How many reps of the TRX reverse fly should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Foot position sets the difficulty, so find a spot where the last of 10 to 15 reps is hard while your body still rises in one piece, and do three sets there. A small step forward is a big jump, so move in inches. Once 15 reps stay clean, walk further forward or hold the wide position for a second rather than chasing higher numbers.

What can I do instead of the TRX reverse fly without straps?

A chest-supported reverse fly, lying face down on an incline bench with light dumbbells, trains the same rear delts with no balance demand at all. If you have a band, loop it around a post at chest height, take a fistful on each side and open your arms wide as you lean away from it.

What is the TRX reverse fly for, and when is it the wrong choice?

You get the rear delts plus the muscles that hold your shoulder blades back, which balances a program full of pressing and helps if you sit at a desk all day. It is the wrong choice while you cannot yet hold a straight body line, since the lower back sags first; use the chest-supported version until you can. It also cannot be loaded heavily, so treat it as accessory work rather than a main lift.

Intermediate

TRX Reverse Fly

Leaning back on the straps and opening the arms out to a wide T loads the rear delts and mid-back scapular retractors with your own body weight. It is a scalable horizontal-abduction move that builds the postural muscles most desk-bound and press-heavy trainees neglect. Slot it in as accessory or warm-up work to balance out all the pushing in a program.

Equipment: TRX
Body part: Back, Shoulder
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Deltoid Posterior
Browse by movement: Horizontal Pull

How to do it

1
Face the anchor and hold a handle in each hand with arms extended in front.
2
Walk your feet forward and lean back until the arms carry the load.
3
Brace the core and set a straight line from head to heels.
4
With a slight fixed elbow bend, sweep the arms out wide to the sides.
5
Squeeze the shoulder blades together as the body rises toward the handles.
6
Lower under control back to arms in front without letting the hips sag.

Tips

Lead with the outer edges of the hands and think about spreading the arms wide.
Squeeze the shoulder blades rather than shrugging the traps toward the ears.
Keep the ribs down so the lower back does not arch to finish the rep.
Walk the feet away from the anchor to make it easier, closer to it to make it harder.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips fold back as the arms open, so you end up sitting into the straps instead of holding one line from your head to your heels.
Elbows bend and the movement turns into a wide row, which is the sign that your feet are too far forward for your current strength; walk back a step and keep the arms long.
The straps rub along your forearms because your hands are not under the anchor at the start; set your feet so both straps run straight from the anchor to your hands.
Once you cannot finish a rep, the head pokes forward toward the handles while the arms stall; end the set there rather than reaching with your neck.
Dropping back to the start lets the straps go slack, and the next rep then begins with a jerk at the shoulders.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the TRX reverse fly should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Foot position sets the difficulty, so find a spot where the last of 10 to 15 reps is hard while your body still rises in one piece, and do three sets there. A small step forward is a big jump, so move in inches. Once 15 reps stay clean, walk further forward or hold the wide position for a second rather than chasing higher numbers.
What can I do instead of the TRX reverse fly without straps?: A chest-supported reverse fly, lying face down on an incline bench with light dumbbells, trains the same rear delts with no balance demand at all. If you have a band, loop it around a post at chest height, take a fistful on each side and open your arms wide as you lean away from it.
What is the TRX reverse fly for, and when is it the wrong choice?: You get the rear delts plus the muscles that hold your shoulder blades back, which balances a program full of pressing and helps if you sit at a desk all day. It is the wrong choice while you cannot yet hold a straight body line, since the lower back sags first; use the chest-supported version until you can. It also cannot be loaded heavily, so treat it as accessory work rather than a main lift.

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