Standing Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Rear Delts)

Starting position

1. Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
2. Hinge forward at the hips, pushing them back, until your torso is about 45° to the floor or a little lower.
3. Keep your back flat with a natural arch in the lower back, and look at the floor a few feet ahead.
4. Let the dumbbells hang under your shoulders with a slight bend in the elbows — keep that angle throughout the set.

Execution

1. Exhale and raise your arms out to the sides and slightly back in an arc. Lead with your elbows, not your hands.
2. Lift until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor, in line with your torso. Don't shrug your shoulders toward your ears.
3. Pause for a second at the top.
4. Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back down without relaxing your back.

Common mistakes

• Swinging the torso — momentum lifts the weight, the rear delts barely work and the lower back takes the strain.
• Rounding the back — load shifts onto the spine and raises the risk of a lower-back injury.
• Squeezing the shoulder blades hard — the traps and rhomboids take over from the rear delts.
• Dumbbells that are too heavy — range of motion shrinks and form falls apart.

Beginner tips

• Start very light (2–5 kg): the rear delts are a small muscle and don't need heavy loads.
• Think of moving your arms out wide rather than pulling them back.
• If holding the hinge is hard, rest your forehead on the back of an incline bench.

Alternatives

• Seated Reverse Pec Deck Fly (Rear Delts) — machine fixes the path and unloads the lower back
• Seated Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Rear Delts) — seated, lower back is unloaded