Seated Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise
The Seated Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise is an isolation exercise performed while seated to specifically target the posterior deltoids and upper back muscles. By sitting down, you minimize momentum and lower back strain, ensuring strictly focused work on the rear shoulders for better posture and shoulder health.
Since the rear delts are small postural muscles that fatigue quickly, the AI analyzes your RPE and rep performance to prevent volume overload that could compromise recovery. If you've reported lower back pain in your profile, the app prioritizes this seated variation over standing bent-over movements to protect your lumbar spine. By correlating your daily recovery data, the AI fine-tunes the weight to ensure you're stimulating the muscle without straining the shoulder joint or compensating with your upper traps.
Form Cues
- Sit on the edge of the bench and hinge forward until your chest is near your knees
- Let arms hang straight down with palms facing each other
- Initiate the lift by driving your elbows out and back
- Keep a slight, fixed bend in your elbows throughout the entire movement
- Pause briefly at the top to squeeze your rear delts and upper back
- Don't use momentum or swing your torso to get the weight up
- Don't look straight up; keep your neck neutral to avoid strain
- Don't straighten your arms completely; keep the elbows soft
- Don't let your shoulders shrug up towards your ears
- Don't drop the weights quickly; control the descent
Common Mistakes
- Using excessive momentum to swing weights
- Shrugging shoulders towards ears
- Straightening arms fully during the lift
- Lifting the head too high
- Using weights that are too heavy
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily isolates the posterior (rear) deltoids, which are crucial for shoulder health and posture but are often overpowered by the front delts. It also heavily recruits the rhomboids and middle trapezius as you squeeze your shoulder blades together, helping to counteract the rounded shoulder posture common in modern life.
Primary
Secondary
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