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Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise - Table Top Legs

How to Do Tabletop Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raises - No Equipment | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS]
Intermediate

Proper Form, Common Mistakes, & Easier Variations | Home Strength Training

LET’S DO IT: HOW TO DO THe Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise - FULL VERSION (6 min)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?

QUICK DEMO

QUICK DEMO

QUICK DEMO: HOW TO DO THe Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise - FAST VERSION (2 min)

MUSCLES THIS WORKS

MUSCLES

MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN the Tabletop Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise

REAR DELTOID

OTHER MUSCLES WORKED:
  • Anterior and lateral portions of the deltoid
  • Rotator cuff muscles
  • Scapular muscles (rhomboids, traps, serratus, pectoralis, lats, levator)

STARTING POINTERS

Starting Pointers

WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY

ALL WE'RE DOING:

It's weird. But cool because #noequipment. Watch the video.

This is an easy and fun version of a rear delt raise that uses no equipment, only bodyweight as the resistance. This exercise effectively targets the rear deltoid muscles, helping to create well-rounded shoulder strength and definition.

This shoulder exercise is unique in that it involves rolling. Rolling requires coordination of weight shifting, crossing midline, and muscle activity of the core and arms. Lifting the legs up into the tabletop position will increase the work of the abdominal muscles and core rotators and make it impossible to cheat by pushing with the legs. Having the legs up can also make it easier to roll onto your side because the weight of the legs will pull you over. The rear deltoid will need to work harder to push the body back to the starting position because the weight of the legs is not resting on the floor.

HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE

LOOKS

HOW Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise SHAPE OUR BODY

Balanced and toned shoulder, arms, nice upright posture.

PROPER FORM

PROPER FORM: Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise

LET’S DO IT: HOW TO DO THe Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise - FULL VERSION (6 min)

EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS

EQUIPMENT

Mat

SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:

Bodyweight

SETS & REPS:

1 set of 6-8 reps - only until your form fails - when you are unable to complete a rep with proper form and control.

PACE:

Controlled up and down - not jerking upwards and dropping down.

BODY POSITION

BODY POSITION FOR THE Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise

BODY STANCE: Lie on your back with both knees bent, feet on the floor. Neutral spine.

NECK: Place a small folded towel under your head - this is mostly to support your head when you are lying on your side, it should not be straining or hanging. 

LEGS: Lift one leg up off of the floor, so that your thigh is perpendicular to the floor and your lower leg is parallel to the floor. The lumbar curve should not change and the abdominal muscles should not bulge out. If they do, return your foot to the floor and start over again. Lift your other leg up to meet your first leg.

ARMS: Non-working arm straight up in the air - flexed about 80 degrees, elbow straight but not locked. Working arm abducted about 70 degrees out to the side, lying on the floor, palm up.

HOW TO DO

HOW TO DO Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise

CUE: Your torso will move as one unit - hips and shoulders moving together.

Turn your head towards your working arm.

Reach your non-working arm over towards your working arm, and let your shoulder lift off of the floor. This will initiate a roll. You will need to really reach and elongate your non-working arm.

Let your body lift up to roll onto the side. 

When you are on your side with both arms right in front of you, use your bottom arm (working arm) to press down into the floor and push your body back to the starting position.

HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE

Roll on to your side, use your arms to push up to sitting. Move one leg forward to the half-kneeling position and push up to standing.

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COMMON MISTAKES

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT TO AVOID WITH THE Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise

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.

MISTAKES: COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID (2 min)

1. Avoid Swinging Back Up Momentum

AVOID: Avoid using the non-working arm to initiate the movement. 

WHAT TO DO:

  • It is tempting to lift the non-working arm up to initiate the movement from the side-lying position to return to face up.
  • Focus on pushing into the floor with the working arm and keeping the non-working arm right over the working arm - avoid lifting it up.

MAKE IT EASIER

EASIER

MAKE Tabletop Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raises MORE DOABLE

EASIER: HOW TO MAKE THe Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise EASIER (2 min)

One Leg On Floor

One Foot On Floor

Keep one foot on the floor and cross the other leg over it.

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Less Range Of Motion

Less ROM Tabletop Rolling Rear Delt Raise

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WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY

WHAT & WHY

BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE REAR DELTOID

WHAT: WHAT THe Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise IS ALL ABOUT (4 min)

WHAT

BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES FOR THE BACK OF OUR SHOULDER

This group of rear deltoid exercises uses body weight as resistance. The body weight exercises involve holding the body still and using the rear deltoid muscle to move the body. Using body weight for resistance has many benefits, the most obvious one is that you don’t need any equipment, making them a good choice for home or travel workouts. Body weight exercises usually require more balance, control, and stability; they tend to work the whole body, making them very functional, and efficient when you are short on time. 

Body weight training improves stability and control, adding some of these exercises into your workout program will improve your ability to lift more. An analogy would be - trying to hang a bird feeder from a small branch of a tree - the branch would sag down. If the branch was more stable and didn’t bend, the branch would not sag down. Building the strength of the muscles of the upper back and shoulder will help you be able to lift more weight with your arms. 

WHY BOTHER DOING IT?

WHY

WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?

BENEFITS: WHY BOTHER DOING THe Tabletop Bodyweight Rolling Rear Delt Raise (3 min)

STRENGTHEN THE BACK OF US TO BALANCE THE FRONT 

Many common weight training exercises are done in front or to the side of the body, these are great for working the front and middle portions of the deltoid muscles. In order to balance the strength of these parts of the muscle, it is important to include exercises that target the rear or posterior fibers of the deltoid muscle. The body weight rear deltoid exercises will target the rear deltoid while working all of the muscles of the shoulder together to stabilize the joint and control the movement. 

SOOOO MUCH ACTIVITY WITH OUR FRONTS

Most daily activities are carried out in front of our bodies - carrying heavy loads (kids, bags), computer work, driving, reading, eating, cooking, and pushing strollers and wheelbarrows. All of this activity tightens the muscles of the chest and encourages rounding of the upper back and shoulders. Over time the muscles of the back become weaker from disuse. This exercise works to correct this imbalance and improve posture.

The bodyweight exercises are really nice because they work on increasing the endurance of the muscles that hold you in the upright position. That means that you are training the muscle to work for a longer period of time. This is important because that is the way that we use the posture muscles - we are sitting or standing in an upright position for most of the day. We might be standing nice and tall at the beginning of the day but as the day goes on, we start to slouch. Exercise is not only about strengthening muscles, it is about teaching your body how to use them.

EVERYDAY LIFE

EVERYDAY LIFE &

MUSCLE FUNCTION

HOW WE USE OUR REAR DELTOID IN EVERYDAY LIFE

IN LIFE: EVERYDAY WAYS WE USE THe REAR DELTOID (4 min)

1. STABILIZES THE SHOULDER

  • Keeps the head of the humerus centered in the socket (glenoid fossa)
    • Pushing up from the floor
    • Lifting
    • Carrying, especially heavy loads
    • Weeding
  • Helps to prevent damage to the shoulder joint- wear and tear over time due to poor movement patterns

2. MOVES THE ARM BACK (EXTENSION)

  • Reaching behind the back
  • Pulling items towards you
  • Reaching into the back seat

3. HELPS TO MAINTAIN AN UPRIGHT POSTURE

4. ROTATING THE UPPER ARM OUTWARD (EXTERNAL ROTATION)

  • Putting your hand in the back pocket (palm down)
  • Turning outstretched arm with palm up for receiving change
  • Catching a ball 
  • Reaching the back of your head
    • Washing/brushing/drying hair

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. That is part of the shoulder blade called the acromion process. Drop your fingers right below that bony surface. Hold your upper arm up (approximately 50 - 60 degrees of abduction) 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

SCIENCY STUFF

SPIFFILICIOUS FACTS ABOUT MUSCLES & MOVES

The deltoid muscle lies on top of the shoulder and crosses the shoulder joint. The deltoid muscle consists of three portions, based on how the muscle fibers run, the anterior (front), lateral (middle), and posterior (rear) deltoids. The three parts of the deltoid muscle can move the arm in different directions but they all work together to stabilize the joint. 

The posterior or rear fibers of the muscle are located on the back of the shoulder joint - originating just below the spine (the long horizontal part of the shoulder blade) of the scapula and insert on the humerus (upper arm bone). The posterior deltoid is very important for balancing out the frequently overworked anterior deltoid and hours of slouched posture during sitting activities like computer use and driving, as well as household work - cooking, washing, carrying, lifting, and chopping. We are constantly doing activities that promote a rounded shoulder and upper back posture; it is important to spend some time working on the muscles that balance that posture out. 

This movement uses the weight of the body for the load (resistance) used to work the muscles of the back that help to balance the frequently overdeveloped muscles of the chest. Body weight rear deltoid exercises focus on the stability of the shoulder joint and shoulder blade for healthier movement of the shoulder joint and improved posture.

ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN

ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING THE Tabletop Bodyweight Lying Rolling Rear Delt Raise

The non-working arm is held up to the front of the body by isometric contraction of the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint. 

The movement begins as the head turns to the side of the working arm and the non-working arm is moved over to the side of the working arm. The core flexors and rotators - rectus abdominis and quadratus lumborum will help initiate the torso roll. Gravity is doing some of this work - the weight of the non-working arm moving across the torso pulls the body, along with the core muscles, into side lying. 

Once in sidelying, the rear deltoid of the non-working (top arm) arm works isometrically with the triceps and teres major to hold the arm up. The rear deltoid of the working arm will contract concentrically to push down onto the floor and continue with a strong isometric contraction to push the body weight off of the arm and return to lying face up.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

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