If your shoulders look great from the front but disappear from the back, we need to talk. The rear delts are one of the most neglected muscle groups, and that’s a big mistake. Weak rear delts can lead to shoulder imbalances, poor posture, a stiff neck and a half-built physique. Enter the bent over rear delt barbell raise. An underrated but killer exercise to build 3D shoulders and bulletproof your upper body.
Why The Bent Over Rear Delt Barbell Raises Are a Game-Changer
Builds Thick, Well-Rounded Shoulders – No more front-heavy delts. This gives you that full, capped look.
Prevents Shoulder Imbalances – If your pressing movements are way stronger than your pulling, your joints will hate you later.
Improves Posture & Stability – Strengthening the rear delts helps pull your shoulders back, keeping you upright and injury-free.
Boosts Other Lifts – Stronger rear delts help with bench press, overhead press, and even deadlifts.
How to Do Rear Delt Barbell Raises Properly
1. Grip & Setup:
- Grab a light barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing down)
- hold the weight behind you and grip the bar by your side
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a slight bend in your knees
- Hinge at your hips (like an RDL) until your torso is parallel to the floor
- tuck your chin to your chest
2. The Movement:
- Keep a soft bend in your knees and raise the bar out behind you until it is at least parallel with the ground
- Squeeze your rear delts at the top of the movement
- Control the weight down, don’t just let it drop
3. Common Mistakes to Avoid:
Using momentum - this is an isolation exercise, control the lift.
Going too heavy - rear delts are small muscles; ego-lifting will just recruit traps. Instead, start off with a lighter weight of 5kg. you can always go heavier.
Rushing reps - slow and controlled reps. 2-0-2 tempo.
3. How Many Reps & Sets?
3 sets of 12-15 reps will be all you need. try it out when you next train your shoulders.
4. Pro Tips
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Pause at the top – A 1-2 second squeeze will light your rear delts on fire.
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Try different grips – A slightly wider grip might hit your rear delts even better (everyone is different)
- Superset it with Face Pulls – This combo will blow up your upper back.
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