Shoulders · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Prone Rear Delt Swing
How to do the dumbbell prone rear delt swing, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPull
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie face down on an incline bench or flat bench with a light dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging straight toward the floor. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, swing the dumbbells out and up to the sides until they reach shoulder height, squeezing your rear delts and shoulder blades. Lower under control and repeat.
- 1Feel your rear delts and upper back drive the dumbbells up
- 2Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top
- 3Keep your chest pinned to the bench and neck relaxed
Common mistakes
- Don't swing with momentum or jerk the weights up
- Avoid shrugging your traps to lift the dumbbells
- Don't bend your elbows more as you fatigue
Muscles worked
The dumbbell prone rear delt swing mainly works the rear delts and mid traps, with the upper traps, lower traps, side delts, and external rotators assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- External RotatorsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell prone rear delt swing for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
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- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.