Shoulders · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Incline Single Arm Y Raise
How to do the dumbbell incline single arm y raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set an incline bench to roughly 30 to 45 degrees and lie chest-down with one light dumbbell in your working hand, arm hanging straight toward the floor. Rotate your thumb up and, keeping a slight bend in your elbow, raise the dumbbell up and out at a 45-degree angle until your arm forms one half of a Y at shoulder level. Squeeze your shoulder blade, then lower under control and finish all reps before switching arms.
- 1Lower traps and rear delt pulling the arm into the Y line
- 2A slight thumb-up rotation keeping the shoulder externally rotated
- 3The shoulder blade sliding down and back at the top
Common mistakes
- Shrugging the upper trap or lifting the chest off the bench
- Swinging the dumbbell up with momentum
- Letting the wrist collapse or the arm drift out of the Y angle
Muscles worked
The dumbbell incline single arm y raise mainly works the rear delts and mid traps, with the lower traps and side delts assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- Lower TrapsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell incline single arm y raise for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.