Barbell Rear Delt Row
Built around heavy bilateral barbell loading, Barbell Rear Delt Row fits into any delt-focused block and builds round, durable shoulder caps.
How to do Barbell Rear Delt Row
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Rear Delt Row Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.
Common Barbell Rear Delt Row Mistakes
Bouncing the bar to get through the hardest inch
Pause briefly so the muscle, not the rebound, does the work.
Shrugging the traps up to finish the last few reps
Keep the shoulder blade down and end the set when the shrug appears.
Repeating the same load and rep scheme for months
Pick one variable, load, reps, or tempo, and push it every week.
Easier and Harder Than Barbell Rear Delt Row
Swap Barbell Rear Delt Row For
Barbell Rear Delt Row — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Barbell Rear Delt Row?
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Barbell Rear Delt Row work?
The Barbell Rear Delt Row primarily targets the delts. It is classified as a shoulders exercise and is performed with a barbell.
How many sets and reps of the Barbell Rear Delt Row should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Barbell Rear Delt Row good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic shoulders patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Barbell Rear Delt Row?
Try the Battling Ropes, Kettlebell Double Push Press or the Smith Upright Row. Each trains the delts with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
