Bent-over dumbbell flyes are the best exercise for the rear deltoid.

A beautiful and high-quality shoulder shape directly depends on a properly developed rear deltoid. It is this bundle of muscle that completes and rounds the shoulder, giving it an athletic shape. Therefore, you should not ignore rear delt exercises. The main condition will be the correct execution technique, number of repetitions and load.

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Features of bent-over arm raises

Unlike exercises for the posterior deltoid muscle, which are performed in simulators, bent-over dumbbell raises allow you much better , since working with free weights, more muscle fibers are activated, and energy costs increase.

The exercise requires stabilization of the spine, it is important to keep your back straight , due to this the muscles of the back and abdomen are further strengthened.

This technique is suitable for a more prepared athlete, but there is a second execution option available at any stage of training.

The main work is done by the rear delta bundles; in the upper phase, when the dumbbells are abducted in an inclined position, are involved . In addition to the main muscles, the work includes:

teres minor;
infraspinatus;
trapezoidal;
the teres major and rhomboid muscles also work additionally, which bring the shoulder blades together.

Features of the exercise

To better understand how to train your shoulders, you need to understand the functions they perform. There are two of them:

The rear delta is very difficult to develop for the reason that there are not many exercises that specifically load it. The difficulty also lies in the difficulty of including it in work in isolation from other muscle groups.

Do you agree that a developed rear delt looks impressive?

Bent over dumbbell swings are an isolated exercise (only the shoulder joint works, the elbow joint is fixed). By tilting the body and abducting the arms to the sides, isolated work of the rear deltoid is achieved.

The difficulty of the exercise lies in the inability to turn off the auxiliary muscles and work only with the rear deltas, in the incorrectly selected working weight, the “clumsy” technique of execution, and the inability to feel the contraction of the rear deltas.

The main mistake many people make is performing bent over swings using the trapezius muscle. This happens in cases where:

in the starting position, the shoulders are high (trapezium tense),
as the movement progresses, the shoulder blades retract, the shoulders actively move (raise and fall with the force of the trapezius muscle),
the elbows extend above the level of the shoulders (the higher the elbows are in relation to the shoulders, the easier it is for the trapezius muscle to engage in work).

If we want to train the rear deltoid, then:

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in the starting position, the shoulders should be lowered down (the trapezius is stretched across the back),
the movement should be carried out by the elbows, not the shoulders,
The maximum height of the elbows is at shoulder level, not higher.

Despite the fact that the amplitude, when performed correctly, is small (in order to exclude auxiliary muscles from the work), loading the rear delta will be effective - such is its anatomy and physiology.

One of the options for performing tilted swings is lying on a bench

Bent over swings can be performed standing, lying on an inclined bench with your chest or sitting, also tilting your body forward, with one hand alternately or with both. Body tilt is necessary to create the correct vector of movement of the dumbbells and engage the rear deltoid in the work. Choose the optimal angle of inclination based on the design features of your body and the sensations of the rear deltoid (45° is suitable for some, while others will have to bend almost to the horizontal, look for what works for you).

In general, the tilt of the body and the position of your body are secondary, the really important things when performing are:

slumped shoulders
movement by raising the elbows no higher than shoulder level,
turning of the hands when lifting.

Well, now more about the technology.

Option 1: standing dumbbell fly technique

This option is the most difficult , since it does not have additional support, so the exercise should be performed with prepared back and abdominal muscles.

Place your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and lean forward until your back is parallel to the floor.
Keep your back straight at all times, as rounding the spine while lifting weights can cause serious injuries to the lumbar region.
With your arms freely lowered with the dumbbells, bend your elbows slightly, turning them to the sides.
Exhale: swing the dumbbells out to the sides, raising your arms to the level of your shoulder joints, elbows facing the ceiling. Don't help your arms by jerking or rocking your back. It is important to make the swing faster at the top, but isolate the rear deltoid from the accessory movements.
Inhale: in the lower phase, make a slower movement - smoothly lower your arms down.
When gaining muscle mass, it is recommended to perform from 8 to 12 repetitions of 4 sets.

Common mistakes

They arise in technology due to incorrectly selected weight. When it’s hard for a person, he helps himself with inertial movements that reduce the load on the rear delts:

Swinging movements of the body and legs.
Curvature of the back when performing.
Quickly lower the dumbbells down.
Reduction of the shoulder blades at the top point.
Change in the angle of the elbow joint.
Fast pace of swings.

This is a list of the most common mistakes. To understand that the exercise is being performed correctly, it is enough to feel which muscles are working. Any action that makes the exercise easier is already a mistake.

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Option 2: sitting bent over dumbbell fly technique

This version of the swing is performed while sitting, with the stomach resting on the thighs; this helps the athlete concentrate more on the movement of the arms. The emphasis will help you not to think about the position of the spine, but you should not forget about the quality of the technique

Sit on the edge of a bench, hold small dumbbells in your hands, and lie with your stomach on your thighs. The arms hang freely above the floor, the elbows are slightly bent and turned to the sides.
Exhale: perform reverse raises of dumbbells through the sides, without lifting the body, the position of the body does not change.
Inhale: Slower than the upswing, lower the dumbbells down.
Perform 8-12 times, the lower the load, the more repetitions . Total 3-4 approaches with a rest of 1-2 minutes.

Option 3: Dumbbell swings lying at an angle of 45 degrees

One of the simplified versions of the exercise is performed with the abdomen resting on an inclined bench.

Set the bench at an angle of 45 degrees, lie down with your stomach on the surface so that your chest lies on the bench. The feet rest on the floor on the sides of the bench, the knees are bent, you can also rest your knees on the seat.
Hands with dumbbells hang freely, elbows slightly bent and turned to the sides.
Exhale: perform a quick swing to the sides to the level of the shoulder joints, aiming your elbows at the ceiling.
Inhale: lower slowly to the starting position.
It is recommended to perform 8-12 times, 3-4 approaches.

Option with changing the position of the elbows

In any of the bent over fly variations, it is possible to change the technique, this concerns the position of the elbows when lifting. This modification will require more weight , since simplification of the technique will lead to the fact that the working weight of the classic version of the swing will be too small. This option will perfectly increase strength indicators.

The starting point is below - arms hang down, elbows turned to the sides.
Exhale: perform a dumbbell swing across the side, bringing your elbows to a right angle, the forearm remaining perpendicular to the floor.
Inhale: slowly lower your arms to the starting point.

As the technique becomes simpler, you can use the ladder technique , starting the first set with 12 repetitions, and with each subsequent set, reduce the repetitions by increasing the weight of the dumbbells.

Recommendations for men and women

For beginners in the gym, bent over arm abductions with dumbbells can be incomprehensible and difficult to perform, since a person may not feel where and how the rear delta works. Therefore, to begin with, it is recommended to perform arm raises in the simulator; the muscles will become toned within a month, and then they will require a more complex load. Then move on to swings with dumbbells, gradually increasing the weight.

Men are recommended to perform delt exercises no more than 2 times a week for 8-12 repetitions.
For girls, it is enough to train their shoulders once a week, 15 repetitions, 3 sets.

How to pump up your rear deltoids | Complete Guide

9 rear delt exercises to gain mass

Have you noticed that the muscles of the front part of the body are always ahead of their rear counterparts in development? For most gym goers, the hamstrings lag behind the quadriceps, the back lags behind the chest, and the triceps lag behind the biceps. And it's all the mirror's fault. Those muscles that we don’t immediately see when we look at ourselves, seem insignificant to us and are trained on a residual basis. Especially when they are still small in size and grow poorly, such as the posterior bundle of the deltoid muscle. Therefore, the topic of my article today will be to find answers to the questions: how to pump up the rear deltoid, how to avoid mistakes in its training, and what exercises should be used for this.

Having spent a huge amount of time in the gym, I can’t say that the rear deltoid is not pumped up. On the contrary, everyone who wants to have shoulders like balls trains this small bundle of deltoid muscles quite actively and regularly. But not everyone succeeds in pumping up the rear deltoid by working according to the generally accepted shoulder training scheme. And there are five very good reasons for this:

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Reason 1. The rear deltoid is lazy

According to a 2002 study, an amateur bodybuilder's anterior deltoid muscle mass is almost 5 times greater than that of an average person. The average beam is 3 times larger, but the rear delta is only 15-20%. The reason for this injustice lies in the fact that the front delta takes an active part in all pressing exercises for the chest/triceps/shoulders, and the rear delta is practically not included in the work during basic exercises.

Over time, the anterior deltoid becomes the largest and strongest bundle of the deltoid muscle and begins to openly steal the load when performing most of the pressing movements from other muscles. Its activity, along with the passivity of the posterior delta, is the main reason for the chronic lag of the posterior bundle in volume.

The front delta is actively involved in all pressing movements, overtaking other muscles in mass and strength.

Reason 2 . The rear deltoid is pumped incorrectly

Of course there are exceptions, but in most people the muscle fibers that make up the deltoid muscle are slow-twitch. This means that you won’t be able to pump up your rear deltoid by swinging heavy dumbbells and performing 6-8 repetitions per set. Exercises for it need to be done with a much larger number of repetitions, without hesitation in using very modest working weights for this. High repetition work, 12-15 and even 20 repetitions in each set - this is a sure way to pump up the rear deltoid.

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Reason 3. It’s difficult to target the rear deltoid

The smaller the muscle in volume, the more difficult it is to involve it in work and make it grow. We are accustomed to thinking that the deltoid muscle consists of three separate segments: anterior, middle and posterior. But as science says, in this group there are 3 main and 4 auxiliary bundles of muscle fibers, which means that it becomes even more difficult to direct the load exactly to the address and pump up the rear delta by performing only classic exercises.

If the front delta takes most of the load from the middle one during overhead presses, then the trapezius also does so during exercises for the rear delta with a barbell and dumbbells. Especially when, in training the rear deltas for mass, the weight of the weight is inadequately selected.

Incorrect technique for performing exercises on the rear deltoid transfers the load to the trapezius

Reason 4: Train your rear delts last.

No matter what anyone says, we get true pleasure from working out in the gym by pumping up our favorite muscle groups. They are a source of pride for us, so we give priority to their development. Now the question is: who likes to pump up the rear delt? Especially when it doesn't grow at all. The answer to this question will be another reason for its lag.

To increase the volume of the rear deltoid and make it a source of pride, shoulder training should begin with it, and then move on to exercises for the middle beam. In addition, no matter how much we would like to isolate the rear deltoid, it is simply impossible to exclude its middle sister from work. During training on the mass of the rear deltoid, the middle beam will also receive sufficient load. You can safely start a set of shoulder exercises with exercises for the rear delta and the growth of the overall muscle mass of the shoulder girdle will only be beneficial.