Transform Your Shoulders: 15 Must-Do Rear Delt Exercises

Working on your rear delts can make a huge difference in your overall shoulder strength and appearance. Not only do strong rear delts help you look balanced from every angle, but they also play a vital role in improving your posture and preventing injury. If you’re focusing on developing your upper body, you want to include these exercises in your routine.

Here are the 15 best rear delt exercises, each broken down into an overview, how to do it, and the benefits they provide.

1. Rear Delt Fly

The rear delt fly is fairly common in most shoulder routines since it targets the rear deltoid specifically. This exercise is ideal for sculpting your muscles and also, targets the shoulders. You can do it using dumbbells or cables depending on what you have in the gym.

How to Do It

1. Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, flexed at the knee with a single dumbbell in each hand.
2. Bend at your waist and lower your upper body down to get it as close to the floor as possible.
3. Swing your arms back while bending your elbows at the 90-degree angle, holding the dumbbells at the height of your shoulders.
4. There is the reduction of the dumbbells back to the position on which you started in a slow and controlled manner.

Benefits

• Isolates and strengthens the rear delts.
• Improves shoulder mobility.
• Enhances upper back definition.

2. Face Pulls

Face pulls work the rear delts and the upper back muscles, which make them a great exercise to do. It is also effective in making one have good shoulder health and enhancing posture, especially for people with rounded shoulders due to long hours of sitting down.

How to Do It

1. Tie a rope handle on a cable machine at chest level.
2. Take the rope firmly between the two hands in a way that your palms are facing each other.
3. Pretend to be pulling a rope towards your face with your elbows up.
4. Concentrate on the bangs of your shoulder blades at the peak of the swing.
5. Gradually comes down to the initial position.

Benefits

• Strengthens rear delts and rotator cuff muscles.
• Improves shoulder stability.
• Helps with posture correction.

3. Barbell Row

Barbell row is a compound movement that targets not only the rear delts but also the back, traps, and core muscles. Indeed, it is one of the exercises most recommended in the development of general upper body strength.

How to Do It

1. Take a wider-than-shoulder-width stance with your feet, grasping a barbell with your hands in an overhand position.
2. Bend from the hip and bring your torso down to the floor or slightly above the floor level.
3. Pull the barbell toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Bring the barbell back down to the starting position with equal force.

Benefits

• Builds upper back and shoulder strength.
• Increases muscle mass and definition.
• Improves posture and spinal stability.

4. Suspended Inverted Row

Suspended inverted rows are effective in targeting your rear delt and upper back areas, core muscles, and balance. This is a bodyweight exercise that can also be done using suspension straps or a bar.

How to Do It

1. The person should then lie down under the suspension trainer or bar with hands holding onto the bar.
2. Make certain that your body remains aligned from the head to the heels.
3. Pull your chest down to the bar, with your elbows pulling back.
4. Lower your body back to the initial position.

Benefits

• Strengthens rear delts, back, and core.
• Enhances grip strength.
• Improves upper-body stability.

5. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

This unilateral exercise helps you target each side of the body individually, which is important for muscle balance and correcting any asymmetries. It hits your rear delts, back, and biceps.

How to Do It

1. Sit with one knee and one hand on a bench.
2. Take a dumbbell in the right hand, while keeping the back straight.
3. Sweep the dumbbell back towards your hip, with your elbow pointing backward.
4. Slowly the lowering of the dumbbell back down is done.

Benefits

• Targets the rear delts and back muscles.
• Enhances strength in a single limb and reduces muscle balance.
• Builds a strong and defined upper body.

6. Close Grip Lat Pulldown

While lat pulldowns mostly work the lats, a closer grip would involve the rear delt more than a wider grip. Barbell rows are another excellent back exercise you can incorporate if you wish to target your posterior deltoids.

How to Do It

1. Sit on a bench and have one knee and one hand touch the surface of the bench.
2. Bring the bar down to your chest while trying to pin your shoulder blades back and down.
3. Slowly release the bar back up to the starting position, with your arms fully straight.

Benefits

• Mainly exercising the rear delts, lats, and upper back muscles.
• Enhances shoulder mobility.
• Develops back width and thickness as a whole.

7. Bent Over Dumbbell Fly

The bent-over version, like the rear delt fly, is more intense because the range of motion is more complex. This is an excellent exercise that effectively targets your rear delts.

How to Do It

1. With your feet planted wide apart, grasp the dumbbell in your non-dominant hand at your side.
2. Bend forward at the hips until your torso is parallel to the floor.
3. Take the dumbbells up to the sides while maintaining a slight bend on the elbow.
4. Bring the dumbbells down to the starting position again.

Benefits

• Allows for excellent isolation of the rear deltoids.
• Improves shoulder stability and strength.
• Builds definition in the upper back.

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8. Reverse Pec Deck Fly

The reverse pec deck fly is a machine exercise that focuses on the rear delt pull without much engagement of the other muscles. It is suitable for anyone who is just starting or anyone who wants to focus on the rear deltoid muscles.

How to Do It

1. Stand in front of the pec deck machine with your back resting against the pads.
2. Turn the palms inward and hold the handles firmly.
3. The handles should be pulled outwards and backward while simultaneously trying to flatten the back by bringing the shoulder blades back.
4. Return to the starting position slowly.

Benefits

• Isolates the rear delts with minimal involvement from other muscles.
• Perfect for beginners.
• Builds shoulder strength and endurance.

9. Standing Bent-Over Lateral Raise

This lateral raise modification employs a different angle from the usual lateral raise exercise to target the rear delts. It is one of the easiest exercises that can help to develop the shoulders.

How to Do It

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides.
2. Bend at the hip joint, moving your upper body forward but maintaining the spine’s position.
3. Bring the dumbbells up to the sides till they get to the height of your shoulder line.
4. Slowly bring the dumbbells back down in a controlled fashion.

Benefits

• Targets the rear delts and upper back.
• Improves shoulder stability.
• Builds shoulder and back definition.

10. Cable Machine High Pull with Ropes

The cable high pull with ropes is an excellent exercise for engaging the rear delts and traps while providing continuous tension throughout the movement.

How to Do It

1. Take a rope and fix it on the low pulley of a cable machine.
2. Assume a comfortable stance with your legs slightly apart, gripping the rope firmly with both your hands.
3. Stretch the rope towards the chest while ensuring that your elbows are positioned upward.
4. This is followed by slowly pulling the rope back to the initial position.

Benefits

• Proper use offers consistent pull on the rear delts.
• Strengthen traps and upper back muscles.
• Reduces pain and stiffness in the shoulder and upper back regions.

11. Rear Deltoid Machine

The rear deltoid machine is specifically designed to isolate and strengthen the rear delts without much effort from other muscles. It’s a machine that allows you to focus solely on the rear part of your shoulder.

How to Do It

1. Sit at the rear deltoid machine, with your chest against the pad.
2. Grab the handles, palms facing each other.
3. Pull the handles outward and backward, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly return to the starting position.

Benefits

• Isolates the rear delts for maximum engagement.
• Ideal for building strength and endurance.
• Perfect for beginners or those with shoulder issues.

12. Assisted Pullup

While the pullup mainly targets the back and biceps, the rear delts are also engaged, especially when using an assisted pullup machine. The assistance allows you to focus more on form and muscle contraction.

How to Do It

1. Set the assistance weight on the pullup machine.
2. Grab the handles with a wide, overhand grip.
3. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.
4. Lower yourself back down in a controlled manner.

Benefits

• Engages the rear delts, lats, and biceps.
• Builds upper body strength.
• Improves grip strength and endurance.

13. Side-Lying External Rotation

This small but effective exercise is excellent for strengthening the rotator cuff and rear delts. It’s often used in shoulder rehabilitation programs but is also valuable for overall shoulder health.

How to Do It

1. Lie on your side with a dumbbell in one hand.
2. Bend your elbow at 90 degrees, keeping your upper arm against your body.
3. Rotate your arm outward, lifting the dumbbell toward the ceiling.
4. Lower the dumbbell back down in a controlled motion.

Benefits

• Strengthens the rear delts and rotator cuff.
• Improves shoulder stability.
• Reduces the risk of shoulder injuries.

14. Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row works the entire upper back, including the rear delts. It’s a great compound movement to include in any workout routine.

How to Do It

1. Sit at a cable row machine with your feet flat on the platform.
2. Grab the handles with both hands and sit up straight.
3. Pull the handles toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly return to the starting position.

Benefits

• Builds upper back and shoulder strength.
• Engages the rear delts.
• Improves posture and back stability.

15. Dumbbell Y-Raises

Dumbbell Y-raises are a great shoulder isolation exercise that focuses on the rear delts, traps, and rotator cuff. It’s perfect for improving shoulder mobility and strength.

How to Do It

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding light dumbbells in both hands.
2. Hinge at your hips and lean forward slightly.
3. Raise the dumbbells in a “Y” shape, keeping your arms straight.
4. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Benefits

• Strengthens the rear delts and rotator cuff.
• Improves shoulder mobility and stability.
• Ideal for injury prevention.

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Conclusion

Including these 15 rear delt exercises in your routine will help you develop well-rounded shoulders, improve your posture, and enhance upper body strength. By following the instructions on how to perform each exercise and understanding the benefits, you’ll be able to create a balanced shoulder workout routine that targets every angle of the shoulder joint. So, the next time you’re at the gym, give these exercises a try—you’ll notice the difference in no time!