forgotten bodypart in a
lifter’s routine, the rear
delts come in a close
second. They lie on the back
of our shoulders and, so
too, our minds. But while
poorly trained calves offer
an obvious aesthetic
imbalance, poor rear delts
might be a clear indication
of even bigger issues, the
least of which is the glaring
imbalance between the
front, side and rear of your
shoulder. Poor rear delts are
classic indicators of an
unwelcome injury and
invariably, weak rotators.
DOUBTERS WELCOME
Sound like an exaggeration? Okay, let’s see if this sounds familiar. It’s
shoulder day, so naturally you reach for some light dumbbells to bust out
a few sets of lateral raises before heading to the heavier dumbbells or a
loaded barbell for some grueling overhead presses. After the overhead
presses, you might hit some upright rows, which heavily target the middle
delts, followed by some heavier laterals and front raises. Then, if you’re
up to it, you grab some light dumbbells or head to the reverse pec deck
station for some rear-delt work, even though more often than not you end
up telling yourself that you’ll hit them next time.
Don’t worry; you’re not alone, but you’re also not excused. We gravitate
toward exercises and routines that target the most visible muscles. But
neglecting the rear delts usually leads to neglect of the rotators.
CHANGE YOUR PROFILE
Going back to our
example above, nowhere
within that routine do
you find any sufficient
training of the rear
deltoids or adequate
warm-up of the rotator
cuff muscles, a thin
group of four strap
muscles — supraspinatus,
infraspinatus, teres minor
and subscapularis — that
are highly responsible for
long-term shoulder
health. See, regularly neglecting both the rotators and rear delts will
undoubtedly lead to muscular imbalance and subsequent injury.
The imbalance is the easiest to spot. Just stand sideways to the mirror
and check your profile. Do your front and middle delts overpower your
rear delts? If doing benches for chest is your favorite workout and you
have a habit of skipping back training or rear-delt work, the answer is
obvious. Without realizing it, some bodybuilders hunch over, which can
lead to even worse posture. Without question, it’s most certainly because
of underdeveloped rear delts. What you want is for your profile to be a
fair representation of the hours you’re putting into the gym. However, the
unfortunate truth is that you may indeed be “that guy” who looks like he
does only bench presses and biceps curls. It’s time to change your profile.
HANDCUFFED BY ROTATORS
As far as potential injury, that problem isn’t as easy to detect or predict.
That is, of course, until you strain one of the delicate muscles, all of which
serve only to stabilize the shoulder. See, you can grow bigger and
stronger on the outside with the deltoids while the smaller inner muscles
lag behind until the day they can’t support the stress that the outer
muscles require. The fact is, your shoulder development will forever be at
the mercy of the foundation within.
Since those muscles are so small, it doesn’t take much time and/or effort
to train them adequately. A few minutes per week are all they need to
stay healthy and ready for the rigors of the more “important” training of
the superficial muscles. If we slow down long enough to focus on the
minor, finer muscles, the major muscles will forever be grateful — and
grow.
INSIDE-OUT APPROACH
This month, we’re going to
completely turn your shoulder
training upside down,
beginning with a proper
warm-up of the rotators
using simple internal and
external rotation exercises,
and working from the rear
delts forward. Think of it as
a weakest-to-strongest
approach. Unorthodox to be
sure, but after four weeks ofdedicated inside-out delt
work, your appearance, as
well as your shoulder
strength and stability, will immediately improve. Not only that, other
exercises and bodyparts that rely on strong and stable shoulders will also
benefit from your new dedicated approach.
INSIDE-OUT DELT SOLUTION
Exercise Sets Reps
Cable Internal Rotation* 2 20(each
arm)
Cable External Rotation* 2 20(each
arm)
Dumbbell Bent-Over Lateral
Raise
3 12–15
Prone Incline Dumbbell YRaise
3 12 - 15
Leaning Lateral Raise 3 8 - 10
Upright Row 3 8 - 10
Overhead Press^ 3 8 - 12
*With your upper arm pressed tightly to your body, hold a D-handle
(attached to a cable set at waist height) in your hand and keep your
lower arm parallel to the floor. Keep your elbow in tight to your body.
The range of motion is only a few inches. Rotate the handle toward your
midline (internal) and away from (external) your body.
^Your working weight on the overhead press will likely be less than typical
because your shoulders are prefatigued.
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Shoulder?
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