Arms overhead in a straight line to wake up the lower traps.
Keep your arms in line with your body and your neck relaxed, lift from the shoulder blades.
With your arms extended straight overhead in line with your body, this is the longest lever of the prone letter drills, so lifting the arms demands serious output from the lower traps and the rest of the mid back. The shoulders assist by holding the arms straight and thumbs up as they rise. It earns its place as upper back prep before overhead pressing or pulling, teaching the shoulder blades to drive the movement instead of the neck.
The arm angle changes which part of the mid back leads. Arms straight overhead in an I is the hardest lever and biases the lower traps, a Y sits at 45 degrees, and a T out to the sides shifts work toward the mid traps and rear shoulders.
Because the lever is brutal and the lower traps are usually undertrained. An inch or two of clean lift from the shoulder blades is a legit rep, range comes with practice.
Once bodyweight reps feel easy, tiny plates or light dumbbells work as a progression. Go far lighter than your ego wants, this move is about position, not load.
