Rear Delt Raises on an Incline Bench

The rear deltoids are part of the posterior chain of muscles that are sometimes neglected in relation to the readily visible anterior chain of muscles such as the pectorals and anterior deltoids. However, it is essential to exercise your rear delts with the same frequency as your anterior muscles to maintain the integrity of your shoulders and avoid postural imbalances. Some exercises that isolate the posterior deltoids can be awkward to perform, but rear delt raises on an inclined bench allow you to work your posterior deltoids with your body braced.

  1. Shoulder Anatomy

    • Your shoulders consist of your deltoids and upper trapezius. Your upper trapezius lies between the bony tip of your shoulder and your neck. Your deltoids include the anterior or front deltoids, the medial or side deltoids, and the posterior or rear deltoids. Your anterior deltoids help raise your arms to your front, your medial deltoids raise your arms sideways and your posterior deltoids rotate your shoulders backward. ExRx.net notes that your posterior delts help move your upper arm away from your chest.

    Adopting the Right Body Position

    • Standing dumbbell rear delt raises are awkward to perform. Your body position involves hinging forward at the hips until your torso is parallel to the floor, and engaging your core muscles to help keep your back flat and protect your spine. This is not ideal if you have lower back or flexibility problems. Focusing on your body position may also dilute your focus on the actual exercise.

    Isolating Your Rear Delts

    • Rear delt raises on an incline bench are akin to performing incline flys for the chest in reverse. They enable you to target your posterior deltoids without the distractions of maintaining the correct body position. Grip a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing inward, and lie facedown on a bench inclined at approximately 30 degrees. Hold the dumbbells dangling down on either side of the bench, and with both elbows slightly bent and palms facing inward, raise the dumbbells outward and upward, so that your arms are extended to your side, parallel to the floor. Don't let your arms travel backward as this shifts the focus from your rear delts onto your lats. Stop when your elbows are in line with your shoulders, and lower the dumbbells to their starting position. Use a comfortable weight that allows you to do 12 to 15 repetitions with good technique.

    Engaging Your Rear Delts Indirectly

    • Anatomically, your posterior deltoids are part of your shoulders. However, due to their location, you also engage them when performing multi-joint exercises for your upper back or lats. These include a wide variety of resistance machine, free weight and body-weight exercises such as lat pulldowns, row pulls, bent-over rows, single-arm rows, pullups and chinups.