rear delt row vs reverse pec/fly

[Karl Hansen]

Hi,

I was wondering if you could elaborate on how coach Kassem emphasizes rear delt rows are more superior then reverse pec/flies when targeting the rear delts.  I understand how they do recruit more upper back muscles all together while reverse pec/fly is more isolated to just the rear delt.  He stresses that you will never get as shortened using pec dec and that you should avoid movements perpendicular to the torso.  Also I can’t visualize the statement “reverse pec dec are very asymmetrical in terms of the fiber length of the rear delt”.   I enjoy doing them all, just trying to see if it’s worth just doing rear rows only for rear delts for a bit to see any difference.   Thanks

[BryceBahm]

I will answer this simply. Any “rule” speaking in absolutes probably is a close minded, immaculate approach.

Both are great, but both are very different.
– 2 joints moving verses just 1
– different torque around the shoulder joint
– a fixed application verses a more free application
– different profiles

The one size fits all concept just doesn’t apply. All bodies are different. All demands are different. All goals are different. Programs vary.

That’s why I say, both can be great or both can be terrible. It just depends on how well you use the tool and when.

[BryceBahm]

The last thing I’ll add is at the end of the day the only thing that matters is what is healthfully producing results?

[Joe]

Karl Hansen wrote:

Hi,

I was wondering if you could elaborate on how coach Kassem emphasizes rear delt rows are more superior then reverse pec/flies when targeting the rear delts.  I understand how they do recruit more upper back muscles all together while reverse pec/fly is more isolated to just the rear delt.  He stresses that you will never get as shortened using pec dec and that you should avoid movements perpendicular to the torso.  Also I can’t visualize the statement “reverse pec dec are very asymmetrical in terms of the fiber length of the rear delt”.   I enjoy doing them all, just trying to see if it’s worth just doing rear rows only for rear delts for a bit to see any difference.   Thanks

The only big advantage of rows, is it may be a better/more comfortable arm path for some. So yes, some people will be better able to fully shorten the delt there. But the big downside is they overload the shortened range, and have pretty much zero load in the lengthened range. So it doesn’t align well with my principles for exercise selection. Overloading the mid/lengthened range specifically where you can produce the most force.

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