Rear Delt Row

What is the Rear Delt Row?

The rear delt row is a rowing variation deliberately aimed at the rear deltoids rather than the lats. By keeping the elbows high and wide and pulling toward the upper chest, you bias the back of the shoulder, a way to load the rear delts a little heavier than a fly while still keeping the emphasis off the big pulling muscles.

Muscles worked

Primary: Shoulders

The rear (posterior) deltoid drives the upper arms back and out as the high, flared elbows pull the weight toward the upper chest.

Secondary: Traps

The traps and mid-back assist by retracting the shoulder blades as the elbows travel back.

How to perform the Rear Delt Row

1. Set a flat bench and hinge over it, or bend at the hips to about 45 degrees holding a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Let the dumbbells hang beneath the chest and flare the elbows out wide to bias the rear delts over the lats.
3. Row the dumbbells up and out toward the hips-to-ribs line with the elbows high and away from the body.
4. The high, flared elbow path is what makes this a rear-delt row rather than a lat-focused back row.
5. Squeeze the rear delts and upper back at the top without shrugging the traps or jerking the torso up.
6. Lower the dumbbells under control back beneath the chest, keeping the flared-elbow line on every rep.

Suggested working range: 12–20 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A rear-delt-biased row classified as an isolation: hinged over with dumbbells, the shoulders horizontally abduct as the elbows drive high and wide toward the upper chest, rather than tucking to the ribs like a back-building row. Keeping the elbows flared and the pull high is what shifts the work from the lats onto the rear delts through a shorter, controlled range.

Form cues

• •Hinge at the hips so the torso is close to parallel with the floor and let the dumbbells hang.
• •Pull with the elbows high and wide, flared out to the sides, toward your upper chest, not your hips.
• •Squeeze the rear delts at the top without shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears.
• •Lower under control to a full stretch rather than dropping the weight between reps.

Common mistakes

• •Tucking the elbows close to the body, which turns the rear-delt row into a lat row.
• •Jerking the torso up to fling the dumbbells rather than rowing under control.
• •Shrugging the traps at the top instead of squeezing the rear delts.
• •Rowing the dumbbells too low toward the hips and losing the flared-elbow rear-delt line.

Variations & alternatives

• •Rear delt fly: a straighter-arm isolation that biases the rear delt even more purely.
• •Reverse pec deck: a machine that fixes the path and makes the rear delt easy to feel.
• •Face pull: a cable pull to the face that trains the rear delts and upper back together.
• •Cable rear delt fly: constant tension across the whole arc from a pair of pulleys.

Overhead Press

Shoulders · Barbell

Dumbbell Overhead Press

Shoulders · Dumbbell

Lateral Raise

Shoulders · Dumbbell

Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders · Cable

Rear Delt Fly

Shoulders · Dumbbell

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the rear delt row as a rear-delt accessory in the library’s higher 12–20 rep range. Because the elbows-high row lets you handle a bit more load than a strict fly, it’s a good way to add rear-delt volume with a touch more weight, but keep it controlled and the elbows high, or it drifts back into a lat-driven row. Place it after your main pressing and rowing.

Frequently asked questions