6 Best Rear Delt Barbell Exercises

Whether it’s calves, forearms, or delts, training each muscle is essential for achieving your best physique. However, we often neglect them or don’t train them as efficiently as we could, and the rear deltoid is one of those muscles.

You can train your posterior delt with various exercises using different equipment, but this article is primarily for barbell lovers.

Here, I’ll share the six best rear delt barbell exercises for building strength and muscle. These exercises also train the upper trap and medial deltoids, helping you enhance shoulder mobility and build a strong upper body.

Before I share the exercises, let’s see where the rear deltoids are located and what they do.

Posterior Deltoids Location & Function

The rear or posterior deltoid is located on the back of your shoulder. It is one of the three deltoid muscles that are attached to the other two delts (anterior and medial) and the upper arms. All three delts form round shoulders.¹ Elzanie A, Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537056/

It helps extend the shoulder (move the arm backward like triceps kickback and straight arm cable lat pullover), assists in horizontal abduction (move the arm outward and backward like you do during the cable facepull and banded pull-apart), and contributes to external rotation of the upper arm.

Strong rear delts add definition to your shoulders and make them muscular and aesthetic.

How to train the rear delts with a barbell?

You can do multiple exercises, such as rear delt row, seal row, high pulls, and behind-the-neck shrugs, to strengthen your posterior delt with a barbell. The barbell is one of the best equipment that helps lift more weight with a good range of motion.

You can easily manage the load by adding or removing plates from the barbell, allowing you to hit the rear delts with different loads and from different angles.

Let’s explore the best rear delt exercises you can do with barbells.

6 Best Barbell Exercises for Rear Delts for Muscle & Definition

1. Barbell Rear Delt Row
2. Modified Barbell Seal Row
3. Single-arm Rear Delt Raise
4. 45-Degree Incline Row
5. Landmine Rear Delt Row
6. Behind The Neck Barbell Shrugs

Let’s see how to perform each exercise with the step-by-step guide.

1. Rear Delt Barbell Row

The barbell rear delt row strengthens the posterior delts, traps, and rhomboids and helps build strong shoulders and a defined upper back.

The bent-over position also keeps your core and lower back engaged, helping you bolster abdominal strength and hip mobility.

The rear delt barbell row involves the following steps:

1. Put the appropriate weight into the bar and grab it with an overhand grip, hands wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows pointing out.
2. Pushing your hips back, lean forward until your torso is parallel to the floor, and let the bar hang down below your chest.
3. Keep your back straight and core tight. That’s the set-up.
4. Now, driving your elbows up and back, pull the bar toward your chest until you feel a full contraction in your rear delts.
5. Pause at the top for one to two seconds and then lower the barbell to the start. That’s one rep. Perform three to four sets of 10-15 reps.

Alternatively, you can do the band pull-aparts and band face pull when you train your shoulders with resistance bands.

2. Modified Barbell Seal Row

The barbell seal row is an amazing upper body isolation exercise that primarily hits the posterior deltoids, rhomboids, and trapezius.

The best thing about this movement is that it strengthens your muscles without putting much stress on your lower back, as it involves lying prone on the bench instead of standing in the bent-over position.

Although it works more on your upper back, you can make some adjustments to hit your rear deltoid effectively. For example, holding the bar with a wider grip and taking your elbows slightly out.

You need a workout bench to perform a barbell seal row. Let’s see how to do it step-by-step.

1. Place the legs off the bench on foot platforms or boxes. The height should be high enough off the ground so you can grip the bar with straight arms.
2. Lie properly on the bench with your face down and legs straight, chest and knees on the edge of it.
3. Brace your core, glutes, and thighs, and maintain a flat back. That’s the start.
4. Grab the bar with a wide grip, and driving your elbows up, pull the weight toward the bench until you feel the work in your posterior delts and upper traps. Shoot for three sets of 8 to 12 reps.

3. Single-arm Barbell Rear Delt Raise

The barbell rear delt raise is also known as rear delt fly, and it is a good alternative to the dumbbell reverse fly or reverse pec deck. It stimulates higher muscle activation in the posterior deltoid and helps build sturdy shoulders.² Dynamite Delts: ACE Research Identifies Top Shoulder Exercises by Samantha Sweeney, M.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Clayton Camic, Ph.D., Attila Kovacs, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., ³Franke Rde A, Botton CE, Rodrigues R, Pinto RS, Lima CS. Analysis of anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid activation during single and multijoint exercises. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2015 Jul-Aug;55(7-8):714-21. Epub 2014 Jun 20. PMID: 24947920.

The single-arm variation also allows you to hit each side of the rear delt individually and helps build strong, symmetrical rear delts.

Steps for the rear delt barbell raises:

1. Grab an empty barbell with an overhand grip and hold it at your side with a straight arm.
2. Hinge forward at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
3. Lift the bar until you feel the full contraction in your posterior deltoid.
4. Pause at the top for one second, then return to the start.
5. Aim for three to four sets of 10-15 reps per side.

4. Barbell 45-Degree Incline Row

The rear delt incline rows help develop strength, muscle, and shoulder mobility. They are equally effective for activating the rear and middle deltoids.

The ACE study also suggests that the 45-degree incline bench row is one of the highly effective workouts for growing the rear delts. You can see in the image below:

To perform an incline rowing with a barbell:

1. Set the bench to a 45-degree angle incline height.
2. Holding a barbell with an overhand grip, lie on the bench with your face down and your lower chest on the edge of it. Your hands should be slightly shoulder-width apart and palms facing in.
3. Keep your head and spine in a neutral position and let the bar hang underneath your chest. That’s the start.
4. Row the bar toward your chest until your rear delts are fully engaged.
5. Pause for a moment at the top and then return the bar to the start.
6. Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

5. Landmine Rear Delt Row

This exercise is also known as the one-arm landmine row and the meadows row. It works primarily on two muscles – the posterior deltoids, rhomboids, traps, and other upper back muscles, helping build muscle and strength in these areas.

The best thing is that it is a unilateral movement, helping you train each side specifically and improve symmetry and appearance.

To perform a single-arm rear delt barbell row,

1. Place one end of the bar in the corner of the wall and put suitable weights on the other side.
2. Stand in a split stance with your right foot in front of your left.
3. Slightly bend your knees and lean forward so your chest is facing the floor.
4. Place your right hand on your knee for balance and grab the weighted end of the bar with your left hand. Your grip should be overhand, and your elbow pointing out.
5. Keep your core engaged and spine in a neutral position. That’s the setup.
6. Pulling the bar toward your torso, drive your elbow as high as possible.
7. Pause for a second and lower the bar to the start. That’s one rep.
8. Perform an equal number of sets and reps on each side.

6. Behind The Neck Barbell Shrugs

The behind-the-neck shrug is one of the crucial shoulder exercises. It isolates the upper trap and posterior delt muscles and helps build sturdy and rounded shoulders.

You can add this movement to posterior delt exercises to maximize your strength, mass, and mobility, and improve other movements, such as rowing and presses.

How to do it:

1. Holding a loaded bar behind your thighs, stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your arms straight and hands just outside your hips.
2. Brace your abdominal muscles and maintain a neutral spine. That’s the start.
3. Shrug your shoulders up and back without bending your elbows. You’ll feel the contraction in your rear delts and upper traps.
4. Shoot for three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.

The Takeaway

For building muscular, rounded shoulders, training the rear deltoid is crucial. You can do various exercises with dumbbells, machines, and barbells to train your posterior deltoids. However, this article is especially for barbell lovers.

I’ve shown you the six rear delt barbell exercises you can do at home or in the gym to build strength and muscle. These exercises also maximize shoulder stability, fix muscle imbalance, and reduce the chances of injury.

So, when you create a barbell workout routine, incorporate these exercises on your shoulders, pull, or upper body days.

References

• 1
  Elzanie A, Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537056/
• 2
  Dynamite Delts: ACE Research Identifies Top Shoulder Exercises by Samantha Sweeney, M.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Clayton Camic, Ph.D., Attila Kovacs, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D.
• 3
  Franke Rde A, Botton CE, Rodrigues R, Pinto RS, Lima CS. Analysis of anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid activation during single and multijoint exercises. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2015 Jul-Aug;55(7-8):714-21. Epub 2014 Jun 20. PMID: 24947920.