The Serratus Anterior: The Forgotten Muscle of the Shoulder

The shoulder is a complicated region of the body. It contains the most mobile joint in the body (the glenohumeral joint, or the ball and socket we all associate with the shoulder) that must also be strong and stable or else risk injury during heavy movements and exercise.

The fitness and sports industry has come up with many ways to strengthen, rehab, and prehab the shoulder, and for good reason. There are many muscles to address and if injured, shoulder rehab can potentially become a lengthy and complex process.

Don’t Forget The Serratus Anterior

There is one muscle that seems to be forgotten all of the time: the serratus anterior.

The serratus anterior is a large, fanlike muscle that attaches to the inside edge and surface of the shoulder blade and onto the side of the ribcage (in technical terms, it originates on ribs 1-8 (or 9) and inserts on the anterior surface of the superior angle, medial border, and inferior angle of the scapula).

While its primary action in isolation is to protract (or pull forward) the shoulder blades, it is also important in fixating the shoulder blade to the thorax. When the nerve that innervates the serratus anterior is damaged (the long thoracic nerve) we observe something called scapular winging, where the inner edge and bottom corner pull off of the thorax.

In a more functional context, it is has a critical role in overhead mobility and stability. It is one of the primary movers of scapular upward rotation. When we lift our arms overhead, it is not just the ball and socket that rotate upward. Our shoulder blades also rotate upwards about 60 degrees to complete the movement. In order for that to occur, the serratus anterior, upper trap, and lower trap contract in concert to cause the shoulder blade to rotate upwards.

For powerlifters, the serratus anterior is what keeps your shoulder blade from falling backwards off of your rib cage during the bench press. The serratus anterior is highly active during the overhead press as well.

Top Position of the Bench Press — The serratus anterior keeps your shoulder blades from falling off your body.

For the more cultured, the serratus anterior is a critical muscle in giving high fives and fist pumping at a concert. There is no doubt that it was a well-developed muscle in the Jersey Shore cast.

There are plenty of stellar exercises to strengthen the upper trap and lower trap. If you perform the usual cable reverse flys, Y’s, I’s, rows, and overhead presses, the upper and lower trap get plenty of work.

However, I could never help but notice that exercises for the serratus anterior are somewhat lame and quite frankly, useless and idiotic. Most EMG studies have focused on exercises like the bearhug, push up plus, and serratus punch. But, there is a massive downfall to these exercises…

NO ONE USES THE SERRATUS LIKE THAT!

Many of these therapists, coaches, and trainers neglect the fact that the serratus anterior is most active at about 120 degrees of shoulder elevation. So why on earth are we isolating shoulder protraction thinking that it will serve the serratus any good?

My colleague and I have come up with a much more effective and elegant (not to mention simple) solution.

The Serratus Press (Or Baby Press)

This exercise is best done with a kettlebell, band loop, or dumbbells. Grab one of your choice and take a seat.

Lift the weight or band in front of you with your elbows tucked in toward each other. Your elbows will remain tucked the entire time. If you’re using a band, face your palms toward your face. If you’re using dumbbells, have your palms facing you push the ends of the dumbbell together. If you’re using a kettlebell, you can either hold it from the bottom or by the horns of the handle.

At this point it should look like the top position of a chin up or as if you’re defending your face from an oncoming punch.

From here, press the weight or band straight up, keeping your elbows tucked in. Because of the positioning of the elbows, you will not be able to press fully overhead. That is fine. Maintain tension within the muscles of the armpit throughout the movement. This movement will be akin to lifting a bay overhead (hence, the name).

At the top, squeeze the muscles of the armpit. It should feel like you’re trying to flare your lats and rib cage. If you get a cramp, you’re doing it exceptionally well.

When it came to naming this exercise, we thought that palms-supinated-serratus-overhead-press-with-elbows-tucked-in was a tad wordy. We simply call it the serratus press or, even better, the baby press.

Incorporating The Exercise

You don’t necessarily need to perform the baby press as a main exercise in your program. Add it into your warm up, just as how most people will do the band Y’s, T’s, and L’s. The secret here is to still incorporate progressive overload. If you’re only using 15 pounds now, eventually move on to heavier weights.

Sets and reps can range anywhere between 3-5 sets and 10-20 reps.

Prior to incorporating the baby press into my warm up, I struggled to bench press 275 pounds. After a few weeks of regularly doing these, holding 305 pounds felt perfectly secure.

Quit Sucking

This exercise was born from necessity. All of the common serratus exercises before this sucked.

If you’re having trouble finding your serratus anterior, try this drill. Stand with your back against the wall. Have your arms in front of you, elbows bent 90 degrees and palms facing you. The hands should pointing towards the ceiling. Without moving the elbow, reach up and back towards the wall. It should be a robotic movement. The contraction at the side of your rib cage and into your armpit is your serratus.