Best rear delt and legs exercises during COVID

[u_e_s_i]

Available equipment

• 2 x 5-90lbs (~2.5-42kg) adjustable dumbbells
• Pull-up & leg raise power tower
• 1 x dip belt
• Bodyweight shoulder press
• Bodyweight chest press
• 1 x adjustable flat & incline bench (and I might get a second one)
• Decline sit-up bench
• 2 x 20kg plates (can’t be added to the dumbbells unless I use duct tape a la bro Jeff)
• There’s a weight vest otw

what dyou reckon are the best exercises I can do with the above for the rear delts and legs?

For the rear delts I’ve been doing reverse flys on a flat bench and that exercise where your body’s like a 3 pronged candle and you twist your arms about your shoulders but I’m wondering if there are any good ones I should try

for calves, I’m doing calf raises

for upper legs though I’m at a loss tbh and with glutes when I try to do squats with the weights my legs don’t feel challenged and my legs and/or grip tire before I can challenge them through sheer volume

have you guys got any ideas?

Is there a piece of kit which I’m missing that could really open some doors?

 

[muscleupcrohn]

You can do Bulgarian split squats holding dumbbells for quads. And lunges holding dumbbells too. For hamstrings, you can do Romanian deadlifts with the dumbbells, potentially one-leg version of the lift too, depending on how heavy you need to go and how it feels for you.

Depending on the type of dumbbells you have and your bench, you could maybe use a dumbbell to do lying leg curls too. See attached image for reference.

Edit: for quads, if you can elevate your heels a bit on a piece of wood, or some plates, you can hold the dumbbells in front of you and replicate front squats. Between the front position and the elevated heels, you can really target your quads, and get a deep ROM, so you don’t need crazy heavy weights. Also, maybe do the split squats and lunges first, so you’re pre-exhausting your quads and don’t need as much weight as you would if you did squats first, which most people normally do.

 

[jswain34]

^great post. With 180lbs you can destroy your legs with rear foot elevated split squats, front leg elevated reverse lunges, etc. As mentioned, unilateral RDLs work great as well. With just those two simple exercises you can destroy your upper legs. You can wear your weighted vest on both of these exercises to increase the resistance even more if you need to, which I doubt you’ll need to truthfully.

If you get some light bands you can do banded hamstring curl & quad extensions if you google the setup. You could also do pull throughs and band good mornings.

For rear delts - a ton of rows with your upper arm at different angles. Can do chest supported incline rows & db seal rows too. Obviously both heavy/low rep & light/high rep rear delt flys are a good option for some more isolation work.

 

[jswain34]

Was just screwing around and checking stuff out at SpudInc and found this GHR strap that can turn a bench into a GHR device. For 40$ that isnt a bad price.

Spud Inc Straps - Gym Equipment, Training Tips, And More!

Spud Inc Straps - Here at Spud, Inc. we make strong straps for strong people! Proudly made in South Carolina, USA! Welcome to Spud Nation!

www.spud-inc-straps.com

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Was just screwing around and checking stuff out at SpudInc and found this GHR strap that can turn a bench into a GHR device. For 40$ that isnt a bad price.

Spud Inc Straps - Gym Equipment, Training Tips, And More!

Spud Inc Straps - Here at Spud, Inc. we make strong straps for strong people! Proudly made in South Carolina, USA! Welcome to Spud Nation!

www.spud-inc-straps.com

I feel like you probably need a pretty study/solid/heavy bench for that to not tip over? I’m too lazy to try to think about where the center or gravity would be at the bottom of the motion and all that good stuff haha.

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Was just screwing around and checking stuff out at SpudInc and found this GHR strap that can turn a bench into a GHR device. For 40$ that isnt a bad price.

Spud Inc Straps - Gym Equipment, Training Tips, And More!

Spud Inc Straps - Here at Spud, Inc. we make strong straps for strong people! Proudly made in South Carolina, USA! Welcome to Spud Nation!

www.spud-inc-straps.com

I feel like you probably need a pretty study/solid/heavy bench for that to not tip over? I’m too lazy to try to think about where the center or gravity would be at the bottom of the motion and all that good stuff haha.

 

[jswain34]

Probably. Side to side would be the bigger issue id think, but if you had a really light bench it might be a problem. If you took the pad off and just put it on the ground it wouldnt be an issue - they have a video of him doing it like that on a fairly thin pad and it didn’t seem like a problem.

 

[jswain34]

Probably. Side to side would be the bigger issue id think, but if you had a really light bench it might be a problem. If you took the pad off and just put it on the ground it wouldnt be an issue - they have a video of him doing it like that on a fairly thin pad and it didn’t seem like a problem.

 

[muscleupcrohn]

Probably. Side to side would be the bigger issue id think, but if you had a really light bench it might be a problem. If you took the pad off and just put it on the ground it wouldnt be an issue - they have a video of him doing it like that on a fairly thin pad and it didn’t seem like a problem.

Good point. It looks like you could maybe just use a tow-strap instead haha?