[FONT="]Hi Laura!
You are not alone in your frustration. We all have areas on our body that respond quickly with practically minimal effort (our stronger areas) and then areas that need CONSTANT attention and even then seem like they are slowwwwww to respond (our weaker areas). Of course we also have the areas that fall right in the middle and respond accordingly when trained on schedule. It's quite normal so don't get discouraged.
You can do multiple things to keep the rear delts shocked, [/FONT]guessing and responding but the biggest ingredient of them all is remaining VERY consistent. If our "weaker areas" are given any slack....they take full advantage of the situation....don't let them win.
Rear Delt Attack Plan:
1) Train them twice a week WITHOUT FAIL!!!!
2) Put them in with chest on one day (ie: Chest and Shoulders)so you get them with your push exercises and then train them with back on your second workout (at least 3 days between these workouts) so that you work them with your pulling exercises (Ie: Back and Shoulders).
3) It's always a good idea to shake up any of your workouts and change things around for best results, but when it comes to "weaker areas" this approach is MANDATORY. NEVER do the exact same rear delt exercise, reps, or sets in any of these workouts. Weaker areas are lazy...you give them what they know and they'll just go to sleep right in the middle of your workout
4) I know you have access to a gym so shake up that equipment. Hit your rears with cables, machines, free weights, sledge hammers (just kidding on the sledge hammers...making sure your focused, lol) various angles, elevations, reps, sets, supersets, trisets, speed patterns, etc.
Here is a sample workout to get you started but remember CHANGE IS NECESSARY....even a small change, like going from a seated overhead press to a standing overhead press, is ok...but change something always!
Chest and Shoulders:
Incline Barbell Press...4 sets (20, 15, 12, and 10 reps)
Flat Dumbell Press.... 4 sets ( 15, 15, 10, 10)
Cable Crossovers....3 sets (15, 15, 15)
Seated Side Lateral Raise...3 sets (15, 12, 10)
Seated Overhead Press....4 sets (20, 15, 12, 8)
High Pulley Cable Lateral Extensions (pull arms out to sides) 3 sets (12, 10, 10)
Low Pulley Cable Bent Over lateral Raises 3 sets...(10, 10, 8)
Back and Shoulders:
Underhand Close Grip Barbell Row...4 sets (15, 15, 12, 12)
Assisted Pullups Wide Grip 4 sets (15, 15, 12, 12)
One Arm Row...3 sets (15, 15, 15)
Seated Cable Row ...3 sets (20, 15, 15)
Superset: Standing Overhead Dumbbell Press/Seated Lateral Raise 2 sets (12 reps of each)
Superset: Seated Bent Lateral/ Shoulder Width Grip Standing Barbell Upright Row 2 sets (15 of each)
Seated Rear Delt Fly Machine (3 sets 20, 15, 12)
There's a start....keep the variety and consistancy coming. Good Luck Laura!
First off, I hope you had a great holiday w/e & found someplace to stay cool!
I could really use your input re. rear delt training. Twice over the last five years I've had a trainer at the gym tell me I have good front delt definition but nothing going on w/my rear delts. So, I've changed my routine to include an extra 6 sets of rear delt exercises each week, either
3 sets reverse pec deck & 3 sets bent-over raises, or
3 sets standing rear delt exercise & 3 sets of high pulls w/rope on seated row machine
The first comment I got was about 5 years ago & I started training my rear delts twice as hard, the second comment I got was about a month ago, so clearly my extra training over the years has had no result.
I'm wondering, is it just a bodypart that I'm genetically unable to build? Or am I doing something wrong? I would so appreciate your input!
