Rear delts
- Thread starter Sorbate
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I train mine with back. They are hard to isolate without getting some upper back work so i figured to get hit both at the same time.
I also hit them with bands when warming up on shoulder and chest days. So im actually hitting them 3 or more times a week. Not a ton of volume tho
I also hit them with bands when warming up on shoulder and chest days. So im actually hitting them 3 or more times a week. Not a ton of volume tho
What did you do when you focused on them?
Just the above exercises?
I have been doing bent over flies with bands, and bent over rows with bands just for the past 2 weeks really and I havent notices crazy gains but for 2 weeks I have noticed some changes and I feel like if I keep at it, it will pay off. I only started doing this because the gyms closed again.. figured I would try to focus on a weaker bodypart and so far its working. Better posture too. Maybe doing 4 or 5 sets of varying exercises including some rotator cuff ones. If I remember Ill post another in 2 weeks.
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If like standing facepulls with bands or cable. Tons of youtube vids
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for my shoulder warm ups, i do band pull aparts (if thats a thing). Arms in front on me at shoulder height and i just pull the bands apart. Kinda like rear delts on fly machine. Rear delts are on fire after a couple of sets.
The way i see it, as long as you can fell them when you train them and you are sore there the next day then thats all you can do. No point in trying to hammer them with big weight cause your back is going to do all the work
The way i see it, as long as you can fell them when you train them and you are sore there the next day then thats all you can do. No point in trying to hammer them with big weight cause your back is going to do all the work
eazy57
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I train mine with shoulders.
Rear delt development is an important part of my training as I have found they give a much rounder "cap" look to your shoulders.
I use a john meadows warm up with them almost every time i do shoulders They are decline rear delt raises. I do 10 reps of 20 lbs followed immediately by 20 reps of 10 lbs. A super set really. Repeat 3 times. Man the blood will be flowing and you'll have a wicked pump. It's not a lot of weight on purpose. Really focus on he movement. Feel the muscle working. Don't feel the need to go high with with the dumbbells. My range of motion is almost limited to the mid 3rd of the moment to keep tension on them all the time while trying to isolate them as much as possible.
Other than that I use one arm bent over side laterals and pyramid up in weight until I can't do strict form anymore.
I do bent over rear delt cable raises too. I usually keep the weight light at around 20 lbs for 12 to 15 reps.
Rear delt development is an important part of my training as I have found they give a much rounder "cap" look to your shoulders.
I use a john meadows warm up with them almost every time i do shoulders They are decline rear delt raises. I do 10 reps of 20 lbs followed immediately by 20 reps of 10 lbs. A super set really. Repeat 3 times. Man the blood will be flowing and you'll have a wicked pump. It's not a lot of weight on purpose. Really focus on he movement. Feel the muscle working. Don't feel the need to go high with with the dumbbells. My range of motion is almost limited to the mid 3rd of the moment to keep tension on them all the time while trying to isolate them as much as possible.
Other than that I use one arm bent over side laterals and pyramid up in weight until I can't do strict form anymore.
I do bent over rear delt cable raises too. I usually keep the weight light at around 20 lbs for 12 to 15 reps.
My rear delts sucked and I never used to feel them working, but I've found focusing on keeping my shoulders protracted rather than retracting them (where the other upper back musculature will take more of the load) has been a big part of developing and feeling them for me, as well as not doing an exaggerated range of motion. I just stop at the top when I feel my rear delt is fully contracted and any further range would take away tension - 3/4 way up for me. Aside from cues like protracting and driving my elbows out to the walls instead of back, I've found John Meadows rear delt swings as posted already are brutal, the first 25-30 reps you don't feel a ton but the second half burns like no other. Also a big fan of rowing movements where you keep your arms up (ie a 'rear delt' row on a machine) for some extra work on pull/back days. Higher reps (ie 12-20) have worked best on most exercises for me, usually about 3-4 sets of dumbbell rear delt flys or reverse pec deck in a workout is all I need due to all the other back work if I'm consistently progressing in reps/weight week to week
I have been told rear delts are one of my stand out body parts so I figure I will chime in. I always do 5 sets of 20 reps, and pyramid the weight on each set. Every week I try to bump the 5th set up by 2.5 to 5 lbs. I think this is something guys forget to do with "high rep" sets, they seem to just grab weights Grandma Josephine would use and not put any effort into progressing weight wise on the movement. Some of my fav exercises/machines are: The Nautilus Rear Delt Machine(if your gym has one in 2021 you are very lucky), Reverse Pec Dec, Face pulls with a rope, Incline reverse dumbbell lateral raises, Standing bent over cable lateral raises.
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I'm most in line with @eazy57 's protocol and thoughts.
Loosely following Heavy, Off, Light, Off, repeat over and over with extra Off days to suite the rest of the workout.
Heavy Day - Any other lower rep compound exercises for upper body that are already scheduled with movement choice favoring those that hit rear delts. Then around 9 sets of 7-10reps isolated rear delts.
Light Day - 8 or 9 minutes of bullying blood around. Often the first semi-real movements after Warm Up and used as last Warm Up for upperbody. ALL ABOUT THE PUMP. 9-10 sets of high rep stuff - 35-55 reps. FLOW. Bands, super light DB's, cables. Near continual movement, super short rests (10 secs if possible). The weight is nearly irrelevant, sets don't end from strength failure but oxygen debt and PAIN. GLORIOUS PAIN.
I'm pretty sure nothing looks more odd to some others in the gym than my soaking wet ass struggling with the 8lb dumbells
EDIT- @TPM_81 just saw ur post , Grandma Joe weights on light day are used with intent to foster recovery on these days, that's my intention anyhow, had a good chuckle thanks
Loosely following Heavy, Off, Light, Off, repeat over and over with extra Off days to suite the rest of the workout.
Heavy Day - Any other lower rep compound exercises for upper body that are already scheduled with movement choice favoring those that hit rear delts. Then around 9 sets of 7-10reps isolated rear delts.
Light Day - 8 or 9 minutes of bullying blood around. Often the first semi-real movements after Warm Up and used as last Warm Up for upperbody. ALL ABOUT THE PUMP. 9-10 sets of high rep stuff - 35-55 reps. FLOW. Bands, super light DB's, cables. Near continual movement, super short rests (10 secs if possible). The weight is nearly irrelevant, sets don't end from strength failure but oxygen debt and PAIN. GLORIOUS PAIN.
I'm pretty sure nothing looks more odd to some others in the gym than my soaking wet ass struggling with the 8lb dumbells
EDIT- @TPM_81 just saw ur post , Grandma Joe weights on light day are used with intent to foster recovery on these days, that's my intention anyhow, had a good chuckle thanks
I put a cable machine at the lowest setting. Bend over to almost parallel with the floor. Grab the end of the cable. No attachments. Then bend my arm at 100-120°ish with a neutral grip. I imagine my elbow its being pulled behind me by a rope and the rest of my arm is just along for the ride. Keeping it as flared as I can. Not forcing my arm back as the traps and rhomboids tend to take over. Its a short ROM but you'll feel it quite a bit in the rear delt. Hopefully that was clear enough.
Hey Sorbate, I used to stand in front of the cable machine used for cable flies. I would grab them arms crossed and pull apart similar to rear delt flies on the chest pec deck. Honestly tgat was about it for rear delts . Pec dec reversed for rear delts and then as explained with cables.
My rear delts are a very strong point of mine. I built them up doing a lot of machine flies, and lots of high rep band pull-apart sets. Can also do a lot of rows which helps.
Also just want to add, that I personally find it easier to connect with each rear delt, doing the exercises uni-laterlaly. One delt at a time, sometimes helps me connect better.
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Exactly this, you can't go heavy or else your traps will just take over. Need to really focus on keeping the traps and upper back out of the equation but going light.
I never trained them directly ... but listen to @jackedpotato ... when ever your doing a lateral raise, seated row, t-bar row protract or pre squeeze your traps and rear delts and they will start to pop. I did a lot of heavy rowing exercises... that is where I got my rear delts. My delts at 52 competing
Thanks for all the answers.
Rows are my favourite back exercise other than deadlifts, unfortunately they dud nothing for my delts, but made my lats huge. Actually my lats got so thick, that I quit training back because it was giving me a rounded shoulder look with no rear delts.
I will focus on one arm, band pulls and the cable cross over type. I think those will be the ones I’ll be able to feel the best.
Rows are my favourite back exercise other than deadlifts, unfortunately they dud nothing for my delts, but made my lats huge. Actually my lats got so thick, that I quit training back because it was giving me a rounded shoulder look with no rear delts.
I will focus on one arm, band pulls and the cable cross over type. I think those will be the ones I’ll be able to feel the best.