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 By: Nick Nilsson Simply the most powerful, results-producing rear delt exercise you will ever use! This extraordinary rear delt exercise not only utilizes dumbbells for resistance, it actually incorporates your bodyweight into the movement for maximum muscle stimulation. This is something you simply WILL NOT find in any other direct rear delt exercise... you'll feel the results!
The rear delts (one of the three muscle heads of the shoulder) are among the hardest muscle groups to properly target. They are not glamorous and they aren't a showpiece muscle so they are often ignored or neglected. Big mistake!
The rear delts play an extremely important role not only in physique development but in strength and stabilization of the shoulder joint, which is CRITICAL for exercises like the bench press, as well for maintaining proper posture throughout the day. The rear delts help keep those shoulders back! Strong rear delts that are in balance with the rest of the shoulder muscle heads (front and side) are VERY important. Well-developed rear delts will also really set you apart in terms of physique development.
  Click To Enlarge. The Deltoids. The gold standard, rear delt lateral raise (and variations of it) is commonly accepted as the best way to isolate and develop the rear delts. But, as good as it is, the rear delt lateral raise has several problems...
Please note when I make these points, I'm not saying the rear delt lateral raise is a bad exercise and shouldn't be done. When properly done, it is an excellent rear delt exercise that works very well. However, as with any exercise, it does have its problems.
  Click To Enlarge. Rear Delt Lateral Raise. 1 - The Position.
If you've got lower back pain, this eliminates the exercise for you right away. If you don't have lower back pain, doing the exercise with a short bounce to get the weight started can actually lead to lower back pain. The back is simply not in a good position to be bouncing. This problem with the bent-over position can be removed by laying face down on an incline or flat bench, but this leads us to the second problem with the exercise. 2 - Inconsistent Resistance.
While this results in a good contraction at the top, your rear delts don't really get that much meaningful work until you're at or near that top point. They don't get worked fully and therefore won't develop fully. If you use a lot of weight with this exercise to try and get more out of it, the muscles of the upper back will take over. If you use a very light weight to go for feel, you may not be stimulating the rear delts with enough resistance to actually get results. It's a Catch-22 situation and neither option is ideal. 3 - Back Muscles Taking Up The Work.
With bent-over rear laterals, when the small rear delt muscles become fatigued, the larger upper back muscles immediately kick in and take over the exercise, reducing the tension on the rear delts at the exact time when they should be getting the most out of the exercise.
First, I'm going to explain exactly how to do the exercise, and then I'll tell you exactly why it's so effective and why it eliminates the problems found in the standard rear delt lateral.
Lie flat on your back on the floor with your legs perfectly stiff and completely straight. The soles of your feet should NOT be touching the floor. Hold the dumbbell directly above your chest in your left hand (arm straight and stiff) and lay your right arm flat on the floor directly to the side with your palm facing up.
 Click To Enlarge. Start. Now, keeping your left arm stiff and straight, lower the dumbbell down towards your right hand, rolling your entire body onto your right side as you do so. To start the roll onto your side, all you need to do is start bringing the dumbbell over and around a little. The weight of the dumbbell will start your body rolling over.
 Click To Enlarge. Lower The Dumbbell. DO NOT LET IT DROP! This should be a very controlled movement all the way down. If you had to, you should be able to stop at any given point along the way. Push your entire right arm hard against the floor to help control the descent of the left arm. At the bottom of the movement, you should be laying completely on your side (legs still stiff and straight) with the dumbbell lying on top of your bottom hand as though clapping.
 Click To Enlarge. The Bottom Of Movement. Now you're going to go the other way. Do a rear delt lateral raise with the left hand (that's holding the dumbbell), raising your arm back to vertical.
 Click To Enlarge. Back To Vertical. CRITICAL POINT As you do this lateral raise with the left arm, push down hard against the floor with your entire right arm. It should feel as though you are trying to open both of your arms out wide as you raise the dumbbell and roll your body towards your back. This means you'll be not only working the rear delt of the left side with a dumbbell lateral raise, you'll be working the rear delt of the right side while you push against the floor and rotate your body. This push and roll makes the exercise into a bodyweight exercise for the rear delts... exercises that move your body through space activate more muscle fibers than exercises that simply move the resistance. This exercise accomplishes both types of movements at the same time! When your left arm is vertical, you should be laying flat on your back again. Carefully switch the dumbbell over to your right hand then lay your left arm flat on the ground, palm facing up.
 Click To Enlarge. Switch The Dumbbell To Right Hand. As before, lower the dumbbell down and around and roll onto your left side, pushing down against the ground with your entire left arm, using the left arm to control the descent.
 Click To Enlarge. Use Left Arm To Control Descent.
 Click To Enlarge. Lower Dumbbell. Be absolutely sure to keep your legs stiff and perfectly straight through the entire exercise. If your knees are bent or your feet are on the floor, you will be more likely to push against the ground with your feet, removing tension from the arm that's pushing against the floor. ALL the pushing should be done at the shoulder.
 Click To Enlarge. Keep Legs Straight.
 Click To Enlarge. Repeat. Keep repeating this maneuver for a full set of 6 to 8 reps. It will take a few sets through to get an idea of how much weight you can use so don't be afraid to experiment. If you use too much weight, you won't be able to control the descent of the dumbbell and it will drop down into your other hand. If you use too light a weight, you won't feel the exercise as strongly, so be sure to add weight if and when you can.
This exercise eliminates that problem and forces ALL the tension of the negative onto both rear delts at the same time (the arm with the dumbbell fighting the lowering and the arm on the floor, pushing against the ground). These two opposing forces allow for an extremely intense and effective negative (you'll feel this one for days the first time you do it).
If you've never felt your rear delts after a shoulder workout, this exercise will help you feel EXACTLY where those are! Regular use of this exercise will help you develop your rear delts to their maximum potential far more quickly and effectively than any other single exercise you can do for them. Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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