Rear Delts · Dumbbell
How to Do a Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise: Torso Still, Pinkies Leading
Stand up two inches and this becomes a lateral raise. The hinge is not the setup for the movement — it is the movement.
Illustration adapted from Everkinetic via workout-guide, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.
| Equipment | Dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Back zone | Rear Delts · Upper Back |
| Muscles | Rear Delts · Infraspinatus |
| Level | Beginner |
| Typical work | 3 × 12–15 |
| Where | Home or gym |
What is the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise?
The bent-over rear delt raise is a dumbbell exercise for the rear delts and infraspinatus. Hinged forward with the torso close to parallel to the floor, you raise both dumbbells out to the sides leading with your pinkies, keeping the torso completely still. Torso angle decides which muscle does the work.
The one cue that matters: Lead with your pinkies and lift out to the sides, keeping your torso still and parallel-ish to the floor.
Why the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise is worth doing
- Hinged to parallel, gravity pulls straight down through the arc the rear delts move through, which no standing movement achieves
- The pinky-led path turns the arm slightly inward, which brings the infraspinatus into the finish
- A strict torso makes the set self-limiting: when you start rising, the set is over
- Two light dumbbells and floor space, so it works anywhere
How to do the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
- Hinge to near parallel Push your hips back and fold forward until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor. Soft knees, back flat, chest pointed at the ground rather than the wall in front of you.
- Hang the dumbbells Arms straight down under your shoulders, palms facing each other, elbows softly bent and then locked at that angle for the whole set.
- Lead with the pinkies Raise both arms out to the sides with the little-finger edge of each hand leading. That slight rotation is what the app’s cue asks for and it is what points the work at the back of the shoulder.
- Stop level with your back The rep finishes when the arms reach the height of your torso — roughly a T shape seen from above. Higher does not exist here; there is nowhere further for the arm to go.
- Lower all the way Take about two seconds down and let the dumbbells return under your shoulders. No bouncing at the bottom.
Muscles worked
The rear delts take the arm from hanging to horizontal against gravity. Hinged at parallel, that arc runs straight up against the load for its entire length, which is why the position matters more than the weight.
The infraspinatus enters through the pinky-led path. Turning the little finger up rotates the upper arm outward, and the infraspinatus is what performs that rotation. Lead with the thumbs instead and the movement still works the rear delt but drops one of its two tagged muscles.
Only eight of the library’s 77 movements touch the infraspinatus at all, which makes the hand position here worth being fussy about rather than a detail.
| <a href=”/back-muscles/rear-delts/”>Rear Delts</a> | Posterior deltoid — Rounded shoulders from behind — the detail that finishes a back. |
|---|---|
| <a href=”/back-muscles/infraspinatus/”>Infraspinatus</a> | Infraspinatus & teres minor — The plate under the shoulder blade. Separation, and healthy shoulders. |
Form tips
- The torso angle is the exercise. Every degree you rise moves load off the rear delt and onto the side delt. Fix the angle before the first rep and treat any change in it as the end of the set.
- Fix the elbow angle and forget it. Soften the elbows once at the start and keep exactly that bend. An elbow that opens and closes through the rep is a row in disguise.
- Lighter than you think. 12 to 15 reps in the library, and the correct weight is usually the smallest pair in the rack. The rear delt is a small muscle with a long lever.
- Look at the floor. Lifting the head pulls the chest up and the torso with it. Eyes down, a foot or two in front of your feet.
Common mistakes
- Rising through the set
- The most common failure and the hardest to notice. If the last rep felt easier than the fifth, you probably stood up to get it. Film one set from the side once.
- Swinging the dumbbells up
- A small torso bounce can throw a weight that the rear delts cannot lift. The app’s cue for the [[/exercises/rear-delt-fly|fly family]] is explicit about no swinging, and it applies here.
- Leading with the thumbs
- Thumbs-up rotates the arm the wrong way and gives the work to the side delt and the infraspinatus nothing to do. Pinkies lead, always.
- Squeezing the blades together
- This is a delt movement, not a rowing movement. Pulling the shoulder blades together hands the rep to the rhomboids — if that is what you want, do a [[/exercises/band-pull-apart|band pull-apart]] instead.
Sets, reps and where it fits
Three sets of 12 to 15, at the end of a pulling session when nothing heavy is left to do. The rear delts are small, recover fast and respond to frequency, so two of these a week beats one heroic session.
Holding a strict hinge is the limiter for most people before the muscle is. If your set is ending because your position is going rather than because the delts are done, move to the reverse pec deck or a chest-supported variation and keep this one for days you train at home.
No dumbbell? Do this instead
No dumbbells? The banded version holds the same hinge and the same arc with a band under your feet. In a gym, the cable fly gives you the same target while standing upright, which removes the hinge as the limiting factor entirely.
Variations and similar exercises
- Rear Delt Fly
- The same family, with the arc a little wider and the torso angle less strict. Pick it when you want seated or chest-supported options.
- Reverse Pec Deck
- A pad holds your torso so the position cannot drift. Pick it when your hinge fails before your delts do.
- Cable Rear Delt Fly
- Standing tall with constant tension across the arc. Pick it when hinging over is what limits your sets.
Frequently asked questions
How bent over should you be for rear delt raises?
As close to parallel with the floor as you can hold for the whole set. The more upright you are, the more the side delt takes over, and by about 45 degrees you are doing a lateral raise on a slope. Pick an angle you can keep, not the one you can reach.
Why lead with your pinkies on rear delt raises?
Because turning the little finger up rotates the upper arm outward, and that rotation brings the infraspinatus into the movement alongside the rear delt. Leading with the thumbs rotates the other way and hands more of the work to the side delt.
How much weight for rear delt raises?
Less than feels dignified. This is a 12 to 15 rep movement with a long lever and a small muscle, and most people are better served by the smallest dumbbells available and a strict torso than by anything heavier.
Should you squeeze your shoulder blades on rear delt raises?
No. Retracting the blades brings the rhomboids and mid traps in and takes tension off the rear delt, which is the muscle you came for. Keep the blades still and let the arms do the travelling.
Should the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise be in your plan?
BackMaxx scores your rear delts from one photo and builds the week around whatever is lagging — so the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise only shows up when it is the right call.
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