Dumbbell Bent-Over Raise is an isolated (single-joint) exercise intended to work out rear deltoids. In this exercise, only the shoulder joint works. In conjunction with the correct incline of the body and the correct technique of raising hands with dumbbells, this exercise purposefully works out rear deltas. Dumbbell bent over raise is a very capricious exercise and breaking the technique leads to a shift in the load on the muscles of the back (in particular, on the trapezius muscles).
Since the exercise is isolated, it should be performed at the end of the shoulder workout. Also, dumbbell bent over raise can be done at the end of the back workout, since the rear deltoid is involved in the back routine workout.
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Varieties and technique of dumbbell bent over raise
There are only two varieties of dumbbell bent over raise. The exercise can be performed either standing or sitting.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the types and analyze the technique.
Standing dumbbell bent over raise
This is the classic version of the exercise. Starting position: you are standing on the floor with your legs slightly bent at knees. Take dumbbells in your hands and lean forward so that your torso is parallel to the floor. Hands in the starting position are lowered and slightly bent at elbows. From this position, the exercise begins.
With a smooth movement, arms are moving to sides, and then, along the same trajectory, they are lowered from the upper position to the starting position. It is important to make sure that your shoulders do not rise during the exercise, and your elbows at the top point do not rise above your shoulders. Raising shoulders will shift the load from rear deltas to trapezius muscles of the back.
With the right technique, the trajectory in the exercise will not be large and rear deltas will not be under load for long. Therefore, it is worth increasing the number of repetitions in a set to 15-20 times. In addition, you should watch your elbows during the exercise. Firstly, your arms should not bend at elbows during the exercise, but should remain motionless. Secondly, elbows should not be pressed against the body, on the contrary, they should move away from it. So that at the top point between the hand and the body an angle of 90 degrees will be formed. This is the most important point in this exercise, so let’s take a closer look at it.
When in the starting position you take dumbbells in your hands, then your clenched palms look inward (at each other). In order to form an angle of 90 degrees between the arm and the body in the upper point, you must pronate your hands when performing a swing to the side from the lower point of amplitude. That is, turn them towards the little fingers. At the top, the clenched palms should look inward (at you), and the dumbbells should rotate by 90 degrees. In addition, turning hands allows you to achieve more isolation of rear deltoids, and with this technique you will 100% work them out.
Seated dumbbell bent over raise
The technique is identical to that described above. But the starting position is slightly different. Firstly, you are sitting, not standing, your body rests on your hips. Secondly, the starting position of the hands is slightly different. They will be located under a bench at the back of your legs, as your legs and a bench will not allow you to hold them in front.
Tips on performing dumbbell bent over raise
1) Perform the exercise smoothly, without jerking, following the correct technique and concentrating on the work of the rear deltas.
2) Do not hold your breath while doing the exercise. Move your arms to the sides as you exhale, and bring them together as you inhale.
3) Don’t chase weights. Dumbbell bent over raise is an isolation exercise. Therefore, the main thing is the correct technique. It is highly likely that heavy weights will not allow you to perform the exercise with the correct technique.
4) At the lowest point, do not knock with dumbbells against each other. The hit of dumbbells leads to the formation of inertia. Dumbbells spring from each other and muscles at this moment do not work. It is best to leave a small distance between dumbbells. This will keep the muscles in continuous tension throughout the set.
5) If you find it difficult to maintain balance when tilting the body, then you can rest your head on a fixed bench (as in the above picture) or other point of support. This will stabilize your torso.
6) If you are dizzy or dark in your eyes from a large tilt of the body, then the angle of inclination can be made a little less, up to 45 degrees (between the body and the floor). The main thing in the exercise is how you move your hands with dumbbells. Less body tilt will not put your rear deltas out of work.
