Shoulders · Rear delts
Cable Y-Raise
The Cable Y-Raise mainly trains your upper back and rear delts. Also working: side delts.
Both cables
Standing, light pull
How to do it
- Stand tall, hands crossed in front of your hips
- Raise your arms, almost straight, up and out into a Y
- Thumbs point back, shoulder blades tilt back and down
- Return slowly until your hands cross again
Coach’s tip
Trains the lower traps: the muscle that keeps your shoulder blades moving cleanly when you press overhead. One or two plates are plenty; keep your ribs down and don’t arch your lower back.
Noticeably loads the shoulder. If you tell DCFT that this joint bothers you, the app leaves exercises like this one out and picks a better supported alternative.
Setup
Pulley
Both pulleys at the bottom
Grip
Crossed over: left cable in your right hand, right cable in your left
Load
Both cables
Needs two cable towers
You need
Single handles
Stability
Standing with a moderate load. Brace your core.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (rear delts). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Cable Y-Raise work?
Mainly the upper back and rear delts. The side delts help.
How do I set up the cable machine for the Cable Y-Raise?
Pulley: Both pulleys at the bottom. Grip: Crossed over: left cable in your right hand, right cable in your left.
Can I do the Cable Y-Raise on a single cable tower?
Not like this. The Cable Y-Raise needs both cables at once, so two towers. If you set up DCFT for one tower, the app leaves it out of your plan and uses exercises such as Face Pull and Seated Rope High Row instead.
What can I do instead of the Cable Y-Raise?
For the same movement: Face Pull, Cross-Cable Reverse Fly and Face Pull with Two Handles. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Cable Y-Raise in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.