What Are Rear Delts and Why Should You Train Them?
The posterior deltoids or the rear delts are the muscles at the back of your shoulders. The trainers of these muscles usually do not receive much attention as they contribute a significant role to the strength of the upper body and stabilizing the shoulder along with a good posture in Rear Delt Exercises.
They help in pull movements, and assist in shoulder joint. Rear delt work will give balance to the front and side deltoids which are normally over worked in the pushing exercises like bench presses. It can help decrease the number of shoulder injuries, improve the posture, and help people develop better should definition and back aesthetics through strengthening them.
Benefits of Strong Rear Delts
The posterior deltoids or the rear delts are the muscles at the back of your shoulders. The trainers of these muscles usually do not receive much attention as they contribute a significant role to the strength of the upper body and stabilizing the shoulder along with a good posture.
They help in pull movements, and assist in shoulder joint. Training the rear deltoids will balance the front and side deltoids, which in most of the cases tend to be over trained due to the use of pushing exercises like bench presses. It can help decrease the number of shoulder injuries, improve the posture, and help people develop better should definition and back aesthetics through strengthening them.
Rear Delt Exercises with Dumbbells
One of the most-accessible and the most effective choices in isolating the rear delts is a dumbbell. They give natural freedom of motion and can be simply integrated into home and gym exercises. Rear delt dumbbell exercises are also effective in increasing muscle symmetry because it is worked in a push-pull motion on the arms.
When done with correct form, such exercises using dumbbells hit the posterior delt without forcing the traps or upper back all that much. The Rear Delt Fly (Bent-Over) and the Seated Rear Delt Raise are also the two most trustworthy dumbbell moves.
Rear Delt Fly (Bent-Over)
This ole-time movement is done where the hips are hinged and swinging the dumbbells out wide. Leads to excellent rear delt isolation and can be varied either by manipulations of angles of the arm or tempo to make it more difficult.
Seated Rear Delt Raise
This ole-time movement is done where the hips are hinged and swinging the dumbbells out wide. Leads to excellent rear delt isolation and can be varied either by manipulations of angles of the arm or tempo to make it more difficult.
Rear Delt Exercises with Cable Machines
Constant tension during the full range of motion that cable machines offer makes them ideal to use in isolating the rear delts. Contrary to free weights cables also enable you to keep your muscles stacked even when your movement is in the eccentric stage (downward part of the MP).
They are awesome exercises to work mind-muscle connection in and spares the joints. Cable Face Pulls and Standing Reverse Cable Fly are two very impressive rear delt cable exercises.
Cable Face Pulls
Face pulls cover the rear delts, together with building strength in the upper back muscles and the rotator cuff muscles. With a rope attachment, bend the arms at a high perpendicular angle and pull the cable towards your face being strict with your form so that you do not use the traps too much.
Standing Reverse Cable Fly
This movement is used to pull out the two arms in crossover position trying to mainly concentrate on the contraction of the rear delts. This position with slight forward lean, and arms staying slightly bent makes sure that the posterior delts are focused on during the movement
Rear Delt Exercises on Machines
Use of machines in the rear delt exercises is particularly suitable to new people and those who want to contract the muscle with controlled motion. These equipment offer support and stability in that you are not likely to be injured and you can concentrate on getting the rear delts into contraction only.
They are more valuable particularly in hypertrophy training, whereby the assistive movement guarantees tension through the rear delts through the set. The Reverse Pec Deck Machine and Rear Delt Machine Fly are two of the best exercises on the machine.
Reverse Pec Deck Machine
With the kind of grip adopted in this exercise and since it is a pec deck, the rear delts are isolated. Facing forward you sit with your chest on the pad and arms straightened out at shoulder height and you squeeze the shoulder blades and move the arms back as in reverse fly.
Rear Delt Machine Fly
At some point, just like the reverse pec deck is, the machine directly trains the posterior delts with a fixed route of motion. Holding the weight neutral and with a smooth motion, you will manage to maximize the rear delts contribution and reduce the activity of other muscles.
Best Rear Delt Exercises at Home
You do not have to join the gym to get a powerful rear delt. You do not need anything fancy, an indexed resistance band or the weight of your own body will make some of the most effective exercises to fit in at the comfort of your home. Such activities are ideal to amateurs or people who exercise in small areas.
When training at home, the major thing is to target form and mind-muscle connection when training the rear delts. Two easy to do effective exercises at home are Bodyweight Rear Delt Raises and Resistance Band Pull-Aparts.
Bodyweight Rear Delt Raises
This action may be performed face lying down on a mat. Holding your arms straight on your side, you raise them up as you force your shoulder blades closer. It might appear simple but gives decent rear delt burn when performed under control.
Resistance Band Pull-Aparts
Grab a resistance band above the shoulder and straighten the arms. To keep pulling the band and attempt to engage the back delts by opening up the arms. This is an easy exercise that can be done every day to enhance the shoulder health and shoulder posture.
Rear Delt Fly – Technique, Tips & Variations
Rear delt fly is among the best isolation exercise when it comes to posterior deltoid targeting. The variation during performance (as standing, seated, or on a machine), does not matter as long as you make sure that there is a slight curvature of your elbows, and you address the pulling activity as your rear shoulders, rather than your traps.
The angle, the tension can also be altered by variations such as incline bench rear delt flys or when using cables as opposed to dumbbells, which will give the muscles a different and new stimulus. When exercising, begin with small weights and use slow and controlled movement and focus on range of motion rather than weight.
Front Delt vs Rear Delt – Key Differences
Front delts are the anterior deltoids and they perform pushing activities such as front raises and shoulder press. They are highly stimulated when performing chest exercises, that is, they receive more attention and stimulation in most fitness regimes. Conversely, the rear delts perform pulling movements and are engaged in such exercises as the rows and flys.
They tend to be under-trained and this causes muscular imbalances which may show in posture and functioning of the shoulder. Correctly exercising both is of primary importance in the development of the shoulders.
Side Delt Exercises for Balanced Shoulder Growth
Side delts, also known as lateral deltoids, provide shoulders with the round and broad image. The lateral raises, upright row and cable lateral raises are exercises that are very important as they directly work on this region to give the broad-shoulder kind of figure.
To have a balanced shoulder, one should train their 3 heads of the deltoids front, side, and rear. Side delts are another muscle group that when ignored will result in flat, unmuscled-looking shoulders even when your front and rear delts are developed.
How to Add Rear Delt Work into Your Routine
You may include rear delta movements to your shoulder day, back day, and even high body complexes. Ideally, rear delts can be trained 2-3 times a week and with moderate volume with proper form since they could be underutilized.
Try to incorporate 2 three rear delt-focus exercises per work, with reps between 10 and 15. They react positively to increased tension and lighter weights, hence pay more attention to control and contraction more than heavy.
Final Tips for Rear Delt Training Success
The right form and repetition becomes the best in the read delt development. When exercising, aim not to use momentum or excess number of traps but use slow controlled reps with proper form.
Always make sure to warm up shoulders and stretch them before training, also make a lot of joints angles and diversify the exercise with such assistants as dumbbells, cables, and bands. Keep track of yourself and revise your training plan, lest you end up in plateaus and hit progress stagnation.