Follow These Steps To Bring Up Your Rear Delts
Rear delts are a weak muscle group for most people. They make it even worse by not training them often. There are two major reasons why most people have underdeveloped rear deltoids. First, the rear delts are a small muscle group which most people overlook training. The second reason is much more profound. Since the rear delts are on your back, it is hard to build a mind-muscle connection with them. Necessary to build muscle effectively, mind-muscle should not be overlooked for what it can do for your overall growth and development.
Your shoulders consist of three parts; front, medial and rear. You should be training each of them equally. Unfortunately, your rear delts sometimes take a hit with exercises not targeting them as effectively as they could. By knowing what to do and how best to hit these muscles, you will see much better growth and an even bigger aesthetic.
Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to build monstrous rear delts. Knowing exactly how to target hit these muscles will better prepare you when it comes time to seeing only the best gains possible.
Benefits Of Strong Shoulders
Strong shoulders are a way to provide balance and stability to your upper half and serve as a vital connection point for your arms to your trunk. Assisting with both pushing and pulling movements, it is important to have strong shoulders for sport specific and more functional movements. Strong shoulders also help with posture (1) and allow you to see better aesthetic gains with a more full look.
Best 5 Ways To Build Monstrous Rear Delts
Let’s take a look at these 5 tips to build bigger, more monstrous rear delts. By following the right approach, and taking in the best advice, you will see those gains you want in no time. Plus, you won’t be disappointed with the results.
1. Train Your Rear Delts At The Beginning of Your Workouts
Most people do a single exercise of rear delts at the end of their workouts. If you have underdeveloped rear delts, a single exercise at the end of your workouts isn’t going to do anything for you. If you want to bring up your lagging rear deltoids, start training them at the beginning of your workouts.
You are fatigued at the end of your workouts and won’t be able to target your rear delts optimally. Establishing a mind-muscle connection with your rear deltoids when you train them at the beginning of your workouts is easier and will better establish consistent activity and growth (2).
2. Train Them Twice a Week
Training your rear delts twice a week is one of the most effective ways of bringing them in tune with the rest of your physique. Since your rear delts are on your back, you can train them on your back day.
You don’t need to use heavy weights while training your rear delts. Focusing on your form and maintaining a full range of motion will get you the best results. Schedule your rear delt workouts in a way that you have at least 48 hours to recover from your last workout.
3. Do At Least A Couple of Exercises
For most people, training rear delts is doing one exercise at the end of their shoulder workouts. You need to be doing at least two exercises to improve your rear caps. You could perform one exercise at the beginning of your workouts and one at the end.
Doing an exercise at the beginning of your workouts will help in activating your rear delts and you will recruit them in every exercise you do. Performing an exercise at the end will help you complete the workout with a nasty pump in your rear deltoids.
4. Use Advanced Training Techniques
Just like with the other muscle groups, you should be using advanced training techniques while training your rear delts. Advanced training techniques like drop sets, super-sets, intra-stretch stretching, etc. help you in shocking the muscle (3).
If you perform the same exercises every time you train your rear caps, your muscles will get used to your training and will stop responding to your workouts. Use the advanced training techniques to keep your muscles guessing.
5. Use Cables
Don’t limit your rear delt gains by only using dumbbells. Using cables in your workouts can give you an edge. Cables put a constant amount of tension on your target muscle group throughout the movement.
On the other hand, while using dumbbells, you have tension on the concentric movement but have no load on the muscle on the eccentric movement. Incorporate the bent over cable rear delt flyes, cable face pulls, reverse pec deck flies in your workouts to completely smoke your rear delts.
Best Exercises To Boost Rear Delt Growth
Knowing what exercises to do can better help you tackle your rear delt needs. With the right approach to training, and only the best exercises in the mix, you can better work your rear delts so they grow in shape and size. These exercises below are effective in building rear delt strength and efficient in building rear delt size.
Great rear delt exercises include:
- Cable Face Pulls
- Wide Grip Inverted Row
- DB Bent Over Reverse Fly
- DB Incline Y and T Raises
- Seated Dumbbell Rear Fly
Of course, there are many others but these can help you get started on seeing only the best gains possible.
Wrap Up
Building your rear delts can be a challenge, but one worth pursuing. Don’t let this often times neglected muscle fall by the wayside and give your rear delts some love. These 5 tips are great to follow as you perform some effective exercises to only see the best gains. Prioritize your rear delts and they will grow to be absolutely monstrous.
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*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Lee, D.; et al. (2017). “Changes in rounded shoulder posture and forward head posture according to exercise methods”. (source)
- Calatayud, J.; et al. (2016). “Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training”. (source)
- Schoenfeld, B.; et al. (2018). “Can Drop Set Training Enhance Muscle Growth?”. (source)
