Why Are Rear Delts So Hard to Grow Reddit

The Real Reason Your Rear Delts Aren't Growing (It's Not the Exercise)

The answer to 'why are rear delts so hard to grow reddit' is that you're likely using 50% too much weight and letting your bigger, stronger back muscles do all the work. You're doing face pulls, reverse flyes, and maybe even hitting the pec-deck machine backward, but your shoulders still look flat from the side. It's frustrating. You see growth in your front and side delts from pressing and lateral raises, but the back of your shoulder just won't pop. The problem isn't your exercise choice; it's your execution. The posterior (rear) deltoid is a small, delicate muscle group. Its primary job is to pull your arm back (horizontal abduction) and externally rotate the shoulder. It's not designed to move heavy loads. When you grab 30-pound dumbbells for a bent-over reverse fly and start swinging, your powerful rhomboids, traps, and even your lower back take over the movement. Your rear delts get a tiny fraction of the intended stimulus. You get a great back workout, but your rear delts remain dormant, under-stimulated, and small. The fix is counterintuitive: you need to drop the weight, significantly, and focus on a mind-muscle connection that feels almost uncomfortably light.

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The "Ego Lifting" Mistake That Kills Rear Delt Gains

That 185-pound bench press you're proud of is actively working against your rear delt development. Not because of the press itself, but because it sets a false anchor for your ego. You think, "If I can press that, I should be able to fly with at least 30 or 40-pound dumbbells." This is the single biggest mistake that ensures your rear delts never grow. The math is simple: a muscle that struggles to isolate with 15 pounds cannot be properly trained with 40. The rear delt is an endurance-oriented muscle fiber type, responding best to higher repetitions and controlled tension, not explosive, heavy lifts. When you use a weight that's too heavy, you have to use momentum to even start the rep. That initial jerk comes from your traps and lower back. You then complete the rep by squeezing your shoulder blades together, which is the primary function of your rhomboids and mid-traps. The rear delt, the actual target, is just along for the ride. To truly isolate it, the movement must originate from the shoulder joint itself, with your shoulder blades staying relatively still. This requires a weight that feels almost embarrassingly light. For a man who benches 200 pounds, the correct dumbbell weight for a perfect reverse fly is often just 10-20 pounds. For a woman benching 95 pounds, it could be as low as 5-10 pounds. You now understand the 'light weight, high rep' rule. But knowing it and applying it are different. Can you honestly say you know the exact weight and reps you used for face pulls 3 workouts ago? If you can't, you're not tracking progress. You're just exercising and hoping your shoulders grow.

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The 12-Set Weekly Protocol for 3D Shoulders

To finally force growth, you need a dedicated, intelligent plan. Stop throwing in a few sloppy sets of face pulls at the end of your workout. Treat your rear delts with the same priority you give your bench press. This means training them first, when you're fresh, twice per week. The goal is 10-16 total *quality* sets weekly.

Step 1: Train Them First, Twice a Week

Your rear delts are small and fatigue easily. If you train them after heavy rows, presses, and other compound movements, they are already exhausted and can't receive the proper stimulus. Dedicate two days a week to them. A great split is to train them at the beginning of your Pull Day and again at the beginning of your Push or Shoulder Day. This ensures they get targeted when your energy and focus are at their peak.

Step 2: Choose Two Core Exercises

Simplicity wins. You don't need 10 different exercises. You need two, done with perfection. One for controlled abduction and one for abduction plus external rotation.

• Exercise 1: The Controller (Reverse Pec-Deck or Bent-Over Dumbbell Raise). This is your main movement for isolating the rear delt. The goal is 4 sets of 12-15 reps. The weight should be light enough that you can hold the peak contraction for a full second on every rep. If you can't pause, the weight is too heavy.
• Exercise 2: The High-Rep Pump (Rope Face Pulls or Band Pull-Aparts). This movement focuses on metabolic stress and external rotation. The goal is 4 sets of 20-30 reps. Focus on pulling the rope or band apart at the end of the movement, trying to get your hands as wide as possible. This ensures you're externally rotating and hitting all fibers.

Step 3: Implement the Weekly Schedule

Here is what your week looks like. Progressive overload is simple: each week, try to add one rep to each set, or add 2.5-5 pounds to the lift while maintaining perfect form.

• Day 1 (e.g., Monday Pull Day):
• Reverse Pec-Deck: 4 sets x 12-15 reps. (Start with a weight you can do for 15 reps, and work your way up to 4 sets of 15 before increasing weight).
• *Then, proceed with your normal back and biceps workout.*
• Day 2 (e.g., Thursday Push Day):
• Rope Face Pulls: 4 sets x 20-30 reps. (Focus on the squeeze and pulling the rope apart. Don't worry about heavy weight here).
• *Then, proceed with your normal chest, shoulders, and triceps workout.*

This structure provides 8 direct, high-quality sets. If you find your recovery is excellent after a few weeks, you can add one more set to each exercise, bringing your total to 10 weekly sets. For advanced lifters, adding a third exercise like a cable reverse fly for 3-4 sets on another day can bring the total to 12-14 sets.

Week 1 Will Feel Wrong. That's the Point.

When you start this protocol, your brain will fight you. The weights will feel so light that your ego will scream at you to grab something heavier. Ignore it. This initial phase is about neuromuscular re-education. You are teaching your body how to fire a muscle it has been ignoring for years.

• Week 1-2: The Humbling Phase. You will be sore in a very specific spot on the back of your shoulder. This is the best feedback you can get. It means you've finally hit the target. Your only goal for these two weeks is perfect form. Film yourself if you have to. Ensure your torso is still and your traps are relaxed.
• Month 1: The Pump and Connection Phase. By week 4, you'll be able to get a real, noticeable pump in your rear delts. They will feel full and tight after your sets. You won't see a dramatic size difference in the mirror yet, but you will have mastered the mind-muscle connection. You'll be able to mentally 'find' the muscle and make it work on command. Your strength will increase, but in small increments-maybe moving from 10-pound to 15-pound dumbbell raises.
• Month 3-6: The Visible Growth Phase. This is where the magic happens. After 12+ weeks of consistent, perfect execution, you will see the change. Your shoulders will start to develop that coveted 3D, 'capped' look. They will appear wider and rounder from a side view. This is not a quick fix. It's a long-term investment in building a balanced, aesthetic physique. The progress you make here, built on a foundation of perfect form, will be permanent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Feel Rear Delts Instead of Traps

To isolate your rear delts, slightly protract your scapula (round your upper back just a little) before starting the movement. Think about pulling your elbows out to the side walls, not pulling your shoulder blades together. If you feel your traps pinching, the weight is too heavy or your form is breaking down.

The Role of Upright Rows for Rear Delts

Standard barbell upright rows primarily target the side delts and traps, not the rear delts. A wide-grip row pulled to the chest can involve some rear delt, but it's not an isolation exercise. For direct rear delt growth, focus on horizontal abduction movements like reverse flyes and face pulls.

Training Rear Delts Every Day

Training rear delts every day is unnecessary and counterproductive. Like any muscle, they need time to recover and grow. Hitting them with high intensity twice a week is the optimal frequency for growth without risking overuse injuries. Light band pull-aparts for 50-100 reps can be done more frequently as a warm-up, but not as a primary growth stimulus.

Best Rear Delt Finisher Exercises

If you must train them at the end, use a high-rep, metabolic stress approach. A great finisher is a drop set on the reverse pec-deck machine. Do 10-12 reps with a moderate weight, immediately drop the weight by 30-40%, and perform as many reps as possible. This floods the muscle with blood and metabolites, stimulating growth.

Fixing Asymmetrical Rear Delt Development

It's common for one rear delt to be stronger or more developed. To fix this, use unilateral (single-arm) exercises. Single-arm cable reverse flyes or dumbbell rows are perfect. Always start with your weaker side and then match the number of reps with your stronger side. This prevents the stronger side from continuing to dominate and allows the weaker side to catch up.