Band What's Up Rear Delt Raise
How to Do the Band What's Up Rear Delt Raise | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS] Beginner
Proper Form & Common Mistakes | Home Resistance Training
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
QUICK DEMO
QUICK DEMO
MUSCLES THIS WORKS
MUSCLES
MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN Band What's Up Rear Delt Raises
Rear Deltoid
The rear delt (aka posterior delt) is the back of your main shoulder muscle, called the deltoid.
OTHER MUSCLES WORKED:
- All portions of the deltoid muscle; scapular muscles (pectoralis minor, subclavius, latissimus dorsi, lower trap, serratus)
- External rotators ( infraspinatus and teres minor).
STARTING POINTERS
Starting Pointers
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
ALL WE'RE DOING:
We're just making a kind of "what's up" motion with our arms.
The What's Up Rear Delt Raise is an easy and effective shoulder exercise that can be done with a resistance band. This variation of the rear delt row is designed to target the rear delts while also engaging other muscles in the shoulder area. It is a great exercise for those looking to build strength in their shoulders, as well as those who want to add some variety to their workout routine.
This movement focuses on working the rear deltoid at the same time as the rotator cuff muscles (infraspinatus and teres minor) which is important for establishing good movement patterns. The use of a band makes this exercise easy to adjust to increase or decrease the level of difficulty.
Changing the angle of lean of the torso can increase or decrease how much the muscles of the back of the body (posterior chain) are working. These muscles are important for good upright posture, balance, and stability, as well as healthy movement patterns (to prevent injury of the spine, hips, knees, ankles, and shoulders).
I find this rear delt exercise is a good one if you deal with upper trap dominance. If you struggle with this, you might find that instead of feeling the muscles in the back of the shoulders working and burning, you feel some muscles on either side of your neck tightening instead, in the area where the straps of a tank top would sit on your body. For a time I dealt with this, and this exercise was the only rear delt move I could do where I didn’t feel it mostly in my upper trap muscles. Because there is less abduction (arm held out to the side, away from the body) of the arms in this move, it helps to reduce the odds of the upper trapezius muscles taking over and getting involved. Once I got the right muscles working more of the time, I was able to do other rear delt exercises that involved my arms being further from my body/more out to my side (this is called abduction of the shoulder, when you move your arms so that the space between your torso & your elbow increases out to your side).
HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE
LOOKS
HOW Band What's Up Rear Delt Raises SHAPE OUR BODY
Toned, balanced, capped shoulders, good posture.
PROPER FORM
PROPER FORM: Band What's Up Rear Delt Raise
EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS
EQUIPMENT
Main set (3: Light/Med/Heavy)
X-Heavy Band (I recommend getting this too if you plan to use resistance bands frequently).
Bench
SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:
Light to moderate resistance.
SETS & REPS:
2 sets of 8 reps
PACE:
Moderate up and slower down.
BODY POSITION
BODY POSITION FOR THE Band What's Up Rear Delt Raise
BAND: Secured under both feet.
FEET: Shoulder width apart, toes straight ahead.
BODY STANCE: Knees slightly bent to provide a stable base. Hinge at hips to lean the torso forward 60-90 degrees - dependent on low back strength and hamstring length, must be able to keep the spine in a neutral position and stable. It is ok to lean over further (up to 90 degrees) but your back must be neutral and sternum lifted, chest broad. Increasing the lean increases the muscle activity in the back - further than 90 degrees (parallel to the floor) will decrease the muscle activity.
HAND/GRIP: Holding one end of the band in each hand. Neutral grip - the band coming up on the little finger side of the palm and crossing over to the thumb side (to resist upper arm external rotation).
ARM: Relaxed and hanging downward (when bent over). Usually, when you lean over and relax, your shoulders will fall into a bit of internal rotation - that is fine, and almost preferred for this exercise because part of the exercise is moving the shoulder into external rotation. The shoulder blades will fall outward into a protracted position. The band may be loose in the starting position - the rear deltoid is going to be most active as the arms move back and rotate.
NECK: Relaxed, neutral, uninvolved in movement.
HOW TO DO
HOW TO DO Band What's Up Rear Delt Raises
CUE: Think of moving your upper arm (above the elbow) from your shoulder joint - everything below your elbow should be as still as possible.
Pull your shoulder blades in and down the back. .
Pull your upper arm back, allowing your elbows to bend. Your elbow will lift away from your body as it moves backward (elbows out).
Lift rotate your upper arm backward (so your forearms and hands come up towards the “don’t shoot” position).
Your upper arm should be as far as possible behind your back and your hand should be lifted as high as possible - hold for just a second at the top.
Ideally, your shoulder would be out to the side (abducted) to approximately 50 - 60° and your elbow would be flexed to 70-90 degrees at the end of the movement.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE
From the starting position, release the band.
COMMON MISTAKES
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT TO AVOID WITH Band What's Up Rear Delt Raises
KEY TIP:
Guess what? Good news! Many avoids are the same for most movements. Once you learn the basics, there's really only a few extra avoids for each individual movement.
1. Avoid Arching Spine
AVOID: Avoid arching your low back.
WHY NOT?
- Can lead to low back joint injury, muscle strain, or damage over time.
WHAT TO DO:
- Maintain a neutral spine position.
- Troubleshooting suggested fixes
- Poor core strength: activate your abdominal muscles, or do choose a position with more support.
2. Avoid Bending Wrists
AVOID: Avoid moving through your wrists.
WHY NOT?
- Poor alignment (bent forward or backward) or repetitive movement through the wrist can lead to joint and/or soft tissue irritation or injury over time.
WHAT TO DO:
- Your wrists should be in line with your forearm and should be still throughout the exercise.
3. Avoid locking your knees
AVOID: Avoid straightening or locking the knees of standing legs.
WHY NOT?
- This tends to decrease the lumbar curve, pull on the hamstrings and decrease the muscle activity of the legs.
- Locking the knees puts stress on the knee joint and can make it more difficult to maintain a neutral spine.
WHAT TO DO:
- If you feel pressure or discomfort in the low back or knees, try bending the knees.
- Keep the knees soft, with a slight bend.
4. Avoid Rounding Shoulders Internal Rotation
AVOID: Avoid rounding shoulders in.
WHY NOT?
- This can cause pain and deterioration of the shoulder joint over time.
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
WHAT & WHY
BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE rear deltoid
WHAT
What’s Up Rear Deltoid Raises target the two main movements of the rear delt muscle - moving the upper arm back (extension) and rotating it outward (external rotation). This exercise is appropriately named, the movement is the same movement you would do if you walked in on your kids getting into trouble - your arms up and out to the sides with the arm and palms rotated up in a “what are you thinking?” gesture.
This version of the What’s Up rear deltoid raise uses a band anchored under the feet for resistance. Leaning the torso forward at an angle puts the rear portion of the deltoid in a position where it will work against the downward pull of gravity - so pulling up against the pull of the band.
WHY BOTHER DOING IT?
WHY
WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?
WORK THE SLIGHTLY IGNORED PART OF OUR SHOULDER MUSCLE
The deltoid muscle is the large visible muscle on the top of the shoulder. The muscle can be thought of as having 3 different parts, each part moves the arm in a different direction. The rear deltoid or posterior deltoid is the part of the muscle that lies on the back side of the shoulder. The other two parts of the deltoid muscle lift the arm to the front and to the side of the body. In our everyday lives, and even in our workouts, we spend a lot of time moving our arms to the front and to the sides of the body. We spend very little time moving our arms behind us.
This might make you think that the rear deltoid does not need to be strong. But it is important to know that all three parts of the muscle need to be able to work together to keep the shoulder joint healthy. The entire deltoid muscle works to stabilize the shoulder joint when you use your arm, and when you are lifting or carrying a heavy object. A well-balanced deltoid muscle is needed for healthy shoulder movement and posture. If you strengthen the front and middle deltoids but not the rear deltoids, then you will create an imbalance. Keeping all three parts of the deltoid muscle strong and healthy can improve posture, make lifting and carrying easier, and prevent injury. The rear deltoid raise also works the muscles of the back, including the muscles around the shoulder blade that work to correct a slumped posture position.
PROMOTES MORE CONTROLLED MOVEMENT OF OUR SHOULDER
It is interesting (at least to me) to think about how the muscles work. Muscles work together to coordinate movement, so even though one muscle is primarily responsible for a specific movement - if the other muscles are not balancing out the primary mover - our movement would be very uncontrolled.
For example: throwing a ball, even though the front of the shoulder and the chest muscles are doing most of the work to pull the arm forward forcibly, the back of the shoulder needs to be putting on the brakes - just the right amount at just the right time in order to control the movement. If the muscles on the front overpower the muscles on the back of the shoulder - the upper arm bone would move forward in the shoulder joint. Over time, this can damage the joint or the soft tissues of the joint.
WORKS THE REAR DELT FOR BOTH IT'S FUNCTIONS + BONUS ROTATOR CUFF WORK!
These exercises are designed to target the rear deltoid by working it into both it's main functions:
1. extension
2. external rotation
The exercise does a good job of working the rear delt at the same time as the rotator cuff muscles (infraspinatus and teres minor) which is important for establishing good movement patterns.
This exercise is done in a bent over position. To hold the position, the muscles of the back of the legs (gastroc/soleus, hamstrings and gluteus maximus) need to be active. The back extensor muscles will work to hold the torso against the downward pull of gravity. The resistance is pulled back (as opposed to pulled down or up at an angle) so the scapular muscles, especially the mid and lower traps, rhomboids, and serratus anterior will help with the movement.
LOOKS LIKE THE BOMB.COM
I think defined rear delts just look awesome on a woman! I'm not usually into trying to look all a certain way, but there's something super attractive to me about having nice shape in this area.
EVERYDAY LIFE
EVERYDAY LIFE &
MUSCLE FUNCTION
HOW WE USE OUR rear deltoid MUSCLES IN EVERYDAY LIFE
1. REACHING BEHIND THE BODY
- Tending a kid in the back seat
- Reaching into the back pocket
- Bringing the arm back to throw a ball (overhand)
2. PULLING
- Pulling a car door shut
- Pulling a refrigerator door open
3. ROTATING THE ARM UP (EXTERNAL ROTATION)
- Reaching the back of your head for washing, brushing your hair
- Pulling a shirt off over your head
- Reaching the top of a zipper
- Scratching your upper back
- Turning your outstretched arm with the palm up (need shoulder external rotation and forearm supination)
- Receiving change in the palm of the hand
4. WORKS WITH THE OTHER PARTS OF THE DELTOID MUSCLE (ANTERIOR, MIDDLE FIBERS OF THE DELTOID) TO STABILIZE THE SHOULDER JOINT
- Improves the ability to lift and carry heavy objects (the arm has a stable base to work off of).
- Injury prevention
HOW TO FEEL WHAT MUSCLE IS WORKING
How to Feel What Muscle is Working
Take your opposite hand and place it on top of your shoulder. You should feel a hard, flat surface right on top close to the shoulder joint. Drop your fingers right below the bony surface. Hold your upper arm up (approximately 50 - 60 degrees out to the side) with the elbow bent. Push the upper arm back. You should feel the rear fibers of the deltoid activate under your fingers. It can help to push your elbow into the back of the chair or a wall.
SCIENCY STUFF
ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN
ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING THE Band What's Up Rear Delt Raise
The back extensors and hip extensors are active isometrically to hold the bent-over position when the arms are lifted. The middle and lower traps, rhomboids, serratus anterior work to stabilize the shoulder blades towards the spine (retraction) and down the back (depression) so that the arm muscles have a stable base to work off of.
The posterior deltoid with some help with the triceps, works concentrically to pull the upper arm upwards (up from starting position - towards the ceiling and back wall - depending on lean).
As the arms move backward (towards the ceiling because you are bent over) the scapular retractors will pull the shoulder blades together to facilitate the extension of the shoulder. As the elbows bend the posterior deltoid will kick in more and more with less tricep activity. The rear deltoid acts concentrically to move the upper arm back and into external rotation. The infraspinatus and teres minor will help with external rotation.
The end of the range of the movement is full shoulder extension and external rotation, with assistance from the rotator cuff and scapular muscles.
The arm is lowered back to the starting position through eccentric contraction of the posterior deltoid.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
