neutral grip with the palms facing each other, which keeps the thumbs pointing up as the arms open. An overhand grip with the palms down is also common; keep the same grip for the whole set and use whichever lets you reach the T without pinching at the shoulder.
Q: How many sets and reps should I do?: It is usually accessory work, so 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 slow reps suits most people. Pick a lean where the last few reps are hard but your body line and arm path still hold.