Rear delts exercise
Incline Dumbbell T-RaiseHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Rear delts, Upper back
- Also works
- Traps
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Incline Dumbbell T-Raise?
- Set the bench to 45° and lie face down with your chest on the pad.
- Let your arms hang straight down, palms facing each other.
- Raise your arms straight out to your sides, turning your thumbs up.
- Stop when your arms are level with your shoulders, like a T, and hold.
- Lower slowly until your arms hang straight.
Cues
- Make a big T.
- Thumbs up, shoulder blades together.
- Chest stays on the pad.
Common mistakes
- Shrugging. Fix: use lighter dumbbells and keep your shoulders down, away from your ears.
- Bending your elbows. Fix: keep your arms long and straight all the way up and down.
- Lifting your chest off the pad. Fix: brace your stomach and move only your arms.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Adjustable bench back set to a 45° incline, the same set-up as inclineyraise (the Y and the T are a series). Lie face down on it with the chest and stomach on the pad, chin just past the top edge, feet on the floor (balls of the feet), legs straight or slightly bent [2]. A light dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other. Stomach braced, shoulders set down and back, head in line with the upper back [1].
The movement
Straight arms swing out and up from hanging to the T in one smooth arc in a plane across the body (from the front, the hands draw a quarter circle each side). The hands rotate during the lift so the thumbs turn from facing forward to pointing up by the top [3]. The shoulder blades draw together as the arms near horizontal. The trunk, legs and head stay still, and the chest does not lift off the bench.
End position
Arms straight out to the sides, level with the shoulders, so arms and trunk make a T: each arm about 90° from the line of the trunk [1], horizontal [3], and in line with the shoulder joints when seen from the side. Thumbs pointing up to the ceiling, palms facing towards the head end [1], [3]. Shoulder blades squeezed together and down; chest still on the pad. Hold 0.8 s.
Tempo
Lift 1.2 s / hold 0.8 s / lower 1.5 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench incline from the floor | 45° | 30–60° [2] | |
| Trunk angle from vertical (on the pad) | 45° | equals the bench angle, fixed | |
| Elbow flexion | 5° | 0–10° throughout | |
| Arm angle to the trunk at the start | 45° | arms vertical | |
| Arm angle to the trunk at the end | 90° | 80–100° [1] | |
| Chest gap from the pad | 0 cm | under 2 cm |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Incline Dumbbell T-Raise is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
