

Origin: The minor originates at the lowest vertebrae of the cervical spine (C7) and in the first vertebrae of the thoracic spine (T1), where the bottom of the neck meets the upper back. While they are not completely visible, their development increases the thickness of the upper back. Made up of the major and minor parts, the rhomboids sit underneath the trapezius. This makes rear delts a common target for those looking to improve poor posture and internally rotated shoulders. Contracting the rear delts also externally rotates the shoulder joint, pulling the insertion on the outside of the upper arm towards the origin on the shoulder blade, which occurs during the face pull exercise. They are activated when extending the shoulder from many angles and in a multitude of movements, including narrow grip rows when the arms are tight to the body and reverse flyes with the humerus closer to 90 degrees. The primary function of the rear delts is shoulder extension, both in assisting the lats and in horizontal extension. This is around halfway down the humerus on the outside of the upper arm.įunction: The rear delt is a non-pennate muscle, which causes the fibers to pull directly from the origin to insertion. Insertion: Despite varied functions and origins, all deltoid heads insert in the same place: the aptly named deltoid tuberosity. Origin: The rear delts originate from the spine of the scapula, which is the ridge running along the top of the shoulder blade. While the side delts are often specifically targeted with isolation exercises such as lateral raises. The front delts get hammered during push training. This muscle is often overlooked compared to the anterior (front) and lateral (side) delts. Well-developed rear deltoids provide stability to the shoulder joint and, as the most superficial muscles, give your shoulders a 3-D look from all angles. Located on the back of the shoulder, rear deltoids are the most posterior of the 3 heads of the deltoid. Anatomy and Function of the Muscles Trained The involvement of the teres minor and infraspinatus in the rotator cuff is heavily influenced by what technique you decide to use.


The primary movers of face pulls are the mid-traps, rhomboids and rear deltoids supported by some smaller muscles in the rotator cuff. The face pull targets the upper back around the scapula and rotator cuff. This article will outline the anatomy and functions of the muscles used in the face pull exercise before providing you with a range of exercises that can be used to replace or supplement them. However, they have some limitations and might not be the most efficient way to improve your physique. Heralded as a way bulletproof your shoulders, improve your posture, and blow up your upper back and rear delts, they quickly became commonplace in many programs. Face pulls have long been a staple in powerlifting and more recently they have gained popularity in bodybuilding.
