Overview of Rear Delt
The deltoid is a large, three thick headed triangular muscle which originates from the clavicle and the scapula at the rear of the shoulder and extends down to its insertion in the upper arm. Its function is to rotate and lift the arm. The anterior deltoid lifts the arm to the front, middle deltoid lifts the arm to the side, and the rear delt lifts the arm to the rear.
Training Rear Delt
Who doesn’t want to look broad or pose with impressive deltoids? Rear delt plays an essential part in making you broad. We have specified the best training technique for rear delt underneath:
Behind the neck presses
To isolate the shoulder movement specifically the rear delt and develop muscle mass as well.
How to do it: Lift the barbell overhead and set it down on your shoulders behind your head or lift it off the rack of a seated press bench. Press the weight straight up and then lower it again, keeping it under control and your elbows as far back as possible during the movement.
Seated one arm cross cable laterals
The purpose is to develop the rear deltoids by isolating and flexing the rear deltoid when reaching the top position of the cable lateral movement.
How to do it: Sitting on a low bench, take hold of a handle attached to a floor-level pulley in such a way that your arm is fully extended across the front of your body. Keeping your body as still as possible, pull the handle across and up until your arm is fully extended to the side at about shoulder height. At the top of the movement flex your rear deltoid to get a really full contraction. Lower the weight back to the starting position.
Reverse Overhead Dumbell laterals
With this technique, you can develop your rear delt, side del, and trapezius with separation of the muscles.
How to do it: Take a dumbbell in each hand, then extends your arms straight out to either side, palms turned up. Slowly lift your arms up and bring them together over your head. Your arms do not have to lock out on top. Keep your body steady during the entire movement. From the top lower the dumbbells slowly down to the starting position.
Seated Bent over Dumbell
To isolate and work the rear delt and force the posterior head of the deltoid to work more directly.
How to do it: Sit on the end of a bench, knees together and take a dumbbell in each hand. Bent forward from the waist and bring the dumbbell together behind your calves. Turn your hands so that your palms face one another. Keeping your body steady, lift the weights out to either side turning your wrists so that the thumbs are lower than the little fingers. Be careful not to lift up your body as you lift the weights. With your arms just slightly bent, lift the dumbbells to a point just higher than your head, then keeping your knees together, lower them again slowly to behind your calves, resisting all the way down.
Standing Bent Over Dumbbell Laterals
To develop the muscle mass on rear delt and separate the muscle from trapezius.
How to do it: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend forward from the waist 45 degrees or more, letting the dumbbell hang at arm’s length below you, palms facing each other. Without raising your body, lift the weights out to either side of your head, turning your wrists so that the thumb ends up lower than the little fingers. Lower the weights again under control, resisting all the way down.
Benefits of Rear Delt
Developing and well shaped Rear Delts can have numerous benefits and we have specified some of the reported benefits underneath:
- It helps in strengthening the posterior deltoid muscles
- You can improve the weightlifting power as your later muscles have more muscle mass and strength to lift the weight
- Well developed Rear Delts prevent the shoulder injury especially trapezius muscle and shoulder joints
- You look much wider from the back as muscle mass in rear deltoid gives you better shape and size
Precautions/Mistakes of training Rear Delts
We all do minor mistake while training rear deltoids however, it can cause severe injuries which needs medical attention to avoid this we have specified some of the common mistakes and precautions we should take while training underneath:
- Lifting heavy weight to train rear deltoids can lead to shoulder injury
- Not following the isolation technique for the development of muscle mass in the rear deltoids
- Doing overdo or overtraining of rear delts to get better results
- Using barbells only to train, however, you can use cable or kettle dumbbell to train the muscle more effectively