Shoulders · Dumbbell
Incline W Raise
How to do the incline w 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
Lie face down on an incline bench holding light dumbbells. Bend your elbows to about 90° and pull your upper arms in line with your torso so your arms form a W shape. Keeping your forearms perpendicular to the floor, lift the weights by squeezing your shoulder blades down and together. Pause at the top, then slowly lower back to the start while maintaining the bent-arm position. Focus on moving through your shoulders rather than your elbows.
- 1Feel your lower traps and rear delts working as you raise the dumbbells into a W shape on an incline
- 2Keep your chest on the bench and squeeze at the top
- 3Maintain a slight bend in your elbows
Common mistakes
- Avoid shrugging your shoulders or lifting your chest
- Don't flare your elbows excessively; keep them in line with your shoulders
- Avoid using momentum; lift slowly and control the descent
Muscles worked
The incline w raise mainly works the mid traps and rear delts, with the lower traps and side delts assisting.
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Lower TrapsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Incline W Raise strength standards
See how your incline w raise ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM2.5 lb
Silvere1RM10 lb
Golde1RM15 lb
Platinume1RM22.5 lb
Diamonde1RM30 lb
Champione1RM40 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the incline w 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 April 2026.