Standing Y Raise

How to do it

1. Stand with a light dumbbell in each hand, feet hip-width, knees soft.
2. Hold the dumbbells in front of the thighs with the thumbs pointing up.
3. Raise both arms up and out on a diagonal so they form a Y.
4. Stop when the arms are about head height or slightly above, thumbs pointing back.
5. Lower slowly along the same diagonal line.

Tips

• Pull the shoulder blades down and around the ribs as the arms rise.
• Keep the ribs down so the movement comes from the shoulders, not the lower back.
• Go light: this is about control, not load.

Common mistakes

• Leaning back to reach the top position.
• Shrugging hard toward the ears.
• Letting the arms drift into a front raise with no Y shape.

Muscles worked by the Standing Y Raise

• Side delts Primary45%
• Front delts Secondary13%
• Lower traps Secondary11%
• Rear delts Secondary9%
• Upper traps Minor8%
• Rotator cuff Stabilizer8%
• Serratus anterior Minor6%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Raising in the scapular plane recruits more front delt and lower traps. Raising the arm out to the side is shoulder abduction, led by the lateral delt; front and rear heads assist, the upper traps help rotate the shoulder blade near the top, and the supraspinatus starts the movement from deep.

Standing Y Raise alternatives

Same equipment

• Dumbbell Y RaiseDumbbell
• ScaptionDumbbell
• Lu RaiseDumbbell
• Overhead Lateral RaiseDumbbell

Different equipment

• Cable Y RaiseCable
• Cable Y Raise Single ArmCable

Make it harder

• Cable Y RaiseCable
• Cable Y Raise Single ArmCable
• Lu RaiseDumbbell
• Overhead Lateral RaiseDumbbell

Similar exercises

• Landmine Lateral RaiseLandmine
• Kettlebell Lateral RaiseKettlebell

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Standing Y Raise work?

Mainly the side delts. The front delts, lower traps and rear delts assist.

Is the Standing Y Raise good for beginners?

Yes. The Standing Y Raise is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.

What is a good alternative to the Standing Y Raise?

For example the Cable Y Raise, Cable Y Raise Single Arm and Dumbbell Y Raise. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

How do you make the Standing Y Raise harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the Cable Y Raise and Cable Y Raise Single Arm.

Sources

• Coratella et al. 2020, IJERPH 17(17):6015 (lateral raise variations and front raise)

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