Rear Delt Exercises for Strong Shoulder Growth in 2021

Training your shoulders with Overhead Presses, Frontal and Lateral Raises, and Bench Press variations may already be an essential part of your routine. Those are all great rear deltexercises. Work your posterior/rear deltoids, too, or you run the risk of having an imbalanced shoulder complex and an increased risk for shoulder injuries.

In this case, you need a rear delt exercise. It’s more like exercising the pectoralis posterior. It has three main functions. In addition to assisting in horizontal abduction (reverse fly motion), abductor muscles also rotate and extend the humerus externally.

Rear Delt Exercises 

Do Rear Delts after Loads of Rows for Back Training 

Top-level bodybuilders are aware of this, but many less-experienced bodybuilders don’t understand it because they tend to segment workouts strictly by body part. The rear delts are actively engaged by many back exercises, including rows, just as the front delts and triceps are recruited by chest training, the shoulders by back training, and the lower and middle traps by other back exercises.

Imagine how you would do reverse flyes on a PEC deck machine. Bend over; this motion is similar to how you perform bent-over rows or T-bar rows supported against a bench. They hit the middle traps, rhomboid, and rear delts quite well. Because of this, some exercises—especially ones that involve multiple joints—are ineffective at isolating specific muscle groups. Multijoint exercises recruit several secondary assistance muscles. In fact, many rowing movements engage the rear delts in the same way.

When you’re doing your back, you’re already working your rear delts hard. Why not add a few rear-delt exercises to your back training routine to finish it off? The best bodybuilders are already doing so.

It is likely that you aren’t giving your rear delts enough rest between workouts if you do back and shoulders consecutively. Make sure you wait at least 48 hours between each workout.

Train your rear delts twice during your training split

During your training split, you can also double up your rear-delt exercises – not your entire shoulder exercises. This approach can work as long as you take enough rest days and don’t train your back and shoulders at the same time because the rear delt is not a huge muscle.

Rather than doing the same rear-delt exercises in each workout, it would be better to vary them. You can also create variety through rep ranges, intensity-boosting techniques, volume ranges, and rest intervals in addition to exercise choice and equipment. Several variables can be modified for optimal results when working the rear delts.

Rear delts should be a priority for the three delt heads on shoulder day

When your energy levels are at their highest, the first area you should work on is the one that will improve the fastest. Now, I’m not asking you to abandon that classic opener, the overhead press. This exercise, however, does a better job of building your front and middle deltoids – depending on if you lower the bar in front or behind your head – so you need to hit your rear deltoids immediately afterward?

Prior to working the middle and front delts, you can do a rear-delt single-joint isolation exercise. After performing your presses, the rear delts get priority among the single-joint movements.

A pre-exhaust-like technique can also be used by performing a single-joint rear-delt move before pressing. The strength you gain on your presses will be sufficient to attack your rear deltoids right away, so you don’t need to worry about losing strength.

Choose a Solid Mass-Builder with Challenging Weights

By nature, single-joint exercises aren’t the best mass-builders, but you can at least use the best of the bunch. This exercise generates a bit of momentum through your lower body as you bend over.

You also need to pick the proper rep range. Exercises involving a single joint should never be overdone, as they can put undue pressure on the joint. As a muscle-building option, choosing a weight that you fail on the lower side of the 8-10-rep range is a good choice. Make sure you complete each set to muscle failure-that is, when you can no longer perform any more reps using good form.

Perform a second rear-delt exercise later in your workout

The rear delts are not restricted by law to one isolation movement, so hit them again during the same workout. You don’t want to work them differently, so choosing equipment and a rep target becomes essential.

You can try standing cable reverse flyes or high pulls on the cable if you did dumbbell lateral raises first. To work the target muscle slightly differently, pick a weight that you can do for 10-12 reps instead.

The Rear-Delt Hit List

Multijoint Exercises

• Most rowing movements
• Face pull (with rope)

Single-Joint Exercises

• Reverse PEC deck machine
• Rear delt machine
• Standing cable reverse fly
• One-arm bent-over cable lateral raise
• Bent-over dumbbell lateral raise
• Incline bench bent-over dumbbell lateral raise
• Head-supported bent-over dumbbell lateral raise
• Seated bent-over lateral raise

Incorporate New Rear-Delt Movements

It’s time for a giant suitcase if you only have one or two rear-delt exercises in your gym bag. The act of learning new movements can provide a new stimulus and jump-start growth. Dumbbells, machines, and cables are commonly used to isolate the rear delts. Unilateral (one-arm) versions allow a more excellent range of motion and intensity. Get creative.

There are various ways to perform a bent-over lateral raise:

• In a bent-over position, while holding dumbbells
• Seated on a flat bench
• with your head pressed into the bench to reduce body fat
• at an incline of about 60 degrees
• With your arms on a cable.

Dial-Up the Intensity with Advanced Techniques

As mentioned, taking your sets to muscle failure is an essential aspect of building muscle size; going 1-2 sets past loss can set you up for growth. The following advanced training techniques are excellent for rear-delt movements:

• During reverse flyes on the pec deck machine, your partner stands behind you, giving you just enough assistance when you reach the sticking point to get another few repetitions.
• Drop sets: Easy to do with dumbbells, machines, or any cable exercise. As soon as you reach muscle failure, reduce the weight by about 25% and immediately resume the set, working until you reach the second point of muscle failure.
• In a superset, two rear-delt movements are performed back-to-back with minimal rest in between. Rest only after you have completed both activities.