Shoulders / Intermediate / Isolation (single joint)

Seated Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise

A dumbbell isolation exercise for the rear delts.

At a glance

Primary

Rear delts

Equipment

Dumbbells

Movement pattern

Reverse fly, Shoulder-blade squeeze

Level

Intermediate

Type

Shoulders, Isolation (single joint)

How to do it

1. Place a couple of dumbbells looking forward in front of a flat bench.
2. Sit on the end of the bench with your legs together and the dumbbells behind your calves.
3. Bend at the waist while keeping the back straight in order to pick up the dumbbells. The palms of your hands should be facing each other as you pick them. This will be your starting position.
4. Keeping your torso forward and stationary, and the arms slightly bent at the elbows, lift the dumbbells straight to the side until both arms are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you lift the weights. (Note: avoid swinging the torso or bringing the arms back as opposed to the side.)
5. After a one second contraction at the top, slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Swinging the torso up to lift the weight.

  Why it hurts: The lower back takes repeated jerks and the rear delts barely work.

  ✓ Instead: Support the chest on a bench or keep the torso still, and use light weights.

• ✗ Shrugging and squeezing the shoulder blades hard.

  Why it hurts: The traps take over and the neck gets tight.

  ✓ Instead: Keep the shoulders down and move the arms out wide, leading with the elbows.

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