# Lying Hands On Side Upper Body Raise - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/9550/lying-hands-on-side-upper-body-raise/ - Media ID: 9550 - Primary muscle: Shoulders - Body part: Shoulders - Equipment: Body Weight - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/9550/lying-hands-on-side-upper-body-raise.mp4 ## Description The Lying Hands On Side Upper Body Raise is a bodyweight movement performed face down on the floor. You lie flat with your arms resting alongside your body, palms turned toward your thighs, and lift your chest, shoulders, and head upward by squeezing the muscles of your upper back and the rear of your shoulders. It is a small, clean back exercise that needs no equipment beyond a comfortable surface, which makes it easy to fit into warm-ups, home sessions, or rehab-style training blocks. Because your hands stay pinned at your sides, you cannot push or lever yourself up. Every inch of the lift has to come from the upper back, the rear deltoids, and the spinal extensors. That makes the exercise unusually honest: it highlights the muscles shown working here, the rear of the shoulders and the mid-back, and exposes any tendency to borrow momentum from the arms or hips. For anyone who spends long hours sitting, the movement is a practical way to wake up the muscles that hold the shoulder blades back and support an upright posture. Setup matters more than it looks. Lying with your legs straight and relaxed, the tops of your feet settling toward the floor, and your forehead angled down keeps your neck in line with your spine. If your hips or lower back feel pinched during the lift, the range is too large or you are arching from the wrong place. The raise should come from the upper spine and shoulder blades, not from cranking the lower back into a deep arch. To perform it well, brace lightly through the trunk, then lift your chest a few centimeters while drawing the shoulder blades gently toward each other. Hold the top briefly, feeling the rear shoulders and mid-back do the work, then lower under control until your chest touches the floor again. The movement stays short and deliberate; this is not about how high you can rise but about where the lift comes from. The Lying Hands On Side Upper Body Raise fits well as a warm-up before pulling exercises, as a high-rep finisher for the upper back, or as a low-load option for beginners building basic back strength. Since it uses only body weight, it is also a convenient travel exercise. People recovering from shoulder irritation often tolerate it well because the arms stay still and the hands never rise above the level of the torso, but anyone with acute back or shoulder pain should clear it with a professional first. Stop if you feel pinching in the spine or shoulder joints rather than muscle effort. ## Instructions 1. Lie face down on a mat or firm floor with your legs extended straight behind you and the tops of your feet resting toward the floor. 2. Place both arms alongside your body, palms facing your thighs, and let your forehead angle down so your neck stays in line with your spine. 3. Lightly tighten your abdominal muscles to steady your trunk before moving. 4. Exhale and lift your chest, shoulders, and head a few centimeters off the floor, keeping your hands pressed lightly against your sides. 5. At the top, draw your shoulder blades gently toward each other so the rear shoulders and mid-back hold the position. 6. Keep your hips and legs relaxed and in contact with the floor throughout the lift. 7. Pause for one to two seconds at the top without tilting your chin upward. 8. Inhale and lower your chest back to the floor slowly, resisting the descent rather than dropping. 9. Reset your leg and neck position between reps, then repeat for your target number of repetitions. ## Tips & Tricks - If you feel the lift coming from your lower back rather than your shoulder blades, reduce the height of the raise until the effort sits across your mid-back and rear shoulders. - Do not press your hands into the floor or swing your arms; with hands fixed at your sides they contribute almost nothing, so any push means the shoulders and back have stopped working. - A common mistake is throwing the head back to gain height. Keep your gaze down and let the chest lead the movement instead. - Your feet may drift apart or your thighs may lift as you strain upward. Keep the legs passive and heavy on the floor to isolate the upper body. - Short, controlled reps beat high ones here. If your chest barely leaves the floor, that small range is plenty for the rear deltoids and mid-back. - If the floor is hard on your ribs or hips, slide a folded towel under your hips or use a mat rather than shortening the movement. - Breathe out on the way up and in on the way down; holding your breath tends to make the lift feel jerky. - Stop the set when your top position starts to sag or you begin bouncing off the floor, as sloppy reps train nothing useful in this position. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Lying Hands On Side Upper Body Raise work? The main work comes from the rear deltoids and the muscles of the mid-back, including the trapezius and rhomboids, with the spinal extensors supporting the lift of the chest. The arms stay relaxed at the sides and contribute very little. ### Why are the hands kept on the sides during this raise? Keeping the hands against the thighs removes any chance of pushing off the floor or extending the arms for leverage. This forces the rear shoulders and upper back to do the lifting, which is the whole point of the exercise. ### Is the Lying Hands On Side Upper Body Raise suitable for beginners? Yes. It is a low-load bodyweight movement with a short, easy-to-control range, so beginners can learn to feel their mid-back and rear shoulders without equipment. Start with one or two sets of eight to twelve slow repetitions. ### How high should I lift my chest? A few centimeters is usually enough. The goal is a controlled lift driven by the shoulder blades, and going higher often just arches the lower back without adding work to the target muscles. ### My lower back aches during the exercise. What should I change? Reduce the height of the lift, keep the effort focused between the shoulder blades, and make sure your hips stay in contact with the floor. If discomfort persists even at a small range, stop and consult a qualified professional. ### How is this different from a back extension with hands behind the head? With hands behind the head, the longer lever and arm position tend to involve more of the whole spine and can pull on the neck. Hands on the sides shortens the movement and shifts the emphasis toward the rear shoulders and mid-back. ### Can I substitute the Lying Hands On Side Upper Body Raise with another exercise? Yes. A prone reverse fly with light weight or a face pull trains similar rear-shoulder and mid-back muscles. This version is useful when you have no equipment and want a strict, arm-free option. ### How many repetitions and sets should I do? Two to three sets of ten to fifteen slow repetitions works well for strength and endurance in this position. Because the load is low, quality of the hold at the top matters more than the total number of reps. ### Should my legs lift off the floor during the raise? No. The legs and hips stay heavy and relaxed on the floor. If your thighs rise, you are arching from the lower back instead of lifting the upper body, so shorten the range and reset.