The seated bent over dumbbell rear lateral raise is an isolation exercise done folded forward on the end of a bench, lifting the arms out sideways to train the rear deltoid. It is the same movement this library also lists as therear delt seated fly, spelled out in full. Sitting folded over your thighs stops the torso swinging the dumbbells up and removes the hamstring and erector work a standing bent-over raise demands. Lifters put it late in a shoulder or pull session, after rows and presses.
What Muscles Does the Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise Work?
- Primary: Posterior deltoid (rear delt)
- Secondary: Rhomboids, middle trapezius, infraspinatus and teres minor
- Tertiary: Erector spinae, triceps brachii, forearm flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise?
Set two light dumbbells beside the end of a flat bench. Sit on the edge, feet together and flat, then fold forward until your chest rests just above your thighs with a flat back. Grasp the dumbbells with a neutral grip so they hang below your knees, elbows softly bent. Let your shoulder blades hang loose, fix your gaze on the floor ahead, and take the slack out of the rear delts.
How Do You Perform the Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise?
- Fix the elbow angle at a soft bend and turn your palms down so the little fingers lead the way up.
- Raise both dumbbells out to the sides, driving the elbows up and wide rather than pulling the hands.
- Stop when the upper arms are level with your back and the dumbbells sit in line with your ears.
- Hold the top for one count, letting the rear delts tighten without snapping the shoulder blades together.
- Lower along the same arc over two counts until the dumbbells hang under your knees again.
- Keep your chest on your thighs and the dumbbells off the floor, then start the next rep from that hang.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Elbows lead, hands follow: if the hands rise first the biceps and forearms take the rep off the rear delt.
- Chest stays glued to the thighs: any lift of the torso means the lower back is doing rear delt work.
- Send the dumbbells toward the walls beside you, not toward the ceiling.
- Keep the shoulder blades quiet until the last few degrees of the raise.
- Turn the thumbs slightly down at the top so the rear delt works instead of the side delt.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Choosing dumbbells you have to heave: the chest bounces off the thighs and the traps finish each rep, so pick a load you can pause with at the top.
- Sitting up as the set goes on: the rear delt drops out of line with gravity and the lift becomes a standing lateral raise, so stay folded until the set ends.
- Pulling the elbows back toward the hips: the movement turns into a row and the lats take over, so keep the arm path square out to the side.
- Throwing the hands behind your head at the top: the shoulder rolls into internal rotation under load, the position that pinches the rotator cuff under the acromion, so finish level with your ears.
- Shrugging toward the ears: the upper traps absorb the load, so set the shoulders down before every rep.
What Are the Best Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise Variations?
- Chest-supported rear lateral raise: lying face down on a low incline bench, so nothing but the arms can move.
- Standing bent-over rear lateral raise: harder, because the hinge is held by the lower back and hamstrings.
- Single-arm seated rear raise: one dumbbell with the free hand braced on the bench, useful for a weaker side.
- Seated rear raise with thumbs up: an external-rotation bias that pulls more work into the rotator cuff.
- Cable rear delt fly: crossed low pulleys keep the tension even through the whole arc.
How Do You Progress the Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise?
- Add 2.5 to 5 pounds per hand once every rep of every set pauses cleanly at the top.
- Build from 12 reps to 20 with the same pair before you move up.
- Add a set per week, from 3 up to 5.
- Take three counts to lower, or hold the top for two, when the next pair is too heavy.
How Should You Program the Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise?
Put this raise late in a shoulder or pull session, after rows and any overhead pressing, while the rear delts are warm but not yet cooked. Train it two to three times per week for 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps, resting 45 to 60 seconds. Pair it with face pulls or side lateral raises so the shoulder gets rear and side work in one block.
