Have recently started a bit of gym work again

[jabbalon]

evening all. Have recently started a bit of gym work again after getting a cushy non-labour based job. Iv always struggled to gain muscle but the one area which has caused me a lot of grief is the rear delt.

Does anyone have any tips they could share that would help a beginner like myself? Have tried flys but struggle to maintain good form, am looking for something which will keep me in a good posture if possible. Go to the gym alone so dont have anyone to keep me from straightening up and wiggling about like a monger.

Have knackered both shoulders due to bad lifting and having overly developed front delts through work over the years so am keen to really focus on this area to try and balance things out a bit.

Any help would be great.

[Maxymillion]

Given that you're just getting back into things and that you have specific areas of focus (balancing out your dominant front delts - this is common in most people by the way) I would give serious thought to hiring a certified trainer, at least for a few sessions to get you back on the proper track.

Ask to be shown the big basics correctly. Squat, Deadlift, Press of some kind,a Row of some kind and some Core work.

[Animal]

As above, get some sessions with a PT and focus on large compound exercises like squats and deadlifts.

If this isn't an option then try pull-ups/chins. Do lots of these anyway, they're a brilliant staple exercise.

[smiffy180]

Barbell rear delt row? Should help maintain form, just stay light and learn proper technique
Edit: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/...

Edited by smiffy180 on Wednesday 19th September 22:03

[mattikake]

Barbells are good for helping form.

Try seated cable rows with a bar attachment. Similar grip and style to the barbell row. Raise and lower the cable a notch or two as well. Also try the cable-cross version of the rear delt extension - there may even be a diagram of this on the cable-cross machine itself...

Drag a bench infront of a mirror and do flyes either stitting or lying on the bench. If lying, try inclining the bench a notch so you can check your own form in the mirror. If you keep lifting your head up (bad form), try standing behind a fully inclined bench and rest your head on the end. Force yourself to keep your head there when you try to flye.

Overall, lower the weight. Concentrate on the skill of the form first, then worry about increasing the weight.

A fitness instructor, rather than a PT, at your local gym should be able to demo all the above. (If not, get them sacked)

Edited by mattikake on Thursday 20th September 14:44

[jabbalon]

Thanks for all the replies chaps, much appreciated. Sounds like some instruction is a good idea, might as well get it done right if im going to do it at all!

will see about getting some sessions organised over the weekend and mention some of the workouts youve all suggested. Il let you know how it goes.

[HonestIago]

Nothing is better than heavy rear delt swings to make them grow. Lie face down on a 30-45deg bench and try to perform rear delt flys, only you won't because the weight means you only get 1/2 the normal range of motion (or even less). Do one super long and hard set of these until your rear delts feel they'll burst. It doesn't matter if the ROM deteriorates toward the end so long as the movement is coming from your rear delts. If you get 50+ reps then pick heavier DBs next time. You can thank me later!

EDIT: this is a helpful vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxFs72mYYsM&fea...

Also, having re-read your post I'd hazard a guess that improving your rear delts would go some way to alleviating your shoulder problems. Make sure your pulling volume exceeds pressing volume by 3-4:1 at least until the imbalance is rectified. Do zero front delt specific work and make your chest training very minimalist.

It might be an idea to buy some stretchy bands and do 50-100 band pull-aparts every day. These pretty much solved my Dad's shoulder pain.

Edited by HonestIago on Saturday 22 September 09:37

Edited by HonestIago on Saturday 22 September 09:45

[Hoofy]

Having seen the above video, I seem to remember seeing one with Kai Greene advising to turn the hand 90 degrees so the elbows point outwards, which helps to hit the right muscle more.

[sodslaw]

Sounds like you've been benching too much

A few ideas from me:

1) Working your back! (rows,tbar rows, dbrows, cable rows.. row rows rows.. ) Technically I think you should be able to pull more than you push although for most people this simply couldn't be further from the truth - food for thought.

2) wide grip bent over barbell rows - using less weight and pulling to the shoulders rather than the lower abdominal region..

3) face pulls - using a cable machine

4) As the poster a few post ^^ said using a bench or doing a modified version of rear delt flies. I quite like them seated as my form despite lifting for a number of years isn't great with them either! Like side delts imo - its very hard to develop them as much as required without hitting them directly

[Hoofy]

This might give you a bit more understanding of things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG32kXQxFu8&t=1...

[mattikake]

Hoofy said:

Having seen the above video, I seem to remember seeing one with Kai Greene advising to turn the hand 90 degrees so the elbows point outwards, which helps to hit the right muscle more.

In a fly position (torso bent over, head down) I assume this to mean elbows pointing at the ceiling. But this would hit triceps really hard if you tried to keep your arms straight? If you have your elbows parallel to the floor, the only muscles that can really be hit is the rear of your shoulder - delts, teres major and minor. Triceps have less involvement.

[Hoofy]

mattikake said:

In a fly position (torso bent over, head down) I assume this to mean elbows pointing at the ceiling. But this would hit triceps really hard if you tried to keep your arms straight? If you have your elbows parallel to the floor, the only muscles that can really be hit is the rear of your shoulder - delts, teres major and minor. Triceps have less involvement.

Check the video I just posted.

[mattikake]

Ah, bending the elbows. Fair enough. You can do this with cables/bands but in an upright position. I call it a [cable/band] wide row.

[filetmignon]

One exercise I found that really hit the rear deltoids along with the rest of the upper body was pushups with each hand balancing on a ball. Football, volleyball, medicine ball that kind of size. It really recruits your rear delts to maintain balance while working the rest of your upper body and should be a little more gentle than attacking it with weights.