5 Beginner Rear Delt Exercises to Build Strong Shoulders

You will not be able to have a proper set of shoulders if you’re not aware of rear delt exercises. As the rear delts are an important part of the shoulder muscles, it’s important that you focus on them with delt-specific exercises.

Most shoulder exercises impact the lateral and anterior deltoids, but rear delts need separate attention. They're not just a part of the shoulders but are also a part of the upper back.

Therefore, delts are often secondary muscles involved in compound exercises targeting the lat muscles. However, it’s well known that you must focus on a muscle with isolation exercises for proper growth.

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Rear Delt Exercises for Beginners

As a beginner, you may not be doing heavy compound movements where the rear delts engage themselves. In such a situation, it’s great to be aware of exercises that serve as excellent rear delt exercises. Here's a look at five such workouts:

1) Band Pull Apart

This is an easy exercise if you have access to resistance bands. To do this exercise, hold the resistance band from both ends, and extend your arms in front of you. Pull the band apart, and engage your rear delts as you do that. Hold the position for two seconds before moving back to the starting position.

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2) Incline Reverse Dumbbell Fly

The next exercise to do is the incline dumbbell fly. It's one of the top rear delt exercises for bodybuilders as well.

To do this exercise, use the incline bench as a chest support, and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Push your arms backwards, replicating a reverse fly while squeezing the shoulder blades and engaging the rear delts.

You can move to heavier weights when you grow stronger, but it’s important to use light weights when you first start working your rear delts.

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3) Reverse Cable Fly

Reverse cable flys are a great pick for activating the smaller muscles around the rear delts. To do this exercise, hold the left cable with your right hand and vice versa, and stand facing the inwards.

Pull the cables across your body in a diagonal pattern. The anchors should be above your forehead or parallel to it for you to properly engage the delts.

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4) Reverse Pec Dec

If you have access to a pec dec machine, you can use it for one of the most effective rear delt exercises - the reverse pec dec.

To do the exercise, adjust the handles behind the back rest, and sit facing the back rest. Using the backrest as a chest support, hold the handles, and push your arms backwards. You should be able to bring your arms to your sides or almost your sides (depending on the weight you’re using).

When you’re at the top of the motion, squeeze your delts for a second, and control the negative as you return to the starting position. That will help ensure that the muscle fibers grow back thicker and stronger.

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5) Seated Face Pull

The seated face pull is another exercise that is often preferred by professional bodybuilders.

You can do this exercise as a finisher movement to burn out the delts for optimum impact. You can find the guide for doing face pulls here.

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Bottom Line

Rear delt exercises are important for more than just developing proper shoulders. The rear delts help with balance and stability and have use in compound exercises. Considering the same, rear delt exercises should be a part of your workout routine.