Incline Y-Raise

Lying face down on an incline bench, you raise the dumbbells into a "Y": it trains the rear delts and lower traps (key for shoulder health and a stable scapula) with very little fatigue.

• Isolation
• Dumbbell
• Intermediate

How to do it

• Face down on a 30–45° incline bench, arms hanging
• Raise diagonally into a Y shape, thumbs pointing up
• Squeeze by retracting and depressing the shoulder blades, without shrugging
• Lower under control without letting the weight drop

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 12–20 reps · 0–1 RIR

Tempo: Raise for 1–2 s, squeeze at the top, lower for 2 s under control

Common mistakes

• Using too much weight and swinging the torso
• Shrugging the shoulders towards the ears instead of depressing the shoulder blade

Muscles worked

Primary

• Rear delt

Secondary

• Traps
• Side delt

Alternatives

• Rear Delt Fly / Reverse Pec Deck
• Face Pull
• Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly