Barbell Rear Delt Row

Also called rear delt row, wide grip barbell row and face row.

Works

Shoulders, plus biceps, lats and upper back

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Stand up straight while holding a barbell using a wide (higher than shoulder width) and overhand (palms facing your body) grip.

1. Bend knees slightly and bend over as you keep the natural arch of your back. Let the arms hang in front of you as they hold the bar. Once your torso is parallel to the floor, flare the elbows out and away from your body. Tip: Your torso and your arms should resemble the letter "T". Now you are ready to begin the exercise.
2. While keeping the upper arms perpendicular to the torso, pull the barbell up towards your upper chest as you squeeze the rear delts and you breathe out. Tip: When performed correctly, this exercise should resemble a bench press in reverse. Also, refrain from using your biceps to do the work. Focus on targeting the rear delts; the arms should only act as hooks.
3. Slowly go back to the initial position as you breathe in.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Wide grip, torso near parallel.
• Elbows out at 90 degrees.
• Row to the upper chest.
• Squeeze the rear delts 1 second.

Common mistakes

• Standing up during the row.
• Elbows tucking in.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a cranky lower back. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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