Floor Y Raise – Exercise of the Week

The floor Y raise sees you put your body into a position that resembles the letter ‘Y’ while lying on the floor. It works to target and train the muscles of your back and shoulders. As it only requires your body (and possibly a mat depending on what surface you choose), it is a simple and effective way to exercise if you are stuck for time or equipment. Learn how to complete it here.

Floor Y Raise

Unless you have a soft / carpeted floor, you may want to use an exercise mat. Lie down flat on your stomach and extend your arms out fully straight above your head on each side. This is your starting position, so make sure you are comfortable and stable in this position before moving onto the next part. Make sure that your face is not fully pressed into the floor / mat so that you can breathe properly and normally. Move your arms out to opposite diagonal angles on each side so that your whole body forms the letter ‘Y’ when you are lying down.

When ready, lift your arms up into the air and as you do so your head and neck should follow and lift away from the floor / mat too. You should feel this working at your shoulders and your trapezius (trap muscles) in your back which are located at the upper back at the neck area. Return to the starting position and that is one repetition (rep) complete. While you should feel this working, it should not cause any pain in the neck area – so make sure to stop and ensure your starting position is correct before continuing.

As with any exercise which may be new to you, please ask any of our friendly fitness team should you need any advice or demonstrations on how to complete them safely and properly! They can also advise you on the optimum amount of sets and reps to complete in order to reach and maintain your health and fitness goals.

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