Rear delt raises?

[Kelto10]

Hi, my posture is ****. I think it's mainly due to weak upper back muscles. Originally I wanted to do face pulls, but my gym doesn't have adjustable cable things. Can I just do rear delt raises instead? If so, how many reps / sets / kg? I've been on SS for 2 months, I bench 60 kg, row 60 kg, DL 110 kg, press 42.5 etc., and I weigh 66 kg.

Also, should I stop benching until I've fixed my posture-induced kyphosis and forward shoulders?

[Lencho]

Does your gym have a seated cable row?


Reps should be high for raises. 12-20.


No, don't stop doing one thing just because another thing is lagging. Also, rear delt work isn't the cure-all. Any and all upper back/vertical pull exercises would help. Can you do a pull-up?

[jnbrk]

I always had terrible rear delts, and also lateral delts. When I started doing facepulls, they have grown like they never did before. Now I do 5-6 sets and 12-15 reps of facepulls 4 days a week. Sometimes more.

You dont need an adjustanle cable. You can do them like this;

[Kelto10]

I always had terrible rear delts, and also lateral delts. When I started doing facepulls, they have grown like they never did before. Now I do 5-6 sets and 12-15 reps of facepulls 4 days a week. Sometimes more.

You dont need an adjustanle cable. You can do them like this;

Ah, that's genius, didn't think about that. It looks like he's sitting on the ground, using the lower part of the cable machine? Maybe the cable row machine could work too? How many kgs do you use?

[Kelto10]

Does your gym have a seated cable row?


Reps should be high for raises. 12-20.


No, don't stop doing one thing just because another thing is lagging. Also, rear delt work isn't the cure-all. Any and all upper back/vertical pull exercises would help. Can you do a pull-up?

Yes, it does have a seated cable row. You think I could use that? 12-20 reps would mean like 2-3 kg I think, at max. Is that good enough?

Yes, I can do like 8-10 pull ups, don't think they're sufficient though.

Should I do face pulls only or also rear delt raises?

[jnbrk]

Ah, that's genius, didn't think about that. It looks like he's sitting on the ground, using the lower part of the cable machine? Maybe the cable row machine could work too? How many kgs do you use?

Yes he does.
Sure it can work.
I use 10 kg for 4 sets, and 5 kg for the other 2 sets.

The key is, never let your back muscles undertake the lift. So don't do it very heavy. Your back needs to stand vertical.

[NZninja101]

^That's a legitimate option.


Facepulls are good because they combine the bringing of the upper arm from in front of you to out to the side, (the function of the rear delt), with the external rotation of the shoulder. I don't do them because despite varying form I feel it more in my traps than rear delts, and I don't experience shoulder problems due to reasonable form and balancing of pushing to pulling, but I can't deny the validity of the facepull.


You're not actually injured at this point, rather you just have unbalanced shoulder girdle, so you should be fine to continue pressing, and add in bent over raises/reverse flys, or facepulls. 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps every second session would be a good starting point.

[dmacdonal9]

You can do them with a band as well. I place a bar at eye level on a rack, wrap a band around it, and attach a rope grip to the band. Works fine.

[Garage Rat]

Do a search for "Bat Wings"an exercise recommended by coach Dan John for your issue.

[KonstantinosMav]

hmmm... Rear Delt and Upper Back exercises could actually help you with the problem, now I want to ask you what kind of work do you do? Is there a lot of sitting around in front of a computer involved? He have a natural tendency to slouch which could result in back pain and rounded shoulders. Check out on google a "posture fix gadget", you can put it on your wrist. It will vibrate every time you slouch reminding you to fix your posture. For rear deltoid exercises you can either choose dumbbells or the rear peck-deck machine. Keep repetitions on the high level for the most part. Good luck!