Bent Over Rear Delt Raise
Primary Muscle Group: Deltoids
Secondary Muscle Group: Traps
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
The Benefits of Bent Over Rear Delt Raise
The Bent Over Rear Delt Raise is an upper-body exercise that targets the real deltoid of the shoulder. By performing the movement correctly, it eliminates momentum from the rest of the body. This movement is usually performed for moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set or more, as part of the upper-body or shoulder-focused portion of a workout.
Some of the benefits includes;
It promotes shoulder health and balanced development.
It’s a great burnout movement on shoulder day.
It strengthens important postural muscles in the upper back.
If you are looking for other exercises that are the best for building muscle or wanting to lose body fat then you should check our Free Workout Plan or our Workout Plans With Coaching for professionally designed workout plans that have been proven to get results.
The Risks of doing Bent Over Rear Delt Raise
If not done correctly the Bent Over Rear Delt Raise can cause muscle strains or tears. These injuries are usually the result of not warming up correctly. It’s important to warm up your rotator cuffs to avoid injuries.
How To Do Bent Over Rear Delt Raise
1. Standing with a dumbbell in each hand, bend over at the hips until your torso is just about parallel to the floor.
2. Keep your chest out, back flat and your knees slightly bent, and let the dumbbells hang directly beneath you with your elbows straight but not locked out, palms facing each other.
3. Maintaining the same slightly bent position of your elbows throughout, powerfully raise the dumbbells up and out to your sides until your upper arms are about parallel with the floor and at the level of your shoulders.
4. After flexing your rear delts strongly at the top, slowly lower the dumbbells back toward the start position, stopping just short to maintain tension on the muscles, and reverse into the next rep.
For Perfect Technique
Try “pouring” out the dumbbells at the top - angle your wrists just slightly downward so your thumb is lower than your pinkie. It tends to accent the squeeze on the rear delt.
Avoid bounce your knees and rock your upper body to add momentum to your reps
Variations
Once you have mastered the Dumbbell Flys exercise you can try alternative exercises that target similar muscle groups such as;
How To Do Arnold Shoulder Press
1. Set up an adjustable angle bench to 90 degrees.
2. Pick up the dumbbells from the floor using a neutral grip (palms facing in). Position the end of the dumbbells on your knees and sit down on the bench.
3. Using a safe and controlled motion, kick your knees up one at a time in order to get each dumbbell into place.
4. Once the dumbbells are in place, rotate your palms so they are facing you.
5. Inhale and then press the dumbbells overhead by extending the elbows and contracting the deltoids.
6. As you press, rotate the dumbbells until your palms are facing forward.
7. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position (the arms should be roughly 90 degrees or slightly lower depending upon limb lengths).
How To Do Smith Machine Shoulder Press
1. Set up for the smith machine shoulder press by setting a bench down in the smith machine and adjusting the back to a 90 degree angle.
2. Now sit down on the bench and adjust the position so that the bar comfortably comes down just in front of your face.
3. Next, add the weight you want to use and sit down on the bench.
4. Un-rack the weights and bend your elbows slightly. This is the starting position for the movement.
5. Slowly lower the weight down until the bar is just below chin height, pause, and then raise the bar back to the starting position without locking your elbows out at the top of the movement.