Rear delts

[Derek63]

I need a really good exercise to bring up the rear delts, I am having trouble bringing them up and seem to pay too much attention to the front and side delts on shoulder day.....any suggestions?

[namtrag]

Try these:

http://www.davedraper.com/pmwiki/pmw...Wiki/CajinRows

I have been doing them, if you do them correctly it really burns the rear delts

[Nikonguy]

You may want to give face pulls a shot as well.

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/exercise3/facepulls.htm

[jtroster]

Here is a whole bunch of ideas:
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/Sho...#anchor1934542

[ntrllftr]

Bent over rear laterals really helped me out. The key (for me anyway) is to keep the weight just slightly forward in front of your head, bring them as high as you can with using a weight where you can just get 6-8 reps with. Also maybe do rear delts first then hit other heads after.
Just my .02

[Eclectic1]

Lying on side rear lateral raise. Unlike bent-over or prone dumbbell variations, this one emphasises the stretched position over the contracted position.

[thomasale]

Great post! Reps to those who replied

[JOHN GARGANI]

DEREK: we just had a recent thread in the EXERCISE forum on this topic and this was my reply which I will reprint:

and they won't!!!! because they are all adjunctive movements for building true size in the posterior delt region.


true size in that area is achieved by weights that you could never handle with those kind of isolation movements: it comes from either: HEAVY PRESSING, or HEAVY LAT WORK!


1. even though they are despised on here, militaries behind the neck and even just militaries in general, assist in the growth of the posterior delt more than they are acknowledged for, even though they are mainly targeting the front delt.

2. heavy lat work is mandatory!!! any sort of rowing, or overhead pulldowns, using very heavy weights will go a long way towards building size in the rear delts.

once you start doing strict lat pulldowns where you accentuate the negative with over 200 pounds, you will experience a soreness in your rear delts that you never imagined.....

I have always been supportive of isolation type movements and they are part and parcel of a total system...but that system had also better include some of the things I mentioned above.

to this I will add something VERY IMPORTANT: the previous reply in this thread by Zach brings out a really key concept that must be grasped in order to extract the most you can from a certain movement, regardless of the body part: YOU MUST BE ABLE TO FULLY CONCENTRATE YOUR EFFORT ON THE TARGETED MUSCLE WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION OF SUPPORTING AND STABILIZING OTHER BODY PARTS!!


really...very important.....let that be your mantra in BB: if you have to exert effort to do something other than what you want to do, you will spoil the whole result.....


what does this mean: IF you do isolation exercises such as bent over lateral raises, you must find a way to eliminate stabilization of the lower back OUT OF THE EQUATION!


which is why free standing bent over lateral raises are being short changed, from a point of view of the targeted muscle, the rear deltoid: the effort exerted on stabilizing the lower back in this case is a detriment to putting ALL of the effort towards the main target......


the variation that ZACH has shown here is a prime example of taking that possible impediment out of the mix and allowing you to apply full stress on those rear delts.....


another variation of this is the rest your head on something as you lean forward doing bent over laterals: a pad, a thick towel, something, because if you lean your head against something solid, the lower back is being stabilized without too much contraction of the back muscles.......



some people might now say: but isn't good for your lower back to get stronger, indirectly this way: yes and no: there are Wonderful exercises to concentrate on your lower back, such as all sorts of deads and stiff legged deads, as well as others.....when doing those movements, you can also fully concentrate on the targeted muscle, in this case the lower back.....


there have been many a back injury when doing bent over laterals as the weight gets heavier, because the lower back is NOT in a favorable position as you do this exercise...it now veers dangerously towards the category of shoveling snow, which is one of the worst possible back threateners due to it's inherent violation of the center of gravity.

[IR45N]

Originally Posted by JOHN GARGANI

to this I will add something VERY IMPORTANT: the previous reply in this thread by Zach brings out a really key concept that must be grasped in order to extract the most you can from a certain movement, regardless of the body part: YOU MUST BE ABLE TO FULLY CONCENTRATE YOUR EFFORT ON THE TARGETED MUSCLE WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION OF SUPPORTING AND STABILIZING OTHER BODY PARTS!!


really...very important.....let that be your mantra in BB: if you have to exert effort to do something other than what you want to do, you will spoil the whole result.....
.

This is probably the one thing that was covered in the past year that has stuck in my brain while lifting now. Can't say it's always gone from the brain to the muscles worked perfectly but the thought is there. I think it started out with pullups or T-bars technique. But even carry it to benching...'is everything benching or is it mainly the pecs benching?'. Makes not having a big bench less depressing.

As for rear delts, my only option for behind the neck is to set up the bar in the squat cage (doing them seated). Like the movement; moreso than the behind neck cable pulldowns....though haven't tried them in a while.

[gympunk]

Originally Posted by ntrllftr

Bent over rear laterals really helped me out. The key (for me anyway) is to keep the weight just slightly forward in front of your head, bring them as high as you can with using a weight where you can just get 6-8 reps with. Also maybe do rear delts first then hit other heads after.Just my .02

Yep, I call them Rear Delt DB Flys in my journal, I enjoy doing them- they really hlp 'fill out' the upper back.
Think mine look OK in this pic...

[techo]

We lay on a flat bench and do reverse cables with them raised all of the way up. I feel it in the rear delts very well. We will also do reverse pec deck when the cable crossover is being used and I am a bit impatient.

[Derek63]

Thanks guys, I incorporated the ideas into my shoulders workout and sure enough they hit the rear delts. Again thanks!

[John Prophet]

if u really want to hit rear delts then probably pick 2 of those exercises suggested. also you can do all of your back row work with the elbows more "flared" up away from the body, rowing the bar more up toward the chest...as opposed to keeping the elbows close to the sides and rowing more toward the belly, which hits lower lats more

[thomasale]

Originally Posted by JOHN GARGANI

DEREK: we just had a recent thread in the EXERCISE forum on this topic and this was my reply which I will reprint:



to this I will add something VERY IMPORTANT: the previous reply in this thread by Zach brings out a really key concept that must be grasped in order to extract the most you can from a certain movement, regardless of the body part: YOU MUST BE ABLE TO FULLY CONCENTRATE YOUR EFFORT ON THE TARGETED MUSCLE WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION OF SUPPORTING AND STABILIZING OTHER BODY PARTS!!


really...very important.....let that be your mantra in BB: if you have to exert effort to do something other than what you want to do, you will spoil the whole result.....


what does this mean: IF you do isolation exercises such as bent over lateral raises, you must find a way to eliminate stabilization of the lower back OUT OF THE EQUATION!


which is why free standing bent over lateral raises are being short changed, from a point of view of the targeted muscle, the rear deltoid: the effort exerted on stabilizing the lower back in this case is a detriment to putting ALL of the effort towards the main target......


the variation that ZACH has shown here is a prime example of taking that possible impediment out of the mix and allowing you to apply full stress on those rear delts.....


another variation of this is the rest your head on something as you lean forward doing bent over laterals: a pad, a thick towel, something, because if you lean your head against something solid, the lower back is being stabilized without too much contraction of the back muscles.......



some people might now say: but isn't good for your lower back to get stronger, indirectly this way: yes and no: there are Wonderful exercises to concentrate on your lower back, such as all sorts of deads and stiff legged deads, as well as others.....when doing those movements, you can also fully concentrate on the targeted muscle, in this case the lower back.....


there have been many a back injury when doing bent over laterals as the weight gets heavier, because the lower back is NOT in a favorable position as you do this exercise...it now veers dangerously towards the category of shoveling snow, which is one of the worst possible back threateners due to it's inherent violation of the center of gravity.

Judging by this then I guess you're not a fan of compound movements?