Bodybuilding 3 MIN READ 1111 VIEWS March 26, 2024

Rear Delt Exercises: Benefits and How to Perform Them

Written By HealthKart
Medically Reviewed By Dr. Aarti Nehra

Many gym-goers’ workout programmes normally include an overhead pressing variant combined with lateral raises to construct a well-rounded set of rock shoulders. However, if you want to avoid any obvious delt injuries and develop a superhero shoulder physique, don’t overlook your rear delts. By incorporating a few sets of rear delt exercises into your fitness routine, you can achieve strong shoulders. This time-tested workout is ideal for increasing the posterior head of your deltoids and providing an additional boost towards the symmetry in your shoulders that you’ve been aiming for.

In this blog we will discuss the best rear delt exercises and how to do these rear delt exercises at home to improve your physique. 

What are Rear Delts?

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the exercise, let’s understand exactly what the rear delts do. The muscles on the rear of the shoulder/upper arm region are referred to as the posterior deltoids.

The rear delts muscles retract the shoulder to shift the upper arms behind the body, whereas other shoulder muscles raise the arms or drive the shoulder forward. This is an equally beneficial move for all types of workout enthusiasts, from heavy bench press athletes who often overload on anterior work while neglecting their posterior muscles to those who spend most of the time in front of a desk.

Benefits of the Rear Delt Raise

Listed below are some of the ways in which rear delt raise benefits you:

  • Isolates the rear delts
  • Builds rear delt size and strength
  • Improves mind-muscle connection

The rear delts perform the essential function of upper arm and shoulder retraction but typically don’t work alone. Lats and mid-back muscles—larger than the relatively small delts—usually take on some load.

It’s great if your goal is lifting a heavy object as efficiently as possible but it’s not ideal when you’re trying to grow your rear delt muscles. That’s where the rear delt raise comes into play. By removing your lats from the equation, the rear delt exercises help you focus on the area for better development and strengthens the mind-muscle connection.

Muscles the Rear Delt Raise Works

Here are the muscles worked with rear delt exercise:

  • Posterior Deltoids (rear delts)
  • Rhomboids
  • Core

While the rear delt exercises are meant to help isolate the target muscles, other muscles will still pitch in to move the weight. The core, rhomboids, and rotator cuffs will also likely get involved.

Who Should Do the Rear Delt Raise?

People who focus mainly on anteriorly targeted movements (muscles on the front of your body) like bench presses can balance out their physiques by doing the rear delt exercises at home to shift attention to the back.

People who spend a lot of time sitting at a desk can also benefit since the movement counteracts the kyphotic position they’ll find themselves in daily, with their shoulders slumped forward. However, the exercise can generally be effective and useful for all trainees.

How to Do Rear Delt Exercises with Dumbbells

Using a set of light to medium dumbbells, bending the hips into a forward hinge posture (shoulders higher than hips) and then performing a reverse fly with an emphasis on isolating your rear delts and squeezing your shoulder blades are the typical steps of a classic rear delt exercises. At the same time, you pause momentarily at the top. Wear a chest-supported rear delt raise on an adjustable bench to maintain proper posture.

Steps to do Best Rear Delt Exercises

  1. Set up an adjustable bench in a high position, then flush your chest with the bench pad.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and core to create full-body tension.
  3. Grab a pair of dumbbells, and raise the weights to the side with a slight elbow bend—about a 20-degree angle. Think about raising your palms forward.
  4. Hold for a split second, then lower back down.

To complete your shoulder training, use a lighter weight for three or four sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Conclusion

The rear delt exercises with dumbbells is a crucial exercise because it’s one of the few that, when performed properly, can isolate the back portion of your deltoid muscle while minimising support from larger muscle groups such as your lats and mid-back. Training your rear delts is essential to building balanced shoulders in terms of stability, size, and strength. Now that you know the best rear delt exercises, sticking to an effective workout program is the key.

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