Cable Y-Raise
The cable Y-raise lifts both arms from low pulleys up and out, slightly in front of the body, until they form a Y overhead. It works the side deltoids and the bottom fibres of the trapezius, which rotate the shoulder blades upwards, and is used as a light shoulder accessory and warm-up.
Also called: Cable Scaption Y-Raise, Cable Overhead Y-Raise · Equipment: cable · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Set both pulleys at the lowest position. Stand in the middle, take the left handle in your right hand and the right handle in your left, so the cables cross in front of your thighs.
- Step back until both cables are taut. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees soft, trunk braced and ribs down.
- With a slight bend in your elbows and your thumbs pointing up, raise your arms up and out on a diagonal, slightly in front of your body.
- Keep raising until your arms form a Y above your head.
- Pause briefly with your shoulders down away from your ears.
- Bring your arms back down along the same path under control until the cables cross in front of your thighs.
- After the last rep, step forward and let the handles return one at a time.
- Thumbs up, arms up and out into a Y
- Arms slightly in front of your body
- Shoulders down away from your ears
- Ribs down, no back arch
- Control the cables back down
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Lateral deltoid | Prime mover | C |
| Trapezius: lower | Prime mover | C |
| Trapezius: upper | Secondary | C |
| Posterior deltoid | Secondary | C |
| Supraspinatus | Stabiliser | C |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Shrugging to get overhead
Fix: Keep your shoulders down away from your ears as your arms rise.
Arching the low back at the top
Fix: Keep your ribs down and raise only as high as your shoulders allow.
Arms travelling straight out to the side
Fix: Keep your arms slightly in front of your body throughout.
Weight too heavy
Fix: Use a light weight you can control all the way overhead.
Letting the cables snap down
Fix: Bring your arms down slowly along the same path.
What the research says
Rehab & prehab · first choiceMuscle growthGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Muscle activity — An EMG study of 10 shoulder-blade exercises found an overhead arm raise in line with the bottom fibres of the trapezius, done lying face down, produced the highest activity in those fibres. The cable Y-raise follows a similar overhead line but has not been tested.
- Raise variations — An EMG study of raise variations found a side raise with a neutral hand gave the highest side-deltoid activity, and that changing the arm's rotation or path shifted activity to other parts of the shoulder.
- Load and reps — Research finds lighter, higher-rep work favours local muscular endurance, and that muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns.
Swap it mid-workout
- Cable Lateral Raise
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Lu Raise
- Plate Lateral Raise
- Lateral Raise Machine
- Leaning Cable Lateral Raise
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the cable y-raise in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.