TRX Y Raise
What Is the TRX Y Raise?
TRX Y Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the lower and middle trapezius, rhomboids and serratus anterior. It is a beginner-level movement performed on a suspension trainer: you lean back holding the handles, then sweep your straight arms from in front of your chest to overhead in a Y shape, which pulls your body back toward upright.
The exercise builds the rear and side deltoids together with the muscles that control the shoulder blade as the arm travels overhead. The lower trapezius and serratus anterior work with the upper trapezius to rotate the shoulder blade upward, and the Y path trains that teamwork under a light, easily adjusted load. That makes it a common choice in a warm-up before pressing or overhead work, and as a higher-rep accessory at the end of an upper-body session.
Your body angle sets the resistance. Standing nearly upright makes the movement light, while walking your feet closer to the anchor and leaning back further makes it much harder, so the same set of straps works for a beginner and a trained lifter. The arm path decides the emphasis. The TRX Reverse Fly opens the arms out to the sides at shoulder height and leans more on the rear deltoids and middle trapezius, and the TRX Face Pull bends the elbows and pulls the hands toward the face. The Y raise keeps the elbows straight and finishes overhead, so it asks the most of the lower trapezius and of your overhead range.
The movement suits anyone who can reach fully overhead without pain and without arching the lower back. If that reach is limited, build it first with the Serratus Wall Slide or the Lying Prone Y Raise, where gravity is the only load, or use the Band Y Raise for a standing version with lighter resistance. Because the shoulder blades should start each rep, slow reps where you feel the shoulder blades move before the arms do get more from the exercise than fast ones.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Lower Trapezius
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Infraspinatus
- Medium
- Rhomboid Major
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Teres Minor
- Medium
- Gluteus Maximus
- Minimal
Instructions
- Face the anchor point and hold one handle in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing down.
- Stand with your feet close together, then lean back until your arms are straight in front of you at about shoulder height and the straps are taut.
- Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your body forms one straight line from head to heels.
- Set your shoulders down and away from your ears.
- Keeping your elbows straight, sweep your arms up and slightly out until they are overhead in a Y, letting the movement pull your body up toward upright.
- Finish with your hands a little wider than your shoulders and your palms facing forward, then pause briefly without shrugging or arching your lower back.
- Lower your arms slowly back in front of your chest, letting your body lean back to the start position with the straps taut.
- Repeat for the desired reps, walking your feet closer to the anchor to make it harder or away from it to make it easier.
Common Mistakes
Bending the elbows
Bent elbows shorten the lever and turn the movement into a pull, which takes work away from the shoulders and the lower trapezius.
Shrugging toward the ears
Letting the shoulders ride up hands the work to the upper trapezius and can leave the neck sore instead of training the muscles that control the shoulder blade.
Arching the lower back
Flaring the ribs and arching to get the arms overhead fakes the range and puts strain on the lower back.
Leaning back too far
Starting at an angle that is too steep for your strength makes the hips sag and the reps short, so it is better to stand more upright and use the full range.
Letting the straps go slack
Losing tension at the bottom or top of the rep makes the body drop and jerk back onto the straps instead of moving smoothly.
Dropping back too fast
Falling back to the start position skips the controlled lowering phase and lets the straps, not the shoulders, do the work.
Injuries
TRX Y Raise is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is only part of your body weight, and you can make it lighter at any time by stepping back to a more upright stance.
The front and top of the shoulder take the most strain, especially near the overhead finish. If the shoulder blades do not rotate upward as the arms rise, the shoulder can pinch at the top of the range. Arching the lower back to get the arms higher shifts strain to the spine, and shrugging loads the neck and upper trapezius. Keep the ribs down, the shoulders away from the ears and the body in one straight line, and only raise the arms as high as you can without any of those happening. Keep the straps taut through the whole set, because a strap that goes slack can drop you backward suddenly.
To make it easier, stand more upright or switch to the Band Y Raise or the Lying Prone Y Raise. If overhead reach is the limit, the Serratus Wall Slide trains the same shoulder-blade motion without a load. To make it harder, walk your feet closer to the anchor, slow the lowering phase or pause for a second at the top.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain that travels down the arm, or numbness or tingling in the hands. Ordinary muscle fatigue in the shoulders and upper back is expected.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the TRX Y Raise
The TRX Y Raise is also known as:
- TRX Y Fly
- TRX Y Deltoid Fly
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the TRX Y Raise different from the TRX Reverse Fly and the TRX Face Pull?
All three use the same lean-back setup, but the arm path differs. The Y raise sweeps straight arms up to overhead, the TRX Reverse Fly opens straight arms out to the sides at shoulder height, and the TRX Face Pull bends the elbows to bring the hands toward the face.
- Q: How do I make the TRX Y Raise easier or harder?
Change your foot position. Stepping away from the anchor so you stand more upright makes it easier, and walking your feet closer to the anchor so you lean back further makes it harder.
- Q: How wide should my hands be at the top?
Aim for a Y with the hands a little wider than the shoulders. Raising the arms slightly out to the sides rather than straight up in front of the face lets the shoulder blades rotate upward with the arms, which is usually the most comfortable path for the shoulder.
- Q: Is the TRX Y Raise a good warm-up?
Yes. Done from a fairly upright stance for 1 or 2 easy sets of 10 to 15 reps, it is a common way to prepare the shoulders and upper back before pressing or overhead work.
- Q: What if I can't get my arms all the way overhead?
Raise them only as high as you can while keeping your ribs down and your shoulders away from your ears, and build overhead reach separately with the Serratus Wall Slide or the Lying Prone Y Raise.