10 Rear Delt Exercises You Need To Know About!

Are you looking for some new rear delt exercises, but don’t know where to start? Maybe you are growing bored of your current gym routine and want to mix it up a little?

Or perhaps you are curious and want to know more? Whatever your reason might be, we have the answer for you!

We know how challenging it can be to find new exercises that work for you, especially for your rear delt. Try as you might, you just can’t find the right exercise to help you get the definition that you want on your shoulders.

Slowly, you resign yourself to never getting the strength you want and to be stuck with the same boring exercises for the rest of your life. 

Well, no more! Today we are here with the answers that you need! Keep reading to find the 10 best rear delt exercises and how to do them to help you transform your gym routine and start getting the definition that you want.

10 Rear Delt Exercises

Let’s get straight into it! Here we have the 10 best rear delt exercises for you to try. Don’t worry, we will talk you through how to do each exercise and how they can help you. 

Seated Dumbbell Raises

First up, we have the seated rear dumbbell lateral raises which are a fantastic way to strengthen and tone your rear delts. You will use your serratus anterior muscles under your armpits and in your ribs to help create the V-shaped upper body that so many of us crave! 

How To Do Seated Dumbbell Raises

You can do this exercise by following the four steps below: 

1. Start sitting on the end of an exercise bench with your feet apart. Have the dumbbells hanging on either side of your legs.
2. Lean forward with your chest touching your knees.
3. Next, raise the dumbbells up and out to your sides. Keep the palms facing inwards here and your torso down on your chest.
4. Hold this position before slowly lowering your arms back to the first position. Repeat until your rep set is complete and rest.

Along with offering an excellent workout for your delts, it can also broaden your back as it works your trapezius. It’s the ideal workout for those looking to boost their upper body width and add to their definition. 

Include this exercise in your training workout two to three times a week. 

Reverse Pec Deck

Reverse pec deck flyes are a good option for those that want to reduce the risk of injury. By using the seated machine you can work on creating a well-defined posterior deltoid.

You can push yourself to failure here, making it the perfect exercise to do lots of reps towards the end of your session. 

How To Do Reverse Flyes

To do reverse pec deck flyes, you can follow these four steps: 

1. Sit on the machine and adjust it so that your stomach touches the pad.
2. Next, hold the machine handles with your arms parallel to the floor.
3. Push the handles together, squeezing your shoulder blades as you do.
4. Hold the position before returning to the start. Continue to repeat this until you have finished your set.

Not only does this exercise help you build muscle and add definition to your rear delts, it also gives you an upper-body workout. It’s worth including these in your routine so you can minimize any pain and injury in this area. 

We recommend adding them to your routine two to three times a week to help improve flexibility and add definition to your shoulders. 

Bent Over Rows

Next, we have bent over rows using a Barbell. These are a good option if you are looking to build strength across your body and bulk up your delts.

You must get your form right with this workout to avoid any back injuries. If you are unsure, it might be worth having someone spot you to ensure that the technique is correct. 

How To Do Barbell Bent Over Rows

You can do this exercise in four easy steps. Before you begin, make sure that you have a barbell with the plates of your desired weight. Then you can start the exercise. 

1. Hold the bar with an overhand grip with your hands at shoulder-width distance.
2. Move your torso forward and bend your knees slightly. Be sure that your back is straight and parallel with the ground while you do this.
3. Next, lift the parallel towards your sternum. Take your time here to ensure that the movement is controlled and that your elbows are tucked in.
4. Pause to hold the position before returning the weight to the start. Take your time here as this will continue to work your muscles.

This exercise works your body in two parts. The stance helps to build your core and back muscles, while the lifting motion will help your arms, shoulders, and back. You can expect to gain strength to your back, hamstrings, glutes, and lats! What more could you want? 

We suggest starting with this exercise once to twice a week to help with strength and shoulder definition. Once you are happy with the technique, you can look to increase the reps and weights being used. 

Rope Pulls

Another good exercise for your rear delts is rope face pulls, which will also help increase mobility in your shoulder joints. It can also help to increase your form in other exercises too!

Rope face pulls are an excellent way to improve flexibility in your upper body and are an exercise we recommend you try today! 

How To Do Rope Face Pulls

To do a rope face pull, you will want to set the cable pulley to the highest position on the cable machine. Ensure that you can comfortably reach this before hooking on a double rope attachment. Once the machine is set up, you can follow these three steps to complete the exercise. 

1. Take the handles in an overhand grip, ensuring that your palms face the floor.
2. Next, pull your arms towards you until your hands are on either side of your head.
3. Hold the position before returning to the start. Be sure to hold tension throughout the movement for maximum results.

Along with working your rear delts, this exercise works your upper back muscles, rhomboids, and trapezius. Incorporating this exercise into your routine can help to improve your posture. Rope face pulls should certainly be included in your routine if you spend all day sitting at a desk! 

Try and do these two to three times a week, as they will help you improve your upper body strength and should help to broaden your shoulders too. 

Incline Dumbbell Rows

Let’s take a look at incline rear delt dumbbell rows. These are fantastic for your back muscles and can help to straighten your spine, as well as focus on your rear delts! You can complete this exercise on an incline bench, just like one of our other exercises coming up later on! 

How To Do Incline Rear Delt Dumbbell Rows

To do this exercise, you will first need to set the bench up with the backrest in an incline position. Once done and you have tested it to ensure that it is comfortable for you, you can follow the five steps below. 

1. Lie face front on the bench with your body propped up by your toes.
2. Take a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms in front of you.
3. Lift the dumbbells towards your body. Do this until your elbows are just above your shoulders.
4. Hold the position, squeezing your back and shoulder muscles.
5. Release and slowly return the dumbbells down to the beginning position. You can then repeat the exercise until the set of reps is complete.

This exercise works your trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and rhomboid muscles, giving you a fantastic workout for your upper body. It should also help to broaden your upper body and increase the flexibility in your shoulder joints. You should notice that your range of motion increases after regularly following this exercise. 

To add this to your routine, we suggest doing three to five sets, each with between ten and fifteen reps in each set. You can do this two to three times a week on the days you are training your shoulders and upper body. 

Inverted Rows With Wide Grip

If you are new to the fitness world, then this is an excellent exercise for you to use! It is an easy and safe way to train your rear delts. By doing wide grip inverted rows, you can work your shoulder muscles and your upper body. You will also be using muscles in your legs too, so it’s a great exercise for those looking to improve their overall fitness too! 

How To Do Inverted Rows With Wide Grip

To do this exercise, you will want to take a barbell and place it on a weight rack for you. Ideally, this should be placed at weight height. Check that it is the right height for you, before proceeding to avoid any injuries.

Once this is done, you can follow our three steps below:

1. Lie on the floor facing upwards with both hands on the bar shoulder-width apart. Make sure that your hands are in an overhand grip too.
2. Make sure that your body is in a straight line to contract your abs and glutes and pull your body up to the bar. Keep pulling until your chest touches the bar.
3. To finish, lower yourself back to the floor. You will want to do this in a controlled motion to avoid hurting yourself or falling hard onto the floor.

Wide grip inverted rows are far easier to do than pull-ups, which makes it one of the best exercises you can do for rear delts, no matter your fitness levels! You will become stronger generally, and develop a tighter core too. What could be better than an exercise that does all this for your body?

We would incorporate this exercise into any day you are training your upper body or full body. Even after a few sessions, you will start to see some results! 

Dumbbell Y-Raises With Incline

Next, we have Y-raises using dumbbells and an incline, which helps to make your rear delts more flexible and build some strength too! Doing this exercise will also work your chest muscles and forearms. It’s a good exercise to do if you are looking to improve your overall upper body strength. 

How To Do Dumbbell Y-Raises With Incline

To do this exercise, you will want a bench with its back set up at 45 degrees. Check that this is done before following our five steps to complete the exercise. 

1. Lie front-facing on the bench and position your head on the backrest.
2. Use your toes to support your body weight while you hold the dumbbells under your shoulders.
3. Slowly raise the dumbbells. You will want them in a Y-shape above your head.
4. Pull your shoulder blades forward and engage your core while you hold the shape.
5. To finish, return the dumbbells to the first position.

Doing this exercise will help add definition and strength to your shoulders. These should also help improve mobility in your shoulders too. You should also notice that your posture will benefit from these dumbbell raises and see an improvement in your upper body definition. 

We suggest including this exercise when you are training your upper body or a shoulder session. We would do this exercise two or three times a week. 

Reverse Cable Flyes – Standing

To help you train your rear shoulders, we suggest this standing reverse cable fly. You can use this as a good exercise for your posterior deltoid and to improve the strength overall in your upper body. 

The exercise will also work your trapezius and rhomboids to add even more definition to your upper body! 

How To Do Standing Reverse Cable Flyes

For this exercise, you will need to use the cable machine. Stand between two cables with the pulleys at the top position. Once you are in the correct position, use the steps below to complete the exercise: 

1. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Hold the left cable in your right hand and the right cable in your left hand. Pull both cables across so they form a cross. This should be across your chest.
2. Bend your elbows and knees slightly before pulling the handles outwards until your arms are nearly outstretched.
3. To finish, return the cables slowly to the central position. You can then repeat this until your set is complete.

These cable flyers will help build a rounded shoulder area, especially in the rear and side portions. You should also notice increased stability and mobility in your rotator cuff muscles and shoulder girdle. This will help with other shoulder workouts too, and you should find that they become easier to perform! They will also be safer too. 

We would do this exercise when working on your upper body and shoulders. Start with a manageable weight and gradually increase it as your strength grows.

Increasing the weight will help you to grow your muscles and add even more strength and definition! Make sure that this increase is gradual to avoid overdoing it and injuring yourself. 

Rows With T-Bar

Using a T-bar to row is a fantastic way to get a range of muscles working and will help you to improve your core strength. You can expect your latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius to be exercised as well as your posterior deltoid. 

How To Do T-Bar Rows

Before beginning the exercise, plate a barbell on one end, supporting the other end with a wall or other object that won’t move. Check that the weight is secure before following our steps below. 

1. Hold the weighted end of the bar using a V-grip handle. Use both hands to do this and ensure that you are bent over the bar.
2. Keep your back in a neutral arch and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lift the bar until the plate touches your chest.
3. To finish, slowly lower the bar down to the starting position. Remember to keep your shoulders and back engaged while you do this.

While the bent-over barbell row is a fantastic exercise to help build strength in your upper back, the chance of injuring your back is quite high. Instead, a T-bar row is a far safer alternative that will still help you increase your strength and muscle mass in your shoulders and back. 

We suggest trying this out during your upper body training sessions or when you are working solely on your back and shoulders. 

Single Arm Bent Over Row With Dumbbell

Using dumbbells to perform this exercise is a fantastic way for your rear delts to be activated and have a good workout! It will also work your hips, shoulders, biceps, and back! Not bad for one exercise! 

You can also expect to improve your core stability with this exercise and get a better posture. 

How To Do Single-Arm Dumbbell Bent Over Rows

For this exercise, you will want a dumbbell in a weight that suits you and a flat bench. Don’t go for one that is too heavy, opt for one that you know you can lift. You can always increase the weight as your strength increases. Once you have the equipment, you can follow the six steps below. 

1. Put your right knee and right hand on the bench and bend over. You want your upper body to be parallel with the ground.
2. Take the dumbbell in your left hand, ensuring it is below your shoulder.
3. Next, lift the dumbbell towards your chest and use your back and shoulders. These should be the driving force of this motion. Don’t move your chest while you do this.
4. Pause to hold the position and squeeze your shoulder and back muscles.
5. Slowly, extend your arm to put the weight down.
6. Once you have completed your reps with the left arm, switch arms and repeat the above steps on your right side instead.

This is a good exercise to work your biceps, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius. By doing this exercise, you should notice an improvement in your back’s strength along with definition and strength in your shoulders too! 

We would suggest doing between six and eight reps for three to five sets. Add this to your workout routine two to three times a week, depending on your training schedule. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Get your last-minute rear delt questions answered here! 

Does Working Rear Delts Improve Posture?

By working your rear delts, you can develop your shoulder muscles and improve your posture. Your rear delt muscles work to stabilize your rhomboid and traps, which will help with other movements like push-ups. 

What Do Rear Delts Do?

Your rear delts or posterior deltoids work to improve your posture and create a stronger back. Your rear delts are used when you lift objects over your head along with other lifting motions. 

How Many Rear Delt Exercises Should I Do?

You will want to incorporate a few rear delt exercises into your workout routine. Ideally, a range will help you to increase your strength and build these muscles. Be sure to use our article to find some new exercise that you can use to work your rear delts. 

How Long Do Rear Delts Take To Recover?

Ideally, you want one or two days of recovery after each workout session where you train your rear delts. You can include rear delts when training your back or shoulders, so you will want to keep this in mind and plan your training sessions accordingly. 

How Often Should I Train Rear Delts?

For definition and increased strength, you will want to train your rear delts at least twice a week. As you continue to progress, increase the number of times you train and move up to heavier weights. 

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, ten different exercises that you can use to train your rear delts! When trying any new exercise, be sure that you set up correctly and maintain the right posture at all times.

Why not have a friend spot you or ask a trainer to check that you are in the right position if you are unsure? Remember to listen to your body to avoid exerting or injuring yourself and to allow rest days for your muscles to heal. 

Whichever exercises you choose, we are sure that you will see an improvement in your strength and definition!