How To Strengthen The Rear Deltoids By Nick Nilsson
Rear deltoids or posterior deltoids are one of the difficult muscles to work because other muscle groups protect them carefully. The back muscles, which are a stronger muscle group, tend to protect the deltoids whenever they are used. Therefore, when you try to work the deltoid muscles, the larger back muscles take the bulk of the load. This is the reason why most of us do not get the full benefits of working the rear deltoids.
The best way to isolate and work the rear deltoid muscles is doing the bent over Lateral Raises. With proper technique, the back muscles can be eliminated from the equation, thereby strengthening the rear deltoids.
Technique:
There is a variety of positions for doing the bent over lateral raises. This can be done either standing, seating or on an incline bench. When doing it on the incline bench, ensure that the chest is always in contact with the bench. This helps to eliminate the chest muscles out of the equation.
Start the exercise off with the arms hanging straight down. This will be the starting and ending posture. Another most important is the position of the shoulders. It is very critical to keep the shoulders down throughout the exercise. This stretches the back muscles and reduces their support of the deltoids. This way the exercise can isolate and focus on rear deltoids.
After initial positioning, pick up the desired dumbbells and start the exercise with a reverse wrist curl. Keep this position and raise the dumbbells slowly in a semi-circle motion. When raising the dumbbells, imagine that you are hugging a tree in the back, with the back of your arms. This visualization helps in reducing the desire to bring the dumbbells closer to the chest.
Bring the dumbbells in line with the head. Pause here and squeeze the muscles tighter. Then slowly bring the dumbbells down, in a semi-circle until your arms hanging straight down.
Some important points to note here are:
1) The shoulders must be kept down throughout the movement.
2) Perform a reverse wrist curl in the beginning. This eliminates the triceps out of the equation.
3) Bring the dumbbells around in a semi-circle, keep the dumbbells as far from the body as possible.
4) The dumbbells must be brought in line with the head.
Bent over lateral raises is an excellent exercise to isolate the rear deltoids. As with any exercise, proper form is very critical in getting the full benefit of the exercise. The above tips will help in building a stronger rear deltoid muscle.
