How to Do YWTs: Form Guide and Scapular Health
Master the YWT exercise to improve posture, strengthen the upper back, and increase shoulder stability with our professional guide.
How to Perform
- Lie face down on a flat surface with your legs extended and your forehead resting lightly on the floor.
- Extend your arms overhead at a 45-degree angle to form a Y shape with your thumbs pointing toward the ceiling.
- Lift your chest and arms slightly off the floor by squeezing your shoulder blades together and hold for two seconds.
- Transition into the W position by pulling your elbows down toward your ribcage while maintaining the squeeze in your mid-back.
- Extend your arms directly out to the sides to form a T shape and pulse your shoulder blades inward toward the spine.
- Slowly lower your torso and arms back to the starting position to complete one full sequence.
Common Mistakes
- Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears during the Y phase.
- Using momentum to jerk the chest off the ground rather than controlled muscle contraction.
- Arching the lower back excessively instead of focusing the movement on the shoulder blades.
- Resting the arms on the floor between the letter transitions.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Upper Back
Stabilizers
- Lower Trapezius
- Rear Deltoids
- Rhomboids
- Erector Spinae
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Upper Back · Strength