One of the best and most popular shoulder stabilization / pre-hab drills used among strength coaches these days is the Push Up Plus exercise. Why? – Because it’s a great exercise for activating and strengthening the all important Serratus Anterior muscles of the shoulder.
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A strong Serratus Anterior muscle is crucial for optimal shoulder health and functional movement. Put simply, the Serratus Anteriror keeps the Scapula (Shoulder Blade) pressed against the rib cage while your arm moves or deals with load.
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Many folks blame a weak Serratus Anterior muscle for causing a winged Scapula. Although this can be true. There are some cases in which Scapula winging is cause by a long Thoracic nerve problem. This an an issue that is way beyond the scope of most coaches and therefore beyond the scope of this Blog.
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Now, what IS within the scope of this Blog is to provide you with yet another new, smarter and more effective way to use the Push Up Plus exercise for the purpose of shoulder strengthening and injury prevention.
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In the video below, I demonstrate how to perform the Push Up Plus exercise to MAXIMALLY recruit and strengthen the Serratus Anterior muscles.
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These recommendations featured in the video below are based on the current Bio-mechanical research and teachings of world renowned Physical Therapists like Mark Comerford and Kevin Wilk.
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Serratus Anterior
working those with a weighted vest sounds sweet. thanks for the tip
Excellent idea, my friend. As always, I appreciate the way you think.
I’ll be bringing this into the programming for my swimmers and my triathletes who seem to have a lot of issues with their serratus anterior on initial screening.
Keep up the great work.
Best regards,
Carson Boddicker
Nick,
Have you thought up combining a push-up plus (with the tweaks you describe here) into a yoga push-up as a way of getting some more scapular upward rotation? Just an idea.
-Kevin
Hi Nick, hope all is well with you. You broached a topic that I am dealing with..thoracic outlet syndrome. I have a client who does not have a weak serratus. I think the nerve issue is on the right side. He has little muscular development in his right pec, overly devolped in his right trap, and we have a heck of a time keeping his right shoulder in place to do movements. If you have any thoughts or ideas…please feel free to share!
Thanks,
Michon
Great stuff as always Nick!
Is this safe to do following acj separation (that was pinned and pin removed followed by successful rehab) 3-yrs ago please? Always been wary (perhaps wrongly) about hand close together. Thank you
Nick T = exercise genius.
Great post.
Always innovative and practical, thanks Nick!
Well coach as usual something new and worthwhile. I was concerned about the serratus anterior in training my son and me and kind of thought (foolishly it seems, to have invented this basic exercise). Your tweaks do bring a new approach and make it more efficient and effective. As always. From what I see in the gym, this is a very common problem especially for desk jockeys and Sedentary Sams. I rarely see a person who really has his shoulders squared away.Thanks, gene s.
Great variations for strengthening the serratus anterior using body weight. I’ve used the serratus punches w/ dumbbells with some of my clients, but your ideas add a core stabilizing element as well.
Another well defined benefit of serratus anterior strengthening! I’ve always used it to help my athletes improve their bench press max, but it is also critical for fixing postural imbalances.
Nick,
I appreciate the detail that you always reveal.
A
Nick,
Great video! Have you thought about using this variation in combination with a yoga push-up (Scap Push-Up->Yoga Push-Up) to get a little more upward rotation of the scapula? Just an idea-let me know what you think!
-Kevin
Great idea Kevin!
I will play with this idea and let you know what I come up with.
Coach N
[...] If you haven’t yet, check out Nick’s post: Push Up Plus Exercise – A Better Way! [...]
Hi Nick, I am an upcoming sports science graduate and its great to see your innovative new ideas and suggestions in contrast to the usual textbook stuff ! I am particularly interested in the shoulder exercises and stability techniques you use as I have has 3 shoulder dislocations and a stabilisation operation after playing rugby. the operation was 1 1/2 years ago and I have not yet returned to rugby. Would you, or anyone on here, have any specific exercises or protocols that you would recommend to give the best possible chance of returning to the sport and remaining injury free?? I have the usual internal/external rotation stuff but to me it doesnt seem as if it is enough or that I am doing it enough times per week. ANY suggestions are very much appreciated !
Kris,
First off, many thanks for your kind words!
I would send you to Eric Cressey – http://ericcressey.com/
Eric is one of the top guys in this field, especially when it comes to the Shoulder.
Good luck and thanks for being part of my, NickTumminello.com, internet family!
Coach N
This exercise has been around for many years. I’m disappointed that you are claiming it as your own
Thanks for your comments and for taking the time to watch the video.
Please tell me at what point in this video do I say I invented the Push Up Plus exercise?
Talk soon!
Coach N
I tried the other day your variation of pushup over gym ball, it was kind of difficult because of inestability, but it went very good.
thanks Nick for your shares.
Best Regards from Central America.