Cheat Code for Massive Rear Delts
by: Josh Bryant
Josh executing cheating rear delt swings.
Back in the day, at some bizarre Tex-Mex, Pan-Asian, Redneck Fusion kick ‘n’ stab bar, somewhere between Corpus Christi and old Mexico, I found myself enjoying a few beers and soaking in the bizarre atmosphere of the place. The cage fence around the stage kept things lively as the Tejano band couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Oddly enough, the warm beer was kind of pleasant. I couldn’t help but notice an old head in the corner, his skin as wrinkled as a map of the Appalachian Trail, chatting up a lady who looked like she’d been dead for two decades. The man himself seemed to have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.
As the night wore on, the old head shared with us tales of his life. He claimed to have been a football coach out in the backwoods. He told us about coaching some of the local kids, who he described as “inbred as a jar of pickles.” He said it was hard to teach them plays, but he found a way to make it work. “I put ’em on special teams, kick-off team in fact,” he said. “Best damn wedge busters you ever saw. They’d run through a brick wall if I told ’em to.” At this point I realized this man was not bound by societal norms BUT he got results!
Despite his bizarre stories and questionable life choices, the man was like a wise old sage, sharing his wisdom from the school of hard knocks. He told us about the time he had the best Japanese barbecue in China. He said, “You go to Steak and Ale for the lobster and Red Lobster for the steak.” That got me thinking that sometimes conventional wisdom is just the status quo. People saying, “This is the way we have always done it” are really saying, “I have no idea why the hell I am doing this.” Cheating usually means getting something for nothing, breaking the rules for self-gain. But in strength training, it has its time and its place. This interaction reminded me of that.
Cheating is an advanced, high-intensity technique; it should not be used every workout! Use it infrequently on body parts you are trying to bring up; you know, those stubborn ones that just can’t figure out they are supposed to grow.
This rear delt exercise is a great example of cheating; I picked it up from bodybuilding icon John Meadows (RIP) and it will absolutely destroy your rear delts. High reps, heavy weights, and undeniable results—this is the Hang and Swing.
John was introduced to this exercise by an old training partner back in the day. They remained part of his arsenal to the end, which screams they are results oriented. Essentially, it’s a “cheat” rear delt raise emphasizing the essential swing. Best done face down on an incline bench, but can also be performed standing, bent over.
Here’s how you do it:
-Start with roughly 1/3 range of motion for at least 20 reps.
-Keep going even if you’re only moving the dumbbells an inch or two at the end.
-Aim for 20-50 reps total.
-These are basically partial rear laterals for high reps with heavy-ish dumbbells. One of the best ways to put size on the rear delts.
Once you have the mind-muscle connection, rear delts are highly responsive to training. They also get recruited during any kind of rowing, receiving both direct and indirect stimulus. Developing the rear delts is crucial for the overall shoulder girdle—traps, rotator cuff, deltoids, and rhomboids.
Strengthening the rear delts improves scapular mobility and the strength of the scapular mobilizers. This enhances your shoulder functionality in both overhead bench pressing and, hell, any angle in between. Plus, it complements a no-nonsense, #GasStationReady physique as well as fine-tuning a #Chippendalesready night shift physique.
Make sure you have a solid mind-muscle connection with your delts before attempting this movement. The swing must be initiated from the rear delts. Squeeze the dumbbells hard and get every ounce of contraction you can out of your rear delts. If you’re doing these standing, be careful of low back spill over fatigue to deadlifts and strongman physique.
Rear delts can be trained first before shoulder pressing or done last if they are not the primary priority (and really do not fatigue pressing power much). Think muscle priority; RIP, Joe Weider.
And, hey, if you really want to feel invincible, wash it down with a swig of Dr. Bushwacker’s Hillbilly Horse Power Moonshine. We assume no liability if you start seeing double or not seeing at all!
Ready to feel the pain and see the gains? Pay tribute to John Meadows and give the Hang and Swing a shot. Your rear delts will thank you.
Cheating can be very beneficial to powerbuilding, do one of Josh’s Top-Rated Powerbuilding programs HERE.
