Barbell Rear Delt Raise

The barbell rear delt raise is an exercise targeting the posterior head of the deltoid (shoulder muscle). The lateral head and (to an even lesser extent) the anterior head also assist in this movement, but are activated less.

The (upper part of the) trapezius and the levator scapulae assist in elevating the shoulder blades.

Many other muscles, however, assist in raising the elbows and shoulders. The biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis assist in flexing the arm.

Barbell rear delt raise execution

Raise your elbows to just below shoulder height.

Lower the barbell back to the starting position under control.

Barbell rear delt raise

Muscles involved:

Back and shoulder joint:

Deltoid (especially posterior head)
Rotator cuff (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor)
Levator scapulae

Arms:

Biceps
Forearm muscles

Back:

Trapezius (especially upper part)

Barbell rear delt raise preparation

Place the appropriate weight plates on a barbell and secure them with collars.
Grip the barbell behind your body with your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing backward ('pronated' grip).
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Barbell rear delt raise technique

You can partly determine the involvement of the trapezius (and levator scapulae) yourself. Their function is to elevate the shoulder blades themselves, as when you shrug your shoulders 'when you have no idea'. The shoulder muscle itself is only involved in raising the upper arm.

Therefore, focus on keeping the shoulders themselves down if you want to isolate the shoulder muscle as much as possible.

Barbell in front of or behind the body?

The exercise can be performed with the barbell in front of the body (barbell upright row) or behind the body (barbell rear delt raise).

Holding the barbell behind the back shifts the emphasis of the shoulder muscle toward the lateral and posterior heads. For the trapezius, this means that it must pull the shoulder blades straight upward, primarily engaging the upper part of the trapezius.

Holding the barbell in front of the body distributes the emphasis of the shoulder muscle more evenly across all three heads. For the trapezius, this means that it must pull the shoulder blades upward and backward as well. This gives the middle and lower parts of the trapezius a greater role.

How wide should the hands be placed?

The upright row (with the barbell in front of the body) has often been associated with shoulder injuries. However, this risk can be reduced or even prevented.

Many shoulder injuries are caused by impingement of the shoulder joint. The likelihood is high when the upper arms are raised toward or above shoulder level and rotated inward.

Gripping the barbell narrowly not only rotates the shoulders inward, but also makes it possible to bring the elbows above shoulder level. This therefore presents a high risk.

Gripping the barbell at shoulder width or, better yet, wider rotates the shoulders outward and makes it impossible to raise the elbows too high. In addition, the biceps have to work less with a wider grip.

A nice added benefit is that the muscles themselves (shoulders and trapezius) appear to show greater activity with the wider grip. More effective and safer. You can find more information here.

With the behind-the-back position, the shoulders are automatically rotated outward and the elbows cannot be raised too high. How narrow or wide the hands are placed should therefore matter less.

At a glance