Benefits of Rhomboid Muscle Workout | 7 Exercises to Do at Home

Practice Rhomboid exercises at home for a well-toned defined back!

Most overlook rhomboid exercises at home. However, the workout is the ultimate way to get a well-defined back. 

In general, men focus on the lats and traps to strengthen their backs. But for getting a perfectly ripped and strong back, missing out on rhomboid exercises at home is not worth it.

To get the best physique and top-level fitness, it is necessary to work your rhomboids too. It plays a key role in determining your posture. It even ensures your strength and durability. Of course, they are key rovers during scapular rotation and retraction.

Moreover, rhomboid muscle exercises can help work out most of the muscle tissue. The best thing is you can do the workout at home.

This guide on rhomboid strengthening will explore everything about the muscle group. At the same time, you will find the best rhomboid exercises at home to perform easily.

What Are Rhomboids?

The human body can be divided into different muscle groups. Each workout focuses on some muscle tissue. 

This adds strength and muscle to your physique. Ultimately, you have a well-developed physique and a higher fitness level.

The rhomboids are a pair of muscles present in your upper back. This includes the rhomboid minor and directly beneath it is the rhomboid major. 

The muscle groups diagonally connect to your spine to your shoulder blades. This gives it a rhombus shape, from which it has got its name. 

Generally, you can’t see your rhomboids as they lie beneath larger traps (trapezius muscles). Most fail to work on this muscle group because they can’t see them.

Still, you can work them to get your physique to the next level. But why should you do a rhomboid workout in the first place?

Why Should You Do Rhomboid Muscle Exercises?

The muscle group is small and thin, having a low chance of growth. Thus, they are underworked. The main goal of the rhomboid muscle is to connect your spine to your shoulder blades.

In other words, their main purpose is scapular retraction. It happens when you pull back and pull together your shoulder blades.

In workouts like rowing or lat pulldown, the muscle group goes through some tough work. They make your shoulder muscles go up and down excessively. The rhomboid muscle stretches work great.

Indeed, most exercises you perform already work on the muscle group. Still, a more rhomboid-focused workout can provide better results.

Underworked and weak rhomboids can reduce scapular control. Your shoulder blades won’t perform well. This may result in injuries, which you would want to avoid.

For a working fitness program as well as attaining the best physique, having appropriate scapular control is necessary. 

Also, you need to understand they don’t work alone. Instead, they work with a larger muscle group.

Nevertheless, if you have underdeveloped rhomboids, you can add rhomboid exercises with weights or without weights to your program. This can improve scapular control, resulting in a better motion.

Avoiding working on your rhomboids affects scapular control. This results in excessive motions in your shoulder joint, causing injuries.

Moreover, it can even result in poor posture. This can further contribute to chronic pain in your shoulders, back, and neck. With recent lifestyle habits, this problem can be exaggerated.

Most tend to hunch over their laptops and phones, undermining their posture. Again, this makes your rhomboids worse.

Nonetheless, performing rhomboid exercises at home can resolve these problems. You would get better posture, less chronic pain, along with a better looking back.

Well, here’s a sum-up of all the benefits you will get…

Benefits Of Rhomboid Muscle Workout

The rhomboid is the most overlooked muscle group. As it lies beneath your back muscle, it is hard to work on it. 

However, weak rhomboids can lead to bad posture, shoulder pain, and an unworked back.

In contrast, performing rhomboid exercises for bodybuilding can resolve the problem. It even provides different benefits while elevating your fitness level.

Here’s why strong rhomboids are important.

1. Greater Chances at Muscle Building

Strong rhomboids ensure greater scapular stabilization and retraction. This means you can lift heavier weights while performing pulling workouts. In other words, you have a greater chance of becoming bigger and stronger.

2. Avoid Injuries

Working on the muscle improves scapular control. Indeed, the function of your shoulder blades is getting better. Particularly, the upper body workouts become effortless.

However, weak rhomboids lead to a contrary situation. You have less scapular control. This makes the motion of your shoulder blades quick, making them worn out quickly.

This is the result of the loss of scapular control. And it doesn’t only affect your shoulders but impacts your elbows also.

In contrast, performing rhomboid exercises at home make them strong. This improves scapular control, cutting the possibility of injury.

3. Helps Avoid Muscle Compensation Problems

Any workout involving scapular retraction helps work on rhomboids. Whether you perform pulling moves or pressing movements, it helps your scapular retraction get in action.

However, what you need to know about the muscles is that they don’t work alone. They are part of a greater muscle group, controlling the motion of your upper body.

If your rhomboids aren’t strong, you need to work on them by working on the larger muscle group. 

Underworked rhomboids affect performance and make you prone to injury. Thus, for a strong body, strong rhomboids contribute greatly.

4. Maintain Healthy Posture

When it comes to maintaining a good posture, your rhomboids play a prominent role. Of course, strong and well-defined rhomboids provide good posture. But today’s lifestyle hampers your physique. It even deteriorates your posture.

It is the result of several problems. Moreover, it even results in chronic pains and breathing issues. 

On top of that, people with poor posture tend to perform more pressing workouts than pulling. This further aggravates the issue.

The only way to prevent poor posture problems is to improve them with rhomboid exercises for posture. Indeed, they help build your back while perfecting your posture.

All in all, the benefits of rhomboid exercises at the gym are many. The association of greater scapular control is what makes it even more important. It makes both pulling and pushing workouts easier.

Certainly, strong rhomboids ensure greater functioning. You have good posture while avoiding most injuries. 

On top of that, greater scapular control makes it easier to lift heavier weights. Thus, you can jack up lean muscles quicker.

The scapular strength translates into a greater fitness level. Moreover, it also ensures a resilient injury-free physique. Still, to achieve the goal, you need to perform rhomboid exercises at home.

[Best 7] Best Rhomboid Exercises at Home

Working on your rhomboids can bring that edge to your physique. It improves your back while giving you a well-defined body. Plus, it enhances your complete posture. 

Here are top rhomboid exercises without weights that you can do at home.

#1: Band Pull-Aparts

It is the most conventional way to work on the muscle group. It just requires a resistance band. 

You can also perform the rhomboid exercises with no equipment as a break between long sitting periods.

Band pull-aparts are one of the most convenient ways to train your rhomboids. All you need is a resistance band.

Here’s how to do Band Pull Aparts:

1. Grasp the resistance band with both your hands.
2. Raise it in front of you at the level of your shoulder.
3. Stretch the band out at your chest level.
4. Now, get back to the initial position. This is one rep.

The rhomboid exercises work effectively for the muscle group. Meanwhile, it even improves your chest and shoulders.

#2: Scapular Push-Ups

It is quite like the general push-up, which is a fantastic exercise working on your core and other muscle groups. 

Surprisingly, performing scapular pushups, one of its variations, works well for rhomboids.

Here’s how to do scapular pushups:

1. Begin into a high plank position. Make sure your feet are at hip-width apart. Meanwhile, your hands remain shoulder-width apart under your shoulders. In short, you begin in a normal push-up position.
2. Now, drop your chest between your arms making your shoulder blades retract.
3. It’s time to push through your hands at a low pace to your back getting in a protracted position. This would make you feel your shoulder blades move apart. 
4. Now, repeat. Go down and make the same move.

This is one rep for this rhomboid exercise at home. Go slow and make sure to breathe in when going down while breathing out when you go up.

#3: Seated Rows and Bent Over Rows and Single Arm Rows

Rhomboid Exercises with Resistance Bands are another best way to work on your rhomboids. It utilizes a resistance band to improve the muscle group.

Here’s how to do this rhomboid exercise with resistance bands:

1. Sit down while keeping your leg straight in front of you. Keep the resistance band around your feet.
2. Pull them toward you using your shoulder blades together as if rowing.
3. You should do the move above your stomach. Contract your rhomboids with your shoulder retraction while making the downward rotation.
4. While losing the stretch, perform the move carefully.

This rhomboid exercise is easy peasy. You can perform it at home without the need for an expert.

#4: Banded Y

Another workout that involves a resistance band!

You can find this workout easily in any rhomboid exercises videos by fitness experts.

Here’s how to perform Banded Y:

1. Grasp the resistance band at the end while putting your right arm to your side body.
2. At the same time, your left hand should hold the other side of the resistance band. Now, drop it down to your right hand.
3. Now, pull it all the way up stretching the resistance band until it is tight while your left hand is above your head.
4. It is time to get back to the initial position.

This is one rep.

This is one of the best rhomboid exercises at home to work on the muscle group. Indeed, it makes a shape of Y, from where it gets its name.

#5: Banded A

Again, a resistance band workout for the muscle group. You can do it easily at home. You just need a good quality band to make things work.

Here’s how to do Banded A:

1. Hold the resistance band at the end. Lift your left hand above your shoulder.
2. Now, holding the other end of the band, get your right band upward to your left hand.
3. Now, pull down, stretching the band until it gets right. Meanwhile, your right hand remains down by your side.  

This is one rep.

This was one of the best rhomboid exercises at home. It makes an A-shape, from where the name arrives. It works well for your shoulder muscles.

RELATED: Best Shoulder Exercises for Women

#6: Banded W

The rhomboid workout makes a W shape. Meanwhile, it works on your shoulder, shoulder blades, elbows, and even biceps. Specifically, it works on your rhomboids.

Here’s how to do Banded W:

1. You hold the end of the band on each hand. The closer they get to the center, the more the tension.
2. Move your elbows to your sides, while keeping your hands away at a waist distance.
3. Outwardly, you should rotate your shoulders away from your body in a straight line.
4. Now, slowly return to the initial position. Repeat.

The exercise works on different muscle groups apart from your rhomboids. You can even do this rhomboid exercise to warm up or for normal stretching.

#7: Pull Downs

This is one of the variations of rhomboid exercises for pain and requires a resistance band. It works for different muscle groups other than your back.

Here’s how to perform pull-downs: 

1. Hold the resistance band with your hands, keeping them at shoulder-width distance.
2. Now, you lift your arms up over your hand to make a shape of Y.
3. It is time to retract your shoulder blades down and back. Meanwhile, utilize your upper back and lats to pull the band down and at a distance.
4. Once the resistance band gets to your chest, contract your shoulder blades.
5. Elevate your arms back to the Y-position slowly. Shrug a little bit and repeat.

You must move the band in a straight line. Just keep moving it up and down on the vertical plane.

So, these were the top 7 best rhomboid exercises at home. The above-shared workouts are simple to perform. They don’t require equipment or going to the gym. You can perform them easily at home.

Apart from these, you can look for rhomboid exercises with dumbbells too. You can do the move easily at home. All you need to do is buy dumbbells. Now, you have a list of rhomboid exercises you can get started on right away. 

Wrapping Up

Rhomboids are a pair of muscles including rhomboids junior and rhomboids major.

As mentioned, they are often underworked as they lie beneath your back muscle. But weak rhomboids can affect your posture while making you prone to injury.

Thus, it becomes important to train the muscle group. You can reach this goal by adding the rhomboid exercises at home mentioned above. Or, you can add some other types of workouts that focus specifically on this muscle group.

Don’t forget to share your experience with us! In the case of confusion, ask us in the comments section.

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