Strong rear delts make your shoulders look fuller from every angle, help create a wider upper body, and support better control when you pull, press, throw, and carry. They are also easy to overlook. Many beginners spend plenty of time on chest presses, overhead presses, and front raises, while the back of the shoulder gets only indirect work from rows and pulldowns.
That imbalance can leave your shoulders looking incomplete and may make it harder to maintain good upper body positioning during training. The rear deltoid is most active when the upper arm moves backward and outward, especially during horizontal pulling and reverse fly movements. Training it directly gives you a simple way to build a more balanced, muscular shoulder.
You do not need complicated programming or advanced lifting skills to get started. The three exercises below are beginner friendly because they make it easier to learn the right movement, use controlled resistance, and gradually progress over time. They also train the rear delts through motions that suit their anatomy and their role in upper body strength.
Why Rear Delts Matter
The deltoid is made up of three sections: the front, side, and rear portions. The rear deltoid sits on the back of the shoulder and helps move the upper arm behind the body, out to the side, and rotate it outward. It works alongside muscles of the upper back, including the middle trapezius, lower trapezius, and rotator cuff.
This matters because your shoulders need coordinated muscle activity rather than just size. When the muscles around the shoulder blade and upper arm work well together, they can help you control arm movement during pressing, pulling, and overhead activity. Research on shoulder rehabilitation and athletic movement consistently highlights the value of training the posterior shoulder and scapular muscles as part of a balanced approach to shoulder function.
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For physique goals, rear delts add thickness where many beginners lack it. Front delts receive substantial work from bench presses, push ups, dips, and overhead pressing. Side delts get attention from lateral raises and pressing. Rear delts often need more direct work because they are not always challenged enough by general upper body training alone.
For strength goals, better rear delt development can improve your ability to control the shoulder during rows, pull ups, deadlifts, Olympic lifting variations, and loaded carries. The rear delts do not replace good technique or the other muscles of the upper back, but they contribute to a stronger and more stable pulling position.
The key for beginners is to use exercises that let you feel the back of the shoulder working without turning every repetition into a shrug, lower back swing, or biceps curl. Start with light resistance, move deliberately, and prioritize repeatable technique.
Exercise One: Reverse Pec Deck
The reverse pec deck is one of the best ways for beginners to train rear delts because the machine supports your body and guides the movement path. You can focus on moving your upper arms backward without worrying about balance, grip fatigue, or keeping your torso still.
How to Perform the Reverse Pec Deck
Set the seat height so the handles are roughly level with your shoulders. Sit tall with your chest against the pad and your feet firmly on the floor. Take the handles with your arms extended in front of you. Keep a soft bend in your elbows instead of locking them straight.
Pull your arms outward and backward in a smooth arc until your upper arms are in line with your torso or slightly behind it. Think about moving your elbows away from each other rather than squeezing the handles with your hands. Pause briefly when you reach the end of the repetition, then return slowly until the weight stack is close to resting.
Your torso should stay against the pad throughout the movement. If you need to lean back or bounce the weight to complete a rep, the load is too heavy.
Why It Works
The reverse pec deck trains shoulder horizontal abduction, which is one of the main actions of the rear deltoid. Studies using electromyography show that reverse fly style movements can create meaningful activity in the posterior deltoid and upper back muscles. Electromyography does not directly measure muscle growth, but it helps identify whether a muscle is active during a movement.
The machine setup also makes it easier to manage fatigue. Beginners often struggle to isolate the rear delts with dumbbells because they use momentum or let the traps take over. With your chest supported, you have fewer ways to cheat the repetition.
Aim for two or three sets of 10 to 15 controlled reps. Choose a weight that makes the final few reps challenging while allowing you to keep your chest against the pad and your shoulders away from your ears.
Exercise Two: Chest Supported Rear Delt Row
The chest supported rear delt row is a simple row variation that shifts attention toward the back of the shoulders and upper back. It is especially useful for beginners because the bench limits lower back involvement and reduces the temptation to swing the dumbbells.
How to Perform the Chest Supported Rear Delt Row
Set an adjustable bench to a low incline. Lie face down with your chest supported, keeping your feet stable on the floor. Hold a light dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward.
Let the dumbbells hang directly beneath your shoulders. Row them upward by bringing your elbows out to the sides at roughly shoulder height. Your elbows should travel away from your torso rather than staying tucked close to your ribs. Stop when your upper arms are near parallel with the floor, then lower the dumbbells slowly.
Keep your neck long and relaxed. Do not jam your chin forward or shrug your shoulders upward. Your hands are only holding the dumbbells. The main movement should come from your elbows moving backward and outward.
Why It Works
Rows can train different muscles depending on the path of the elbow and the angle of the upper arm. A row with the elbows closer to the torso generally emphasizes muscles involved in shoulder extension, including the latissimus dorsi. A row performed with the elbows wider changes the demand and gives the rear delts and upper back a larger role in moving and controlling the upper arm.
The chest support is valuable because it lets you train the target area without asking your lower back to stabilize a bent over position for every rep. That is useful when you are still learning how to hinge and brace. It also makes it easier to notice whether you are actually pulling with the upper back or just throwing the dumbbells upward.
Use lighter dumbbells than you would for a standard one arm dumbbell row. Start with two or three sets of eight to 12 reps. Lower every repetition under control, because the lowering phase adds productive training volume and helps you build the habit of maintaining position.
Exercise Three: Incline Dumbbell Reverse Fly
The incline dumbbell reverse fly is an accessible free weight exercise that teaches you how to move the upper arms through the range of motion used by the rear delts. It requires more control than a reverse pec deck, but the bench gives you enough support to make it manageable for beginners.
How to Perform the Incline Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Set an adjustable bench to a low to moderate incline. Lie face down with your chest on the pad, holding very light dumbbells with your arms hanging toward the floor. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and turn your palms toward each other.
Raise your arms outward in a wide arc until your upper arms reach about shoulder height. Think about leading with your elbows and spreading your arms apart. Keep the dumbbells under control and avoid swinging them toward the ceiling.
Pause briefly at the top, then lower the weights slowly until your arms hang beneath you again. Keep your chest connected to the bench and avoid aggressively shrugging upward at the top of the movement.
Why It Works
The reverse fly takes the shoulder through horizontal abduction, a key role of the rear deltoid. It also requires the muscles around the shoulder blade to control the position of the shoulder while the arms move. This combination makes it a useful exercise for building muscle and developing movement awareness.
The incline bench reduces the need to hold a hip hinge while you train. That allows many beginners to focus more on the rear delts and less on balance. It also makes it harder to create momentum with the legs or lower back.
This exercise is not about lifting heavy weights. Rear delts are relatively small muscles, and the long lever created by your arms makes light dumbbells challenging. If you can perform every rep with a smooth tempo and without shrugging, you are using an effective starting load.
Perform two or three sets of 12 to 20 reps. Higher repetitions can work well when the resistance is lighter, provided that the set is difficult enough and technique stays controlled. As you improve, add small amounts of weight or add repetitions before making larger jumps.
How to Program These Exercises
You do not need to perform all three exercises in the same workout. Choose one exercise for each upper body session and train rear delts two or three times per week. This gives you repeated practice without piling too much fatigue into one workout.
A straightforward option is to use the reverse pec deck after an upper body push workout, chest supported rear delt rows after a pulling workout, and incline reverse flies at the end of a full body session. Keep your effort honest, but avoid grinding through ugly repetitions. You should usually finish a set feeling that you could perform one or two more clean reps.
Research on resistance training supports progressive overload as a central principle for strength and muscle development. You can progress by adding a rep, using a slightly heavier weight, improving your control, or completing an additional set when recovery is good. The best progression is the one that lets you maintain high quality repetitions over many weeks.
Total weekly training volume also matters for muscle growth. Beginners do not need excessive amounts, but several hard sets spread across the week are more useful than doing a single all out rear delt session every few weeks. Start conservatively, assess how your shoulders feel, and build gradually.
Common Mistakes That Limit Rear Delt Growth
The biggest mistake is using too much weight. When the resistance is too heavy, the upper traps, lower back, and momentum take over. Your rear delts may still work, but the exercise becomes less consistent and harder to progress safely.
Another common issue is turning every rear delt movement into a shrug. Some upper trap involvement is normal during upper body training, but your shoulders should not rise sharply toward your ears on every repetition. Keep your neck relaxed and focus on moving your upper arms rather than lifting your shoulders.
Many lifters also rush the lowering phase. Lower the weight slowly enough that you can feel your shoulders remain in position. You do not need to count seconds obsessively, but you should be able to control the dumbbells or machine handles instead of letting gravity do the work.
Finally, do not expect direct rear delt training to compensate for poor overall technique. Continue practicing rows, pulldowns, presses, and other compound exercises with good form. Direct rear delt work is most effective when it supports a balanced upper body program rather than trying to fix everything by itself.
Build Shoulders That Look and Perform Better
For beginners, the best rear delt exercises are the ones you can repeat with solid form, challenge progressively, and recover from consistently. The reverse pec deck is the easiest place to start because it offers support and a clear movement path. The chest supported rear delt row adds a pulling pattern that develops the back of the shoulders and upper back together. The incline dumbbell reverse fly builds control through a simple free weight movement.
Train one or two of these exercises consistently, use weights you can control, and gradually make your sessions more challenging. Over time, that focused work can help you build stronger, more muscular shoulders that look more complete from the front, side, and back.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine (2009) ‘American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults’, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), pp. 687 to 708.
- Cools, A.M., Struyf, F., De Mey, K., Maenhout, A., Castelein, B. and Cagnie, B. (2014) ‘Rehabilitation of scapular dyskinesis: From the office worker to the elite overhead athlete’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(8), pp. 692 to 697.
- Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B.J., Orazem, J., Sabol, F., Suman, O.J. and Mikulic, P. (2022) ‘Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta analysis’, Journal of Sport and Health Science, 11(2), pp. 202 to 211.
- Reinold, M.M., Macrina, L.C., Wilk, K.E., Fleisig, G.S., Dun, S., Barrentine, S.W., Ellerbusch, M.T. and Andrews, J.R. (2007) ‘Electromyographic analysis of the supraspinatus and deltoid muscles during 3 common rehabilitation exercises’, Journal of Athletic Training, 42(4), pp. 464 to 469.
- Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2017) ‘Dose response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta analysis’, Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(11), pp. 1073 to 1082.
- Schoenfeld, B.J., Peterson, M.D., Ogborn, D., Contreras, B. and Sonmez, G.T. (2015) ‘Effects of low versus high load resistance training on muscle strength and hypertrophy in well trained men’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(10), pp. 2954 to 2963.
- Welsch, R.P., Williams, P.A., Gwaltney, C.L. and Uhl, T.L. (1999) ‘Electromyographic activity of the subscapularis and deltoid muscles during common shoulder rehabilitation exercises’, Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 29(2), pp. 105 to 120.
Key Takeaways
| Exercise | Why it suits beginners | Effective starting approach |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse pec deck | Chest support and a guided path make it easier to isolate the rear delts. | Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 controlled reps. |
| Chest supported rear delt row | Builds rear delts and upper back while limiting lower back involvement. | Complete 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps with elbows moving outward. |
| Incline dumbbell reverse fly | Develops control through a simple free weight horizontal abduction pattern. | Complete 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps with light dumbbells. |
| Weekly frequency | Several productive sets across the week can support steady progress. | Train rear delts 2 to 3 times each week. |
| Progression | More reps, small load increases, and better control can all make training harder. | Add difficulty only when every rep remains technically sound. |
