SCAP ACTIVATION: 90/90 TO Y SLIDES VS THE CLASSIC Y EXERCISE

We used the Mtriggerbiofeedback to measure the amount of Low Trap and Mid Trap Activation when performing:

- Tripod Y Raise (Former Gold Standard for Low Trap*)
- Tripod 90/90 to Y Slides

Surface EMG measures the amount of electrical activity in the muscle directly under the pad, which is how we are able to measure the activation of these muscle groups

RESULTS:
We found that the Max recruitment was slightly higher with the slides than it was with the Y, although pretty comparable peak numbers

The HUGE difference was that the Slides maintained these high levels of recruitment throughout the entire Range of Motion and whereas the “Y’s” only approached their peak at the top of the lift

OUR THOUGHTS:
We believe the 90/90 to Y slides do a better job of maintaining recruitment due to the position force feeding all 3 Primary Scapular Motions of the Low Trap:

-Horizontal Abduction Scap Retraction
-External Rotation Scap Posterior Tilt
-Slide To Y Scap Upward Rotation

That is the Lower Trap Trifecta

Clinically, we have had a lot of success in using many different exercises to zero in on the low trap but very few have studied how they compare to the Gold Standard “Y Exercise”

This is just Step 1 in Exploring some alternative Low Trap Exercises and does NOT mean to stop doing your Y’s

There are a TON of limitations to this Case Study and this is just step 1, but we wanted to explore our curiosity and see if there was any substance to what we were seeing clinically

We still program in both in our Armored Heat Program and App

If you are interested in getting your own M Trigger, Check out Mtrigger.com