Serratus Exercises: Sculpt Your Side Muscles

Did you know the serratus anterior muscle helps keep your shoulder blades stable and can be worked on more with the “plus” push-up move? This muscle group is key for good shoulder movement and helps prevent problems like rounded shoulders. Adding specific exercises for the serratus to your routine can help shape your midsection, improve your posture, and boost shoulder health. Get set to improve your athletic abilities with these effective exercises.

What is the Serratus Anterior?

Structure and Functions

The serratus anterior is a fan-shaped muscle. It starts at the first 9 ribs and ends at the scapula (shoulder blade). It has three parts: superior, intermediate, and inferior. Each part helps move the scapula forward and rotate it upward.

This muscle is key for keeping the shoulder blade stable against the chest. It makes sure arm movements are smooth and efficient.

The superior part comes from the first and second ribs. The middle part comes from the third, fourth, and fifth ribs. The inferior part comes from the sixth through ninth ribs. These parts work together to protect the shoulder joint and improve mobility.

Strengthening this muscle can prevent shoulder injuries and improve stability. It also helps with overhead arm movements.

It’s important to use the serratus anterior muscle correctly to keep the scapula working right. This can help prevent shoulder problems like impingement. Exercises for this muscle can also fix scapular dyskinesia, a condition where the shoulder blade moves wrongly.

Knowing how the serratus anterior works helps people focus on it with exercises. This can lead to better shoulder health and performance.

Importance of Training the Serratus Anterior

Strengthening the serratus anterior muscle is key for good shoulder health and better athletic performance. This muscle, shaped like a fan, sits outside the rib cage. It helps with many functions.

1- It eases neck and shoulder pain, fixes forward head posture, boosts core strength, and connects the trunk to the pelvis for better hip movement.

2- It also helps the obliques reduce pain in the lower back.

The serratus anterior is crucial for keeping the shoulder stable and working right. Its top fibers help move the shoulder forward, while the bottom fibers rotate the scapula upward for full shoulder movement. If it’s weak, other muscles might work too much, causing shoulder and neck problems.

Studies link the serratus anterior to shoulder pain and show exercises that activate it. Strengthening it can better shoulder movement and function. It also helps with lymphatic drainage and nerve flow, easing numbness and tingling in the hands or thoracic outlet syndrome.

The serratus anterior works with the external obliques for core strength and breathing. Training it involves exercises that improve rib cage position and movement. It also helps with breathing and core control through scapular movement.

Best Serratus Exercises

The scapular push-up is a top choice for working the serratus anterior muscle. This muscle helps keep the shoulder blades stable. Doing this exercise strengthens the serratus anterior and boosts shoulder blade mobility and upper body strength.

1- Scapular Push-up

Start in a push-up position with your hands a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. As you go down, push your shoulder blades together and back. This is called protraction of the shoulder blades.

At the lowest point, your shoulder blades should pull together. Then, push back up, focusing on protraction again. This movement is crucial for fully working the serratus anterior.

This exercise is great for strengthening the serratus anterior and improving shoulder stability. Adding it to your workout can help avoid shoulder problems like impingement and rotator cuff issues.

2- Push-up Plus

The push-up plus is a great exercise for the serratus anterior muscle group. This muscle helps keep the shoulder blade stable and aids in moving the shoulder. It makes the classic push-up better by adding a special move at the top, boosting the serratus anterior by about 50%.

This exercise is great for people with shoulder issues like instability or rotator cuff problems. It strengthens the serratus anterior, which helps keep the shoulder stable and lowers the risk of these issues.

Studies show that using a special device called the Push-up Plus Guidance and Resistance Device (PPGRD) makes the exercise even better. After 2 weeks, people using the PPGRD saw a big jump in muscle power and a big drop in pain. The PPGRD helps with proper shoulder movement and adds resistance, making the push-up plus more effective for strengthening the serratus anterior and improving shoulder function.

Adding the push-up plus to your workouts is a smart move for targeting the serratus anterior and its many benefits. It’s great for improving shoulder stability, preventing injuries, or just shaping your upper body. The push-up plus is an exercise you should definitely try.

3- Serratus Jabs

Serratus jabs, or serratus anterior punches, are a great way to work the serratus anterior muscle. This exercise helps with both protraction and upward rotation of the muscle. By punching upwards against resistance, you’re fully activating the serratus. It’s like the movement you do in overhead lifts, making it a smart choice for building serratus strength and control.

The serratus anterior muscle starts on the first 8 ribs and is key for pushing movements, like in a push-up. If it’s weak, you might get back and shoulder pain. But, a strong serratus anterior helps prevent these issues and keeps your shoulder stable. Adding serratus jabs to your workout can make this muscle stronger, which helps your shoulders and core.

This exercise is great for fixing structural issues and making sure the serratus anterior works right. Doing this exercise targets the serratus anterior muscle. It helps with scapular protraction and rotation, making your shoulder girdle healthier and more functional.

Serratus Exercises and Workout Routine

Adding serratus exercises to your workout helps improve shoulder function and core stability. The wall slide is a great exercise for the serratus anterior muscle. It’s especially good for people who have trouble activating this muscle, like swimmers and baseball pitchers.

To do wall slides, stand a foot away from a wall with your hands at shoulder height. Move your arms up the wall, keeping your shoulder blades back. This works the serratus anterior muscle, which helps rotate the scapula. Studies show that moving your arms up the wall increases serratus anterior activation.

Wall slides improve your overhead movement and lower the risk of shoulder injuries by strengthening the serratus anterior. It’s a key exercise for strength training, helping to shape side abs and improve shoulder stability.

Integrating Wall Slides into Your Routine

Start with 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps of wall slides, focusing on proper form. Increase sets and reps as you get better. Always listen to your body and adjust the intensity to prevent injury.

Regularly doing serratus exercises like wall slides boosts shoulder health and athletic performance. It also helps you get a more defined, toned body.

Unilateral Banded Chest Press

The unilateral banded chest press is great for working the serratus anterior. It involves doing the press with one arm at a time, using a resistance band. This makes the serratus work harder to move the shoulder blade forward. It also helps fix any strength differences between the left and right sides.

To do the unilateral banded chest press, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a resistance band at chest level. Hold the band with one hand and press your arm straight out in front. Hold for a moment, then slowly go back to the start. Do this for the number of reps you want, then switch sides.

This exercise not only works the serratus but also uses the core for stability. The resistance band keeps tension on, making the serratus work hard to move the shoulder blade.

Adding the unilateral banded chest press to your workout helps strengthen the serratus anterior. This leads to better shoulder stability, posture, and upper body strength. Always keep proper form and control to get the most out of it and stay safe.

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a classic exercise that works the serratus anterior, chest, and back muscles. Famous bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Dorian Yates loved it. But, it’s not as popular today among gym-goers.

This exercise is great for building muscle because it lets you move a lot. It mainly works the serratus anterior muscle, which helps with shoulder movement. The lat muscles, triceps, and pectorals also get a good workout.

Doing the dumbbell pullover right can help you build strong upper body muscles and improve shoulder movement. It’s key to keep good form and avoid mistakes for the best results. Add it to your workout plan with the right sets and reps for strength or muscle growth. Trying different versions of the exercise can also help with specific muscle issues or goals.

Ab Rollout

The ab rollout is a top exercise for the core that also works the serratus anterior muscle. When you roll the ab wheel or barbell forward, you must move your shoulder blades forward and up. This keeps the serratus tense and builds strength and stability. This strength helps with overhead lifts.

This exercise works many muscles, like the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques. The serratus anterior helps keep the trunk stable during these exercises. Dr. Seedman shows over 50 ways to do the ab rollout. This lets you target the ab muscles and serratus in new ways.

There are many ways to do the ab rollout, like single-arm and BOSU ball versions. It’s a great way to strengthen your core and serratus muscles. By starting with the basics and moving to harder exercises, you’ll get better at it. This ensures you work out your core effectively, focusing on the ab rollout, serratus anterior, and other key muscles.

Conclusion

Adding serratus exercises to your workout can boost shoulder health and upper body stability. It also makes your core look more define. Exercises like the scapular push-up and push-up plus help train this key muscle group. Staying consistent and gradually increasing the challenge is crucial for a strong serratus anterior.

The serratus anterior starts from the ribs and goes to the scapula. It connects from the first to the eighth or ninth rib. If it’s weak, you might face shoulder, neck, or back pain, or even arm numbness.

By doing these serratus anterior exercises, you’ll boost your upper body strength and stability. You’ll also lower the risk of pain and injuries. With regular effort, you’ll see your side muscles get stronger and your body more balanced and powerful.