The amount of commitment to perfection given to one's physical appearance separates a good physique from a superb one. You cannot disregard a single muscle, including your Serratus Anterior.
Your core consists of many different muscles, including the serratus anterior. Since it is primarily responsible for your punching power, this muscle is also known as the "boxer's muscle." However, the significance of this muscle cannot be overstated regardless of whether or not you box.
In this article, we will discuss the most effective workouts for growing the serratus anterior muscle, which is relatively small but plays a very important role.
What is the Serratus Anterior?
The Serratus Anterior is a large, flattened muscle that originates on the lateral side of the ribs, travels posteriorly around the thoracic cavity, and attaches to the costal surface of the medial border of the scapula. Its name comes from the fact that it runs in a serpentine pattern.
Simply placing your hand right below your armpit will allow you to feel the contractions of this muscle. This muscle's job is to allow the arm's forward elevation and draw the scapula along the rib cage.
It also helps stabilize the shoulder (protraction). When there is a weakness in this muscle, it frequently presents itself as either scapular winging or poor scapular control because of the significant function it plays in both supporting the scapula and contributing to the general health of the shoulder.
Best Serratus Anterior Exercises
We have outlined below the best exercises to target and strengthen the serratus anterior muscle, which will help you build tremendous strength and shredded-looking abs.
1. Push Ups
Push-ups are a form of bodyweight exercise that should be considered and frequently avoided. This exercise is quite effective and does not require additional equipment; despite the agony you may have had while performing push-ups in school gym class, this exercise is beneficial.
First and foremost, push-ups are an excellent method for reducing the size of the serratus anterior muscles.
- Get down on your hands and knees and position your hands, so they are slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Extend your arms and legs to a straight position.
- Reduce the angle of your body so that it is almost parallel to the floor.
- Take a momentary break, and then push yourself back up.
- Repeat.
Related Article: 8 Awesome Benefits of Doing Push-Ups Every Day
2. Dumbbell Serratus Punch
Your anterior serratus can be effectively targeted with the dumbbell serratus punch, which is both straightforward and efficient. There is also the involvement of the pectoralis minor muscle.
Although you can perform this exercise on a bench, it can also be done on the floor. Exercising on the floor may limit the range of motion you use, and you may take advantage of its firm platform to reposition your shoulders between sets.
- While lying on the floor, grip a dumbbell with an arm in a vertical and straight position. Make sure that your shoulders are pulled down and back and that you are pressing your scapulae into the ground.
- Put pressure on your shoulder, and press the dumbbell toward the ceiling.
- Repeat the motion by lowering your shoulder to the floor again and again.
- You can also perform this exercise while simultaneously utilizing both of your arms.
3. Scapula Push-Up
The naming of this exercise is a little deceiving because you do not bring your chest down to the floor, and your arms stay in a straight position during the entire movement. Having said that, the exercise targets the serratus anterior quite effectively and may be adapted to accommodate people of varying abilities.
Take the position of a push-up with your legs and arms in a straight line and your hands spaced shoulder-width apart. Hold a firm core contraction while drawing your shoulders down and back.
- You should shrug your shoulders forward and then stretch your shoulder blades apart. Do this without bending your arms.
- Repeat the shrug your shoulders back motion many times.
- To simplify this exercise, do three-quarter scapula push-ups by bending your legs and bringing your knees to the floor.
- Alternatively, you can perform four-point (quadruped) scapular push-ups by bringing your knee underneath your hips. These push-ups are considerably less taxing on the body.
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4. Terminal Bench Press
When you are at the gym and have access to a barbell and a bench press station, performing the terminal bench press is an excellent technique to exercise your serratus anterior muscle.
You can perform this exercise before bench pressing to activate your serratus anterior and create more solid shoulders, or you can perform it after finishing off the set.
Fight off the temptation to start by lifting too much weight. Instead, begin with an empty barbell and gradually increase the weight. You won't have to wait long before you're lifting higher weights!
- Lie down on the bench and position yourself so that your eyes are immediately under the barbell. Extend your hand and grab it with an overhand grasp broader than shoulder width. Put your shoulders back and tighten your abdominal muscles to prepare.
- Remove the bar from its rack and bring it to your chest while maintaining a vertical arm position.
- Shoulder blades should be shrugged back and together, and you should feel them pressing against the bench while you do this. Elbows should not be bent.
- After that, separate your shoulder blades, shrug your shoulders forward, and drive the bar toward the ceiling with as much force as possible.
- Repeat the motion of bringing your shoulders together and then pulling them back.
5. Serratus Crunch
The serratus anterior can be strengthened in addition to the abdominal muscles by performing the serratus crunch. This exercise is a good choice because these muscles are connected and close to one another. In addition, it's a great approach to overload the rectus abdominis muscle in your core.
- Lay down on the ground with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Maintain a vertical arm position while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Use a neutral or pronated grip. You will want to pull your shoulders down and back while pressing your scapulae into the ground.
- Engage your abdominal muscles and lift your head and shoulders off the floor while you perform this exercise.
- To perform this exercise correctly, shrug your shoulders forward and lift the weights straight toward the sky simultaneously.
- Repeat the process when you have returned to the starting location.
- This exercise can also be performed while holding a single weight plate in each hand.
6. Abs Rollouts
Rollouts are a demanding and efficient core exercise that gives your serratus anterior a wonderful workout. You can perform rollouts while kneeling or standing, and you can use a barbell or an abs wheel, depending on your preference.
- Beginning in the upright posture, lean forward from the hips and stretch down as if you were trying to touch your toes.
- Put the abs wheel where your feet will be and lie on the floor.
- Hold your abdominal muscles firmly, keep your arms completely extended, and slowly roll the wheel forward until your body is perpendicular to the ground.
- Pull your abdominal muscles toward your spine and roll back to the beginning position.
- Repeat.
7. Dumbbell Pullover
Dumbbell pullovers are one of the few workouts that simultaneously target the chest and back. This exercise, formerly a staple of upper body bodybuilding training, is less popular these days, but that doesn't mean it is any less effective!
The dumbbell pullover strengthens the pectoral and lumbar muscles and the serratus anterior. Depending on your preference, you can perform this exercise by lying along or across a bench. While stretching out on a bench provides increased flexibility, it also increases pressure on your lower back.
- Sit on the end of the bench with your feet pressed on the ground.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and roll back, so you are lying on the floor.
- Press your head to the bench. Do not strain your neck.
- Extend your arms over your chest and towards the ceiling. Give a slight bend to your elbows, with your palms facing each other.
- Extend the weights back over your head and inhale. Keep your core engaged and back in contact with the bench.
- Fully extend your arms behind. But, weights should not be below your head.
- Exhale and return the weights to the starting position.
Related Article: How to Do Skull Crushers to Build Offensively Large and Strong Triceps
8. Bear Crawls
Bear crawls are often performed to strengthen the core and improve conditioning. In addition, they are highly functional workouts that can help improve one's agility and mobility. Bear crawls, on the other hand, are a fantastic workout for the anterior serratus muscle in a roundabout way.
Because of this, as you move forward, backward, or sideways, you need to deliberately push the ground away from you while simultaneously stabilizing your shoulders. Therefore, bear crawls are an excellent option if you seek a fun technique to train your serratus anterior muscle.
- Position your hands so that they are directly under your shoulders and your knees so that they are directly under your hips as you get down on all fours. To achieve this position, pull your toes into your body and press the balls of your feet into the ground.
- Engage your lats by contracting your abdominal muscles, pulling your shoulders down and back, and rotating your elbows inwards. Your lower back and your neck ought to be in a neutral position. Raise your knees a few inches off the ground while maintaining the same distance between your hips and shoulders.
- Move your left hand and right foot forward without lifting your hips, and then move your right hand and left foot forward similarly.
- Maintain your forward momentum while crawling for the allotted distance or a number of steps.
- Bear crawling can also be done in a backward, sideways, or diagonal direction.
