Often, amateurs, working on muscle groups, do not pay due attention to deltoid muscle training. Learn about the features and rules of rear delta training. Very often you can hear from amateurs the opinion that deltas are not visible, and they can be trained with less intensity. However, it is this muscle that gives the shoulders roundness and, on top of that, the body should develop harmoniously. Today we will figure out what the correct workout of the rear deltas should be.
Deltoid muscle structure
The delta is a massive muscle, consisting of three sections - anterior, middle and posterior. The middle section is very often called lateral. It is worth recognizing that such a division is rather arbitrary and the conversation should be conducted mainly about bundles of fibers of muscle tissue.
The delta begins to work when the arm is raised in front of you (front delta), to the side (middle delta) and in the horizontal direction (back delta). This muscle is also involved in shoulder rotation and presses.
Several years ago, a very interesting study was carried out, thanks to which it became known that in bodybuilding athletes, the front bundles are significantly more developed than the rest of the sections. At the same time, the posterior section is the least developed. From this we can conclude that the back delta is loaded less during training than the others.
In principle, this is easily explained when you think back to the standard shoulder workout. Basically, athletes for this muscle group prefer the vertical press as the main movement. The rest of the exercises are isolated, which are very often not given serious importance.
Among athletes, it is generally accepted that when performing a vertical press, the main load falls on the front section of the muscle, and when pressing from behind the head, the middle beam and partially the back one already work more actively. However, this is a misconception, and in the second case, the front beam load is absolutely the same as with the vertical press.
It should be said that even the famous Arnold bench press does not change the state of affairs. Therefore, for the development of the posterior bundle of the delta, it is necessary to use other movements. The main movement for the rear delta will be lifting the dumbbells over the sides.
Rear Delta Workout Program
We have decided on the main exercise for training the rear deltas, but there is one serious point here. The rear delta does not actively work on all side lifts, but only when the movement is performed on a slope.
In the standard version, the exercise is performed as follows. The body should be parallel to the floor. Considering the rather serious load when performing the movement on the lower back, it is best to use a weightlifting belt or take an emphasis on your forehead on some kind of support. The second option is more effective in reducing the load. It should also be noted that the back should be slightly rounded, which will increase the load on the posterior part of the muscle. It is possible, when performing the movement, the net on the bench, while putting the body on the hips. Very often you can hear the recommendations of the coaches, bend as low as possible and, if possible, rest your forehead against the cushion of the back of the inclined bench. We can agree with this advice, since the load on the rear delta will increase even more in this case. For extreme lovers, it can be recommended to bend so that the forehead touches the knee joints. However, not every athlete has this flexibility.
It should be noted that this is a very difficult exercise and in comparison with simple lifts over the side, it is better to slightly reduce the working weight. But the effect of performing the movement will make itself felt very quickly.
Bleeding rear deltas on simulators
At least one simulator is perfect for pumping the back section of the deltas - the "reverse butterfly". Perhaps there are others, however, what the above sports equipment can give will be quite enough. Performing the movement, the athlete should grasp the handles so that the hands are in one line or the palms are facing outward.
It is very difficult to say which of the grips is better. It is advisable to try both and determine at which of them, the delta is loaded more strongly. It may happen that there will not be a "reverse butterfly" in the gym, but you should not look for another place for training, since a simple crossover can be successfully used to train the rear deltas. And the movement can be performed both on the lower and upper block. Only in the first case, the exercise will be very similar to regular lifts through the sides. From this we can conclude that it is still better to use the top block.
When preparing for the exercise, it is necessary to remove all handles from the simulator, and grab the restraints with crabs so that the right hand is on the left restraints and vice versa. After that, you can begin to perform cross-breeding of the hands, deviating as far as possible. To enhance the effectiveness of the exercise, you can perform the movement while sitting instead of standing.
Very often you can hear that large weights are needed to train the rear deltas, otherwise the progress will be imperceptible. But it is worth remembering that all delta bundles are composed only of slow-twitch fibers, which implies training to failure. The most optimal number of repetitions will be from 12 to 20. You can also use large weights with which the athlete can perform from 6 to 10 repetitions. But there should be as many sets as possible. The ideal option would be the number of sets in one training session from 10 to 12.
It will also be great if you have a full day of delta work in your training program. This contributes to a significant acceleration of progress.
Rear deltas training from Alexey Shabuni
When training the posterior part of the deltoid muscles, Alexei does not use all of the above techniques. His rear delt workout consists of lifting the bar behind his back. Looking at the photographs of the athlete, you can independently verify the effectiveness of this method.
The exercise is performed very simply - the bar is located behind the back, and the arms with the sports equipment are lowered. You need to raise the bar to the level of your lower back. However, it is not necessary to use free weights, but a Smith machine.
This is necessary for the reason that when the athlete is standing straight, then the entire load will fall on the trapezoid, and not the back deltas. To transfer the load to the rear deltas, it is necessary to bend over, and so that the sports equipment does not "walk" in the horizontal direction and the simulator is used. You should also pay attention to the grip. Hands should be shoulder-width apart.
More information on training rear deltas in this video:
