Proper Form For Rear Delt Raises?

[El Jugo Buen0]

....I need to know the proper form for this exercise, just about every detail because this may be my most lacking body part.

[Flexor]

bar close to your feet, spread feet wider than shoulder width with your toes pointing out. THis gives you a stable base. Maintain neutral spine alignment with your lower and upper back straight.

Take a wide overhand grip, with your upper arms perpendicular to your torso and away from it, meaning there should be a 90 degree angle between your arms and your lats. Make sure your wrists are in line with your elbows. Pull the bar in a controlled way towards the upper chest, it is unlikely you will touch your chest, just take it to a full range of motion. Retract your shoulder blades to involve the trapezius muscle as you pull with your arms and rear delts. Don't use momentum, really concentrate on pulling the bar up with your upper back and pinch your shoulder blades together and hold briefly. Return the bar slowly to the floor and feel the stretch in the upper back where the traps are stretching as the shoulder blades protract forward.

You should follow a path that means you perform strict transverse extension of the shoulders, imagine doing flyes for your pecs, you want that plane of motion. If the weight is light enough you can continue reps without putting the bar on the floor, but if you lift heavy that is no good for your lower back.

[kloter1]

good post flex...

if you want to keep real strict form you could do this exercise on a smith machine. i feel that db's work a hell of alot better. i use the same angle that the illustration above shows but i prefer to sit on the end of a bench.

[Flexor]

good post flex...

if you want to keep real strict form you could do this exercise on a smith machine. i feel that db's work a hell of alot better. i use the same angle that the illustration above shows but i prefer to sit on the end of a bench.

the smith would be great for form I agree, only that it will recruit less muscles because it is stabilised. db's are great too you are right, as long as your form is cool, they are good for stimulating growth through extra recruitment.

I was also made aware by GunTotingHipGangster that you can rest your head on the other end of an incline bench to keep strict form. That would be good too, a bit like sitting on a bench.

[Massacre]

nice post flex. i personally do them with db's on a inclined bench.

[El Jugo Buen0]

Thanks man, you can't get much more into detail than that. good stuff bro

[Tren Bull]

it also works to perform basically the same movement on the seated row machine with a rope attatchment.

[Panzerfaust]

You could always do a touch up set using the smith right after...i usually do those..well i call them "touch up" sets.

If i feel like i did'nt have good form on a cetain excercise then i will jump on a machine that simulates that movement and push out a set or two.

[Papi93]

This is a common single-joint version of the exercise:

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/exerc...dsupported.htm