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The rear delts are one of the most important muscles in your body. If they’re weak, you can end up having a lot of trouble with overall stability and strength in those shoulders. That’s why it’s important to make sure they’re worked regularly and effectively.
Here are six exercises that will help you achieve this.
Dumbbell Lying Rear Delt Row
Lay your chest down on a high bench. Grab the dumbbells down here.
Pull the dumbbells up until the elbows are just above the shoulders. Keep the upper arm straight and the dumbbells just below the elbows. Return and do it again.
If the upper arm moves closer to the trunk than perpendicular, the lats are involved. Shoulders and elbows should be in a straight line. The bench should be just high enough so that the dumbbells don’t hit the floor, and it should be close to horizontal. Exercises can also be done on the Lying Rear Delt Apparatus or on an Incline Bench set to a height that is close to horizontal but still high enough to allow the full range of motion at the lowest point. Lying at a 45° angle is too steep to work on the back deltoids. As a Dumbbell Lying Row, you need much less resistance.
Dumbbell Lying Rear Lateral Raise
Lay your chest down on a high bench. Grab the dumbbells on each side of you.
Raise your upper arms out to the sides until your elbows reach your shoulders. Keep your upper arms straight and your elbows at a 10° to 30° angle throughout the exercise. Raise the “pinkie” side up to keep the elbows above the wrists. Lower and do it again.
To use the latissimus dorsi muscle as little as possible, the upper arm should move in a straight line with the torso. To use the lats as little as possible, the upper arm should move in a straight line with the torso.
Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
Get a hold of a dumbbell on each side. Bend your knees and bend over from the hips, keeping your back flat and almost horizontal. Put your palms together and bend your elbows just a little bit.
Raise your upper arms out to the sides until your elbows reach your shoulders. Keep your upper arms straight and your elbows at a 10° to 30° angle throughout the exercise. Raise the “pinkie finger” side up to keep the elbows above the wrists. Lower and do it again.
To avoid using the lats as much as possible, the upper arm should move in a straight line with the torso. In other words, at the top of the movement, the elbows (but not necessarily the dumbbells) should be directly next to the shoulders, since the elbows are slightly bent forward.
To exercise posterior deltoid and not lateral deltoid, keep torso close to horizontal. Putting the torso at a 45-degree angle is not enough to target the back deltoids. To keep the low back straight, the knees are bent.
Dumbbell Rear Delt Row
Kneel on the side of the bench with your arm and leg out to the side. Grasp dumbbell.
Pull the dumbbell up and out to the side, keeping your upper arm perpendicular to your body, until your upper arm is just above horizontal. Lower and do it again.
If the upper arm moves closer to the trunk than perpendicular, the lats are involved. The elbow should be brought up right next to the shoulder. Putting the torso at a 45-degree angle is not enough to target the back deltoids.
Dumbbell Seated Rear Lateral Raise
Sit on the edge of the bench and put your feet past your knees. Bend over and put your upper body on your legs. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold it under each leg. Place your hands behind your ankles (as shown) or just to the sides of your ankles with your palms facing each other.
Raise your upper arms out to the sides until your elbows reach your shoulders. Keep your upper arms straight and your elbows at a 10° to 30° angle throughout the exercise. Raise your “pinkie finger” side up to keep your elbows at the same height as your wrists. Lower and do it again.
Dumbbell Side Lying Rear Delt Raise
Lay on your side with your legs spread out to support you. Hold the dumbbell in front of your chest with your palm facing down and your arm slightly bent forward.
Bring the dumbbell up from the floor until it goes over your shoulder. Put the dumbbell back on the floor where it was before. Repeat.
Keep your elbows in a fixed position, either straight or slightly bent, and keep your upper arm perpendicular to your body.
Conclusion
The rear delts are a pretty important muscle in the body. They’re responsible for pushing and pulling, and they produce a lot of force. But sometimes all you need is simple equipment to work with. And that something might be a set of dumbbells.
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