Straight Raises on Incline Bench

Also called incline y raise, prone incline front raise and incline barbell front raise.

Works

Shoulders, plus traps

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Beginner

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.

1. Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor, keeping your arms straight. Allow the bar to hang straight down. This will be your starting position.
2. To begin, raise the barbell out in front of your head while keeping your arms extended.
3. Return to the starting position.

Cues

• Chest on the bench, arms hang.
• Arms straight, light weight.
• Raise the bar past the head.
• Lower slowly.

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows.
• Lifting the chest off the pad.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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