Week Three- Rounding Off the Edges…
During week three we’re going to hone in on the rear deltoids. This is an often neglected area, but a crucial one none the less. The rear delts really round off the edges of the shoulders and make them look much more complete. Once developed, they make your delts look much more prominent and much larger!
Exercise one: Bent-over cable laterals-
3 sets
This is perhaps the greatest rear delt movement in existence!
The movement this exercise mimics coincides perfectly with the rear delts natural range of motion.
Make sure your arms cross enough that an adequate stretch is being applied to the rear shoulders. This movement is excellent to have a spotter for. Having a partner help force out that extra half-inch at the top of the movement can make all the difference in the world with this exercise!
Go for a pyramid rep scheme here of 12-10-8.
Exercise two: Seated Dumbbell Cleans-
4 sets
Seated dumbbell cleans will work the rear delts and upper back quit extensively! This is a fairly exhausting exercise so muster your strength.
Begin by grabbing a pair of dumbbells and sit on the edge of a bench. Start out by pulling your shoulder blades up and back. From there clean the dumbbells up to a 90% flexion of the elbows (or 10% away from total lockout).
To clean the dumbbells rotate your elbows around and under the dumbbells, until they’re pointing forward and slightly upwards; hyperextend the wrists as the elbows move through the range of motion.
As you do this exercise remain in an upright position and don’t rock your upper body by allowing your lower back to assist you in the movement. You want all the power from this movement to be expended from your rear delts and upper back.
It really is hard to get a compound rear delt movement that won’t involve heavy use of the upper back. The mechanics of the rear delts just involve getting assistance from the upper back. So if you feel a burn in your upper back, or experience sore traps the next day, you’ll understand why.
We’re going to pyramid up here, to make sure the area is thoroughly warmed up, so start out with 12 reps then, 10-8-6.
Exercise 3: Face Pulls-
3 sets
This is another excellent movement that will provide an awesome burn in the rear deltoid/upper back zone
You can use either an overhand or underhand grip. I suggest trying both to see which one suits you the best.
I recommend using a seated cable rowing machine as it’s easier to position yourself properly for this movement. But you can also use a
pull down machine too by pulling the bar or rope to the face. Another option is that you can use either a rope or a bar for this movement. Both offer a little bit different feel, so I suggest experimenting with each.
From either a seated or standing position, pull the rope attachment towards your face/neck with your elbows held high. Contract your rear delts and upper back by squeezing your shoulder blades together while keeping your chest held high. Go for a general rep range of 8-12 here. The reps count on this exercise isn’t as important as feeling the burn it provides. It’s easy to lose form on these, so keep your concentration fixed on feeling the rear delts pull on the weight.
Exercise 4: One Arm Dumbbell Lying Rear Delt Raise-
2 sets per arm
This is an awesome dumbbell rear delt movement that will work the back shoulder through its complete range of motion! This isn’t a heavy weight exercise, so start with a light weight and get a feel for it before you go heavier. This exercise is more about getting a complete range of motion as opposed to lifting heavy. The rear shoulders have a very poor leverage in this position so a small increase in weight will bring a big increase in strain.
Start by lying on your side on a flat bench and keeping a slight but constant bend in your elbow. Slowly lift the weight until your arm is almost pointing straight up. Definitely over-emphasize the negative on this exercise. As you approach the bottom of the movement find the point where the dumbbell is pulling on your rear delt but your arm is not totally at rest. Hold that stretch for a two count, and then ascend back up for another rep. Aim for a general range of 8-12 reps.
Exercise 5: Cable Upright Rows-
2 sets
We’re not going to include a direct trap exercise in week 3, simply because we’ve already used a lot of upper back strength in many of these movements.
Cable upright rows hit the rear delts hard at the top of the range of motion, so we’re going to take advantage of that by emphasizing the constant tension they provide in a unique way.
We’re going to be utilizing the ascending and descending shock principles with this exercise.
On the ascension portion of the exercise, go for a rep scheme of 8-10-12, and on the descending portion aim for 10-8-6. It’s not vital that you follow this rep scheme to the tee, but just aim for the general pattern of pyramiding up and down.
Here’s the catch. After each ascent and descent, hold the last rep for static contraction for 3-5 seconds. And on the last rep of the entire set hold it for a 10-30 count.
Your whole upper back and rear delts should be pumped so full of blood after these sets you’ll be light headed!