Exercise Comparison
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press vs Reverse Flyes With External Rotation




Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
Instructions
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
Move the cables to the bottom of the tower and select an appropriate weight.
Grasp the cables and hold them at shoulder height, palms facing forward. This will be your starting position.
Keeping your head and chest up, extend through the elbow to press one side directly over head.
After pausing at the top, return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
Reverse Flyes With External Rotation
To begin, lie down on an incline bench set at a 30-degree angle with the chest and stomach pressing against the incline.
Have the dumbbells in each hand with the palms facing down to the floor. Your arms should be in front of you so that they are perpendicular to the angle of the bench. Tip: Your elbows should have a slight bend. The legs should be stationary while applying pressure with the ball of your toes (your heels should not be touching the floor). This is the starting position.
Maintaining the slight bend of the elbows, move the weights out and away from each other in an arc motion while exhaling.
As you lift the weight, your wrist should externally rotate by 90-degrees so that you go from a palms down (pronated) grip to a palms facing each other (neutral) grip. Tip: Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together to get the best results from this exercise.
The arms should be elevated until they are level with the head.
Feel the contraction and slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Verdict
Both exercises target the shoulders. Alternating Cable Shoulder Press is a beginner exercise using cable, while Reverse Flyes With External Rotation is intermediate and uses dumbbell. Choose Alternating Cable Shoulder Press if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Reverse Flyes With External Rotation for a greater challenge. Alternating Cable Shoulder Press is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Reverse Flyes With External Rotation isolates the target muscle for focused development.