Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Shoulders

Rear Delt Row

DumbbellCompoundEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Delts

Also upper back & lats, traps

You need

Dumbbells, Bench

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Squeeze
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Chest down on an incline bench
  2. 2Elbows wide, pull toward your upper chest
  3. 3Stop when your elbows reach torso level

Most common mistake

Tucking the elbows in so it becomes a normal row.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for shoulders
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Cable Rear Delt Flyvs Reverse Pec Deck
A
For shoulders
#8 of 27
See the full list →
Research
74
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 74
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionStrong
Low costExcellent

Rowing with the elbows flared targets the rear delts, though the upper back shares the work.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SCable Lateral RaiseCable
  • SMachine Lateral RaiseMachine
  • SReverse Pec DeckMachine
  • ALean-Away Lateral RaiseDumbbell

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