How To Do Stability Ball Rear Delt Raise

By: Chris Freytag, CPT


Chris Freytag demonstrating a rear delt raise on a stability ball wearing black yoga pants and a blue top.

Stability Ball Rear Delt Raise is a unique way to strengthen the back of your shoulders, your upper back and your core. Though this exercise focuses on your upper body strength, the use of the stability ball puts your core to work and challenges you to hold your stability and balance. If you learn how to do Stability Ball Rear Delt Raise you will have a new way to build a beautiful back and shoulders.

When you first learn how to do Stability Ball Rear Delt Raise you will want to choose weights that are fairly light. Due to the arms reaching out far away from the midline of the body, whatever amount of weight your choose will feel heavier than it does during something like a bicep curl where the weight is held close to the body. Be sure to squeeze the shoulder blades together as you raise the dumbbells up. Your concentration on this is important so that you are not straining you neck or traps.

The stability ball is the reason for the extra core strength that you are building during this move. By balancing your body on the ball instead of doing it on a stable surface like a weight bench, you are teaching the muscles of the core to engage in order to keep you from rolling around or even falling off the ball. A tip for the first time you try this is to keep your feet wide in order to assist your stability. As you feel stronger and more confident, draw your feet and legs closer together to work your core even harder. The stability ball is an excellent tool! Be sure to choose a ball according to your size. The taller and bigger you are, the bigger the ball should be. Since your body is on top of the ball for this exercise be sure it is not too small for your frame.

After you try this Rear Delt Raise, check out our “Use The Ball, Lose the Belly Core Workout. Also, check out our full body workout Stability Ball Total Body Toner.

Here are the steps to performing Stability Ball Rear Delt Raise:

1) Holding dumbbells, place your chest on the ball with arms draped alongside the ball and legs extended out to the floor behind you.

2) Keep your head in line with your spine and, with palms face down, slowly raise arms straight out to the side of the ball.

3) Pause at the top for a moment and slowly release arms back down.

Targets: shoulders, back, core

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