If someone mentions upper body training, the common thought that crosses the mind is chest, biceps, and triceps. However, that leaves out the lesser known—but no less important—muscles involved in upper body strength: the rear deltoids. And not to forget these small but powerful muscles add stability to the shoulder. The digital era comes with certain drawbacks. One of them is people’s necks looking like a hook. This is a result of everyone constantly looking down at their screens. One of the best ways to fix it is through rear delt exercises. In this blog, we explore unique rear delt exercises for upper body strength that will change your workout routine!
Why are Rear Deltoids so Important?
The rear deltoid muscles, or rear delts, are a muscle group located on the rear part of your shoulders. Along with the front and side deltoids, they do most of the work in all shoulder movements, while contributing to shoulder stability. Including rear delt exercises in your shoulder workout can help to improve posture, reduce the risk of injury, and ensure better athletic performance.
Most of us ignore our rear delts, opting for push moves like bench or shoulder presses. However, training these muscle groups is critical for staying symmetrical and avoiding muscle imbalances. So taking that into account, let us discuss some unique rear delt exercises that will change your upper body routine.
1. Reverse Fly with Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are great for exerting tension throughout the full range of motion when training your rear delt. In addition to being different, the reverse fly with resistance bands also effectively engages the rear deltoids.
How to Do It:
- Place one foot on the center of a resistance band, holding either end in each hand with the arms down by your side.
- Allow your elbows to bend just a little, then lean forward from your hips keeping your back straight.
- With your elbows bent slightly, level your arms out to the side until they are parallel to the ground.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and back at the top and return to the starting position.
Tips: Use different band resistances to see what works for you. This is a very good way to gradually add unique rear delt exercises for upper body strength without injuring yourself.
2. Face Pulls
Face pulls are a classic rear delt exercise that tends to get lost in the mix. This exercise is great for developing healthy shoulder mechanics and building upper body strength.
How to Do It:
- Face Pull: You can either use a multi-cable machine or resistance band, adjust the pulley to face level.
- Assume a position with your feet shoulder-width apart, then grab the rope attachment with an overhand grip.
- Draw the rope to your face with high elbows, flaring them out.
- Pull being sure to squeeze your shoulder blades together and slowly return to the starting position.
Advantage: This is an advanced, no-frills style of rear deltoid exercise, which works the upper back muscles along with the rear deltoids.
3. Prone Y Raise
Perhaps the most unique rear delt exercises for upper body strength on this list. The prone Y raise is great for your rear delts as well as shoulder stability and posture.
How to Do It:
- Start by laying face down on an incline bench or stability ball, arms above your head in a “Y” position.
- Using a light set of dumbbells in either hand: lift your arms off the bench or ball with your arms straight.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for a second, then lower down.
Tip: Use slow movements to really activate the rear deltoids.
4. Dumbbell Rear Delt Row
Using dumbbell rear delt rows is another creative option for rear delts but also hitting the upper back.
How to Do It:
- Grab a dumbbell in both hands and stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend over from the hips with a flat back and a proud chest.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows and pull the dumbbells back to your hips while pinching your shoulder blades together.
- Return the weights slowly downward.
Note: Try various angles, and see which one works best for your body.
5. T-Pose
The T-pose is a somewhat different exercise for the rear delts that combines mobility and stability into a single movement.
How to Do It:
- Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and your arms stretched out to the side to create a "T" shape.
- Make sure to pull your shoulders back and down to activate your rear delts.
- Take a few seconds here, then relax and re-do the exercise.
Benefits: This is more of a rear delt exercise than a rear delt movement. It can be done anywhere, and it makes a solid addition for not just development, but also for improving posture and shoulder stability.
Tips for Incorporating Rear Delt Exercises into Your Routine
How Often:
Include rear delt work at least twice per week as part of your upper body routine. Training regularly for strength and building muscle is gradual.
Spread Out:
Again, do not be afraid to experiment and use different exercises. By mixing up different exercises you can change things up a little bit and still hit those rear deltoids pretty well.
Never Weight:
The most effective workout is that which emphasizes rhythm at the cost of the pound. In order to avoid injuries and maximize effectiveness, rear delt exercises should be done properly.
Including Them in Full-Body Workouts:
Be sure to include these rear delt exercises with your full-body workouts. They can be the perfect counterpoint to chest and shoulder exercises so that you get a balanced workout.
Progressive Overload:
Increase the weight or resistance as you get stronger to ensure your muscles continue to be challenged and grow.
Conclusion
Adding new rear delt exercises to your upper body training will help maximize gains in strength, posture, and shoulder stability. Replacing them with exercises that target those areas such as reverse flys, face pulls, prone Y raises, dumbbell rear delt rows, and T-poses would help you switch up your training and achieve better muscle symmetry. Last but not least, rear delts need just as much love as front delts, so embrace these advanced techniques for targeting rear deltoids effectively.
And now that you know exactly what these exercises are, get into the gym, and make those rear deltoid muscles work for you! Happy lifting!
