Rear Delt Barbell Row

Take a grip wider than shoulder-width and hinge your hips back until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Keep your knees softly bent, your chest open, and your abs braced so you lock in your torso angle first.

Pull the bar toward your lower chest while driving your elbows wide to the sides. Keep your elbows traveling out and up past your hands to load your rear delts.

At the top, briefly squeeze the backs of your shoulders, then lower the bar slowly. Maintain your torso angle and control the speed so your rear-shoulder tension does not disappear.

The wide elbow path should concentrate the work in your rear delts and upper back. If it feels like only your arms are pulling, lower the weight and drive your elbows farther out.

Using torso momentum or keeping your elbows close shifts work toward your lower back and lower lats instead of your rear delts. Pulling the bar toward your navel turns it into a standard row, so pull wide toward your lower chest.

Inhale to brace your torso before pulling, then exhale slowly as you row. Because breathing can become shallow while hinged over, keep your abs engaged and take full breaths.

For a rear-delt row, the width of your elbow path matters more than the load. Find the squeeze in the backs of your shoulders with a light weight before adding weight.