Y-Raise
Raising the arms overhead in a Y shape — strengthens the lower traps and shoulders, key muscles for posture.
Also called: prone y raise, y raises
Equipmentbench
Musclesshouldersupper back
Setup
Stand with a slight forward hinge at the hips, or lie face down on an incline bench, arms hanging in front of you.
How to do the Y-Raise
- Raise your arms up and out into a Y shape, thumbs pointing up.
- Lift until arms are roughly in line with your ears.
- Lower back down with control.
- Keep the movement slow — this is a small-range, high-control exercise.
Y-Raise muscles worked
The Y-Raise works the shoulders and upper back.
Common Y-Raise mistakes
- Shrugging the shoulders instead of using the lower traps.
- Using momentum to swing the arms up.
- Going too heavy, which limits the range of motion.
Scale it
Easier: No added weight, reduce the range slightly.
Harder: Add light dumbbells, or pause at the top of each rep.