Have you heard of the Serratus Anterior?
If not, you’re not alone. In fact, this muscle tends to be one of the most overlooked muscles in the shoulder, both by exercise trainers and people with
shoulder pain. The good folks at
Bustle tried to gather some more information about this muscle and exercises aimed at strengthening it to improve shoulder mobility.
They ended up interviewing me about the serratus anterior and about my favorite exercise to target it. Below are the questions and my answers. I’ll also link to the complete article, where you can find 9 exercises to address this particular shoulder muscle.
What is the serratus anterior? Where is it located and what role does it play in the body?
The serratus Anterior is a muscle that attaches to the scapula (shoulder blade) and the ribs. It’s main function is protraction of the shoulder blade (moving it forward). It’s important for stabilizing the shoulder blade throughout reaching activities and throughout the arc of normal motion of the shoulder.
Here’s an illustration from one of our
courses:
Is this muscle often overlooked? Why is it important to target during exercise?
This muscle is often overlooked. In fact, many scapular stabilizers are overlooked in trading. This muscle is important to target because of its role in stabilizing the shoulder blade, especially with reaching outward or forwards.
Please share an exercise that targets the serratus anterior. Explain how to do the exercise step-by-step, how many reps/sets to do, and a few words on why it targets the serratus anterior.
The easiest exercise to target this muscle is a “serratus punch”. To do this, lie on your back with a dumbbell in your hand (start small with a 2-3 lb weight, then move up to 5-10lb). With your arm at 90 degrees, perpendicular to the ground, push forward. You don’t want your elbow to move. The arm stays straight and all the movement to be the shoulder blade moving forward. Generally, 2 sets of 15 reps every other day is well within the therapeutic range for targeting this muscle. This exercise targets the serratus Anterior by isolating it’s movement, so you’re only using it to protraction the shoulder blade.
Summary
You can check out the full article, with all 9 serratus exercises on Bustle here. Now, I always tell patients in the clinic that you simply can’t focus on one isolated muscle and expect that to make everything better. No one moves by using one single muscle or one isolated movement. We have complex bodies and move in a three-dimensional world. So, you’ll likely need to address a combination of muscles and movements to really address shoulder mobility and pain. That being said, periscaipular muscles, like the serratus, play a crucial role in shoulder mobility and even in reducing shoulder impingement. Addressing it with targeted exercises can certainly help with reducing pain and increasing shoulder mobility.
And, if you want to get guidance on your specific situation and shoulder pain, and live in the Augusta Area, book an appointment with us here.
