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Rayzel
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Sane WORKOUTS for WOMEN in their OVER 40's
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Band Lying Single arm Rear Delt Raise

How to Do the Band Prone One Arm Rear Delt Raise on Bench | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS]
Beginner

Proper Form & Common Mistakes | Home Resistance Training

LET’S DO IT: HOW TO DO Band Lying Single arm Rear Delt Raises - FULL VERSION (10 min)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?

QUICK DEMO

QUICK DEMO

QUICK DEMO: HOW TO DO Band Lying Single arm Rear Delt Raises - FAST VERSION (3 min)

MUSCLES THIS WORKS

MUSCLES

MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN Band Prone SIngle Arm 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

MOVE INTRO: GETTING STARTED WITH Band Lying Single arm Rear Delt Raises (2 min)

ALL WE'RE DOING:

Laying face down on a bench (oh so comfy!), raise one elbow into the air.

This rear delt raise variation focuses on working the rear deltoid muscle with one arm at a time. This exercise targets your rear delts and helps to improve your slumped shoulders posture. Lying face down on a bench is a very supported position. This is a good option if working the rear deltoids in a standing position is challenging because of back or leg pain, or weakness. This variation of the prone single arm delt raise uses a resistance band that is anchored by the “non-working” arm. Using the non-working arm as an anchor will work both arms at the same time but in different ways. The arm that is anchoring or holding the band still will work the muscles isometrically - the arm does not move. 

HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE

LOOKS

HOW Band Prone Rear Delt Raises SHAPE OUR BODY

Toned, balanced, capped shoulders, good posture.

PROPER FORM

PROPER FORM: Band Prone Single Arm Rear Delt Raise

LET’S DO IT: HOW TO DO Band Lying Single arm Rear Delt Raises - FULL VERSION (10 min)

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:

Moderate resistance

SETS & REPS:

2 sets of 8 reps

PACE:

Moderate up and slower down.

BODY POSITION

BODY POSITION FOR THE Band Prone Single Arm Rear Delt Raise

BODY STANCE: Lying face down on a bench. Make sure your lower body is supported. If you do not have a bench that allows your legs to be supported too, try bending your knees or lie on the edge of the bed or floor.

LEGS: Bend your knees so that your thighs are supported by the bench and the feet are up. Having your lower leg straight off of the bench puts a lot of strain on the back of the knee and the low back. 

HEAD: Put a small folded washcloth, or the forearm of the non-working arm, under your forehead to keep your neck in neutral. [The chin should not feel tilted down or up and the neck should feel long. There should be space between your earlobe and your shoulder, the neck should feel long, the chin should not be tilted down or up, and the neck should be relaxed and comfortable].

ARM: One arm off of each side of the bench - holding one end of the band in each hand.

HAND/GRIP: Neutral or pronated grip, whichever is comfortable.

HOW TO DO

HOW TO DO Band Lying ONe Arm Rear Delt Raises

 CUE: Check in with your neck often to make sure that you are not tightening the neck muscles. 

There are two arm position options for this movement:

Option 1:

Set Up: Begin the movement by pulling your shoulder blades back and down. 

Hold the non-working arm stable to anchor the band.

Keeping your working arm near straight with just a slight bend at the elbow, lift your arm out to the side. 

When you have moved your upper arm back in line or past the shoulder, rotate your upper arm to turn the underside of the arm upward. 

Slowly return to the starting position for the next rep. 

This option may get more triceps involvement to keep your elbow straight. 

Option 2: 

Set Up: Begin the movement by pulling your shoulder blades back and down. 

Bend your “non-working” arm so that your hand is about 8 inches from the bottom of the bench, and moved in towards the center of the bench. 

Lift your working arm up and out to the side. Let your elbow bend as the upper arm moves behind the body. 

Your upper arm will be angled out to the side, away from the body, your elbow lifts back and away from the torso.

Lift your forearm to rotate your upper arm backwards (so the hands come upward towards the “don’t shoot” position).

Pause at the top of the movement. Slowly return to the starting position to begin the next rep.

HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE

In the starting position, release the band. Push up with your arms and move one leg off of the side of the bench. Push up to standing. 

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COMMON MISTAKES

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT TO AVOID WITH Band Prone 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.

MISTAKES: COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID (5 min)

1. Avoid elbow drop

AVOID: Avoid letting the upper arm drop down as up rotate the arm.

WHY NOT?

  • This will take the tension off of the deltoid and will decrease how much the muscle is working.

WHAT TO DO:

  • Keep the upper arm lifted and concentrate on rotation of the bone in the socket.
avoid-dropping-elbow-resistance-band-prone-rear-delt-raise-shoulder-exercise-common-mistakes

2. Avoid Legs Hanging Off Bench

AVOID: Avoid legs hanging lower leg out straight.

WHY NOT?

  • This puts a lot of strain on the joint for them to hang off the bench.

WHAT TO DO:

  • If your bench only reaches your knees, be sure to bend them in the air.
avoid-leg-hanging-straight-off-bench-resistance-band-single-arm-prone-rear-delt-raise-common-mistakes

3. 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.
avoid-bending-wrist-prone-banded-rear-delt-raise-shoulder-exercise-proper-form

4. Avoid too much resistance

AVOID: Avoid sacrificing range of movement for increased weight.

WHY NOT?

  • The deltoid will become most active towards the end of the movement when the upper arm is behind your shoulder joint and externally rotated. 
  • Increasing the weight may prevent you from being able to get to this position.
avoid-too-much-resistance-prone-banded-rear-delt-raise-single-arm-exercise-proper-form

5. 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 Rear Delt Raise IS ALL ABOUT (12 min)

WHAT

This exercise is designed to work muscle on the back of the shoulder - the back (posterior or rear) part of the deltoid muscle. These muscles are worked by moving the arm back, and slightly behind the body. The rear deltoid also helps to rotate the arm the underside of the arm up.

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 Lying ONe Arm Rear Delt Raise

Non-Working Arm: This arm is holding stable against the pull of the other arm. The muscles will co-contract (isometrically) around the shoulder, elbow, and wrist to hold the arm still. The triceps and rear deltoid will be especially active to prevent adduction of the shoulder and flexion at the elbow. 

On the working side, the middle and lower traps, rhomboids, and serratus anterior work to pull the shoulder blade back, in towards the spine (retraction) and down the back (depression) so that the arm muscles have a stable base to work off of. 

The beginning of the movement (bottom) is initiated by the posterior deltoid and triceps. 

As the arm is lifted backwards and the elbow bends the deltoid will kick in more and the triceps will become less involved. 

The arm is extended back and the rear deltoid, infraspinatus and teres minor contract concentrically to externally rotate the arm. 

The arm is lowered back to the starting position through eccentric contraction of the posterior deltoid.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

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