Bent Over Lateral Raise Exercise Guide

Bent over lateral raises, also known as rear delt raises, are a great exercise for targeting the rear deltoids and the lower and middle trapezius fibers.

Find out all you need to know about this shoulder and upper back exercise by reading the rest of this guide.

Bent Over Lateral Raise Video

The following video demonstrates proper technique on rear delt raises.

Video credits: YouTube user "Instructionalfitness"

Muscles Worked,
Mechanics & Equipment

Target:	Posterior Deltoid
Synergists:	Infraspinatus Lateral Deltoid Lower Trapezius Middle Trapezius Rhomboids Teres Minor
Stabilizers:	Erector Spinae Gluteus Maximus Hamstrings Adductor Magnus Triceps Brachii Wrist Extensors
Mechanics:	Isolation
Equipment:	Dumbbell

How to Do the Bent Over Lateral Raise

1. Set Up. Grab some dumbbells and find an open space to work. Don't worry about having to use light weights, as this isn't meant to be a heavy lift... If you have to start with the little pink dumbbells, then so be it! :-D
   • Bend Knees & Waist. Flex your knees slightly and bend at the waist until your torso is parallel (or just above parallel) to the floor. Hang your arms straight down.
   • Maintain Neutral Head Position. Don't hyperextend your neck so that your straining to look up too far, and don't stare straight down at the floor, either.
   • Bend Elbows Slightly. Bend your elbows at no more than a 30° angle (maintain this angle throughout the movement). You are now in the starting position.
2. Positive Repetition. Swing your arms out to the sides, leading the motion with your elbows.
   • Arms Perpendicular to Torso. Your upper arms (i.e. from your elbow to your shoulder) should be perpendicular to your torso at all times.
   • Elbows Above Wrists. Make sure that your elbows are above your wrists by keeping the thumb-side of your hand lower than the pinky-side of your hand. A simple trick for this is to pretend as if you're pouring out a bottle of beer.
   • Stop at Parallel. Continue the motion until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Flex your upper back and rear deltoids for a split second, by squeezing your scapulae (shoulder blades) together at the top of the rep.
   • Tempo. Focus on controlling the dumbbells. This exercise should be done at a relatively slow pace. If you go too fast, you won't be able to sufficiently activate the rear deltoids and lower to middle trapezius fibers. Aim for no less than 1 second on the positive rep.
3. Negative Repetition. Lower your arms through the same path that you lifted them up in.
   • Tempo. Control the weights on the way down. Aim for about 1-2 seconds on the negative rep.
4. Repeat. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions. This exercise is best done in a moderate to high rep range of about 8-15 or so. In the MYx8 weight lifting routine, bent over lateral raises are done for 3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Is the Bent Over Lateral Raise Right for You?

This Exercise Works for All Experience Levels. Bent over raises are an effective exercise for beginners, intermediates and advanced lifters, alike.

It's important to note that, at least for beginners, this exercise is not intended for the purpose of "sculpting the rear deltoids."

Rather, I recommend it to newbies because it's an effective movement for teaching the body how to activate the rear delts and the lower to middle trapezius fibers. If you can't activate these muscles sufficiently, then you won't be able to correctly perform some of the major lifts like pull ups, chin ups, bent over rows, inverted rows and even the bench press...

For intermediate and advanced lifters, this exercise still serve the purpose of reinforcing proper activation of the rear deltoid and upper back muscles. However, it also does the trick if you're simply trying to build up some extra muscle mass on the rear delts, which are often underdeveloped – A symptom of a common muscular imbalance caused, in part, by an overemphasis on pushing exercises.

...And finally, if you end up not liking bent over lateral raises or can't seem to get the hang of them, then you can get similar benefits from face pulls.

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