Prone Y Raises

[amjrules]

Hey ive been trying to strengthen my lower trapezius for a while now, and when i do prone y's i cant get my lower trapezius to handle the weight of my arms and instead i feel the tension in my shoulders rather then in my lower traps. So do you reckon i have a tight muscle, which muscle could take over a movement like this, ive stretched the upper traps and they feel pretty loose now, could there be any other tight muscles up there like deltoids or someting? I did a lot of bench press and overhead press to get this problem.

Any answers will be greatly appreciated, thanks and merry christmas.

btw I'm male, not a women.

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[sarahkelly]

13.3 Scapular Rotators Lower Trapezius Strengthening - YouTube

[bikelet]

Have you tried alternatives to Y raises? Like theraband pulldowns (theraband over a door or high pulley) in sitting, or activation in sidelying? It might be that you are not strong enough/don't have enough activation to complete the Y exercise properly yet. Start of with the easier exercises and make sure you can do them really well (i.e. good activation of lower traps and no upper shoulder tension) before progressing. You might even start in supine and feel the movement of your scapula against the bed.

Your difficulty in using your lower traps is likely to be related to your whole body patterns of movements and postures so pay attention to these throughout the day. Make sure your scapula are well placed before moving your arm to reach for something, for example. Also be aware of avoiding a forward head position/posture and rounded shoulders as this will increase the resting tone of upper trapezius and levator scapulae and make them easier to activate and use than the lower traps.