Training guide
To do a scapular push-up, hold a plank with straight arms, let your chest sink a little between your shoulder blades, then push the floor away so they spread around your ribs, and pause. Your elbows never bend. Start at a wall or a bench with 2 to 3 sets of 10, and move to your knees and then the floor.
Scapular push-ups, also called the push-up plus or scap push-ups, train the serratus anterior, the muscle that holds your shoulder blades against your ribs. In lab studies the full version worked it hard, with little help from the shrugging muscles. They're strength work for anyone who pushes, not only rehab, though claims that they prevent impingement, fix winging or fix posture are untested.
This guide shows them on the 3D figure, the wall-to-floor ladder, what they work, what they can and can't do for winging and shoulder pain, your wrists, and how many to do.
In a straight-arm plank, or with your hands on a wall or bench, or on your knees, keep your elbows straight and let your chest sink a little between your shoulder blades. Then push the floor away so they spread around your ribs and your upper back rises, and hold for a second. A push-up plus is the same push added to the top of a full push-up.
The serratus anterior holds your shoulder blade flat against your ribs and pulls it forward around them. In a study of 30 people, the full push-up plus worked it up to 123% of a maximal test, with the shrugging muscle (the upper trapezius) quiet. Reviews of 19 and 30 studies agree that the push-up plus works the serratus hard and the upper trapezius little.
In 28 men, serratus work fell from the full version (77% of a reference effort) to the knees (39%) to the wall (28%). Your hands carry about 70 to 76% of your body weight on your toes and 53 to 58% on your knees. The wall is the lightest start, but the upper trapezius does relatively more there; raising your feet makes the serratus work harder still.
The serratus works hardest in the final push (the "plus"), and bending your elbows hands work to the upper trapezius. A ball or BOSU doesn't add serratus work: raise your feet instead.
Shoulder blades that move a little unevenly are common in people with no pain. Shoulder blade exercise helps shoulder pain a little in the short term, but not by fixing posture or shoulder blade position, and in the best trial adding extra shoulder blade work to a programme that already had the push-up plus added nothing. A shoulder blade that suddenly sticks out with weakness needs a GP: see our winged scapula guide.
Start at a wall or bench: 2 to 3 sets of 10 with a 1-second hold at the top, 2 or 3 times a week (our editorial starting point). Build to 3 sets of 10 to 15 on your knees, then your toes, as shoulder pain trials did.
Your arms stay straight while your shoulder blades slide: first towards each other as your chest sinks a little (retraction), then apart and around your ribs as you push the floor away (protraction). Our move page puts it this way: in a straight-armed plank, the chest sinks between the shoulder blades and the hands then push the floor away, rounding the upper back.
The same movement family. A scapular push-up is the shoulder blade movement on its own, elbows straight the whole time. A push-up plus adds that final push to the top of an ordinary push-up. You'll also see them called scap push-ups, serratus push-ups or plus push-ups. One popular page uses "scapula push-up" for a hand-release push-up, which is a different exercise.
The serratus anterior, sometimes called the boxer's muscle, runs from your ribs to the inner edge of your shoulder blade and is the main target. A small chest muscle, the pectoralis minor, helps a little. The main chest muscle and the triceps hold your arms straight, and your stomach muscles and glutes hold the plank. The middle and lower trapezius do little here, because they work on the other side of the movement.
At the joint, your shoulder blade turns forward around your ribcage: from about 17 to about 43 degrees in a wall version measured with bone pins. It doesn't turn upwards, which is what arm-raising exercises train. Your elbows and wrists stay still.
A steady high plank, as our move page asks, or a wall or bench until you have one. The high plank's move page suggests 3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds. Wrists that are happy with your weight on flat hands, or fists or handles instead.
Your hands carry most of your body weight on your toes, so anyone with sore wrists or shoulders, or who finds a plank hard, does well to start on the wall or a bench. In people whose shoulder blades stick out a little, the full version still worked the serratus best relative to the chest and upper trapezius, and uneven shoulder blade movement is common without pain. With very bendy joints, keep your elbows soft rather than locked. In later pregnancy, the wall and bench versions avoid lying down and a heavy plank (our editorial suggestion; the NHS says to stop if anything feels uncomfortable).
From our move page, Human Kinetics' push-up with plus and NISMAT's arm care programme, in our editorial wording. The 1 to 2 second hold is the one a muscle-activity study used.
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The movement on the figure: Scapular push-up (push-up plus)
In 28 men, 13 of them with slightly winging shoulder blades, the serratus worked at 77% of a reference effort on the toes, 39% on the knees and 28% at the wall. In 20 people, both the full and knee versions passed 20% of a maximal effort. At the wall, the upper trapezius does relatively more: its ratio to the serratus was 0.69 at the wall against 0.39 on the floor in 12 men, and up to 2.0 in another study.
About 70 to 76% of your body weight in a full push-up position and 53 to 58% on your knees, in a study of 22 people. Raising your hands lowers the load, and in a review of 30 studies hands-raised (incline) push-ups lowered every muscle's activity.
The set-up is our wall push-up and the action is the scapular push-up. It's the lightest version and a fine place to start, but the least selective. In a bone-pin study of 12 people, the authors advised modifying it early in rehab for shoulder impingement.
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Hands on a bench or worktop, as in our incline push-up, then the scapular push-up action. The higher the hands, the lighter it gets.
The starting version of a handball warm-up programme that cut shoulder injuries: knees and forearms down, pushing the floor away through your forearms. The closest demo is our knee hover, on the forearms. It spares your wrists completely.
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The set-up is our knee push-up, then the action. In knee versions, lifting one leg raised serratus work on the same side, in 32 people.
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On all fours with straight elbows, pushing out for 2 seconds, holding for 2 and returning for 2, the serratus worked at about 34 to 40% with the upper trapezius at about 4%, in 26 trained men. Lifting one leg raised the serratus to about 52 to 55%, and a 3 kg weighted vest raised it from about 37% to 49% in 32 adults. Dropping the chest deep between the shoulder blades brought in the trapezius.
A full push-up with the plus added at the top of each rep. A review of 30 studies calls it an advanced exercise for the late stages of rehab and for general upper-body strengthening.
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The set-up is our feet-elevated push-up. Serratus work rose from 56% to 70% to 85% as the feet went higher, in 15 men, and raising the feet mattered more than putting the hands on a Swiss ball, in 10 men.
The full push-up plus reached up to 123% of a maximal test in the serratus, with an upper trapezius to serratus ratio under 0.2 in the plus phase, in 30 people (we read the abstract only). In 20 people, the push-up plus and a "dynamic hug" drew the most serratus activity of the exercises tested. A review of 19 studies and 356 people found high serratus and low upper trapezius activity in the push-up plus, and a review of 30 studies of push-up types found the serratus most active in the push-up plus. Most of these studies are in healthy young men.
In 13 men, the serratus worked at about 49% in the push phase and 76% in the plus. Bending the elbows raised the upper trapezius and lowered the serratus, in a review of 19 studies. Serratus work was highest with straight elbows, hands about shoulder-width apart and the arms at about 110 to 120 degrees to the body.
Across 23 studies and 498 people, no unstable device added serratus work, and the certainty was low to very low. A second review agreed and found more upper trapezius; a third found a small rise in the serratus in the push-up plus only.
With bone pins in 12 people, the wall push-up plus turned the shoulder blade forward around the ribs, from about 17 degrees at the start to about 43 at the end, with slight downward rotation. In 18 men the shoulder blade didn't rotate upwards in the push-up plus. Arm-raising exercises, such as the scaption raise, train that upward turn.
In people whose shoulder blades stick out a little, pressing the elbows outwards against a band looped above them raised serratus work in wall and floor versions.
These figures come from muscle-activity recordings (EMG, electromyography) over a few reps. They show which muscles work and how hard, not what each muscle will build over months.
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The dumbbell shoulder-blade punch, lying on your back, 2 sets of 10, no weight then light dumbbells (our winged scapula guide). Then the push-up plus at the wall (the wall push-up set-up) and at a bench (the incline push-up set-up), 2 to 3 sets of 10 (our editorial starting point); on the knees and forearms (the knee hover set-up), 2 or 3 sets of 15 to 30 seconds (the handball trial); on the knees (the knee push-up set-up), then the toes, 3 sets of 10 to 15 (the shoulder pain trials); the full push-up plus, 3 sets of 8 to 15 push-ups with the plus on each (our push-up progression); then feet raised (the feet-elevated push-up set-up), 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 (our editorial starting point). Only the scapular push-up shows the plus itself; the others show the set-up.
3D demoDumbbell shoulder-blade punchBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoWall push-upBeginner · A wall
3D demoIncline push-upBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoKnee hover (Pilates tabletop hover)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoKnee push-upBeginner · No equipment
3D demoScapular push-up (push-up plus)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoPush-upIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoFeet-elevated push-upAdvanced · A bench or boxAcross 34 studies and 2,365 people, 48% of those without symptoms had shoulder blades that moved unevenly (scapular dyskinesis), and it was no more common in 67 people with shoulder pain than in 68 without, which the authors say may be normal variation. In athletes without pain, it raised the risk of later shoulder pain (35% against 25%). An expert consensus says its role in shoulder problems isn't clearly defined.
A shoulder blade that suddenly sticks out, with new weakness lifting, pushing or carrying, can be a nerve problem. That needs a GP, not more push-ups: see our winged scapula guide.
In 8 trials of 387 people with pain at the top of the shoulder, shoulder blade exercise eased pain a little more than standard physiotherapy, though its own rating of the evidence was low certainty for pain. Another review found pain with activity eased by 0.88 points more in the short term, with no difference at follow-up and no change in forward shoulder posture; a third found the benefit gone by 3 months.
In 60 people with pain at the top of the shoulder, both groups did shoulder blade strengthening that progressed a knee push-up to the push-up plus, and adding extra shoulder blade control work made no difference. Across 22 trials and 1,281 people, shoulder blade exercise against general exercise remained uncertain.
3 sets of up to 15, three times a week for 8 weeks, in the 60-person trial. In another, push-up plus versions came last in a 12-week programme, 3 sets of 10 to 15 at 2 seconds each way with pain kept at 3 out of 10 or less; it beat standard physiotherapy in 63 people, but it included hands-on treatment too. A wall push-up in a 6-week programme improved strength and shoulder blade measures but not pain, in 40 people. Across trials, programmes of 6 weeks or more did better for function.
47 office workers with neck and shoulder pain did just two exercises, the push-up plus and a press-up, with bands across the back for load, three 20-minute sessions a week for 10 weeks. Pain fell by 2.0 points on a 0 to 9 scale against no exercise. There was no attention control, so some of that may be the attention.
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In 52 construction workers, the serratus was less active in those with impingement, an association rather than proof of cause. The authors of the bone-pin study advise modifying the wall push-up plus early in rehab for impingement, so follow our shoulder impingement guide's stages rather than starting here.
A five-exercise warm-up with the push-up plus, starting on the knees and forearms, cut shoulder injuries in adolescent elite handball players by 56% (199 players against 212). It was a whole programme, so the push-up plus can't be singled out. Another shoulder warm-up with shoulder blade strength work cut shoulder problems in 660 elite handball players.
Keep shoulder pain to about 5 out of 10 or less during the exercise, back to its usual level by your next session, as our shoulder guides advise. A sharp pinch means lower, lighter or stop.
Shoulder pain when doing push-ups has its own guide: see our shoulder pain when doing push-ups guide.
In 8 donated wrists, a push-up position with the wrist bent back raised the peak pressure on the thumb side of the wrist joint, and in 14 people the force spread further towards the back and the little-finger side of the wrist. A straight wrist moves some load towards the shoulder instead, so it's a trade-off rather than a free fix.
Push-ups on the knuckles cost the serratus only a little activity compared with flat palms, in 20 men. Fists, push-up handles or a rolled towel under the heels of your hands keep your wrists straighter.
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The knees-and-forearms version from the handball programme puts no weight on your wrists at all. A wall or bench version reduces it.
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Some discomfort during these exercises is fine and doesn't mean you are doing damage. Keep it to about 5 out of 10 or less. It should settle within half an hour or so, and your hand should be no worse the next morning. If it is, do fewer, smaller or lighter next time, not nothing. That's our wrist pain guides' rule.
At the wall or a bench, 2 to 3 sets of 10 with a 1-second hold at the top and about 60 seconds' rest, 2 or 3 times a week (our rounded shoulders and shoulder pain guides; our editorial starting point). Our move page gives no dose.
3 sets of 10 to 15 on your knees, then your toes, as the shoulder pain trials did (3 sets of up to 15, three times a week; or 3 sets of 10 to 15 at 2 seconds each way). The office-worker trial built from 3 sets to 5 sets of 10, then added a band across the back.
2 or 3 sets of 15 to 30 seconds of slow reps, 1 to 2 seconds each way, starting on your knees and forearms, as the handball warm-up did.
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10 reps before pressing or pulling. That's the commonest dose among the 60 workouts on this site that use the move.
End the set while your elbows stay straight and your shoulders stay down. The last set can stop 0 to 2 reps short, as our plans allow for small moves. Holding the push to fatigue changed how the shoulder blade moved afterwards, a little, so there's no need to grind out reps.
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Raise your feet, lift one leg, then loop a light band across your upper back with the ends under your hands.
Shoulder trials ran 6 to 12 weeks. Programmes of 6 weeks or more did better for function, so give it time, and judge by how your shoulders feel and work.
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It turns into a small push-up, with more upper trapezius and less serratus. Keep your arms straight.
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Keep your shoulders away from your ears. Studies told people to avoid lifting the shoulder blades, and in 16 people a push-up done with the shoulders shrugged put the shoulder blade in a position the authors linked to impingement.
A small sink is enough; dropping deep brings the trapezius in.
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The studies all asked for a straight body. Hold the line from your head to your heels or knees (our editorial cue).
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The rise comes from your shoulder blades spreading, not from your lower back. Sources differ on how much the upper back should round: one study rounded it on purpose, while a coaching text says not to round your back. A small rise between your shoulder blades is plenty.
It doesn't add serratus work. Raise your feet instead.
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Form fades with fatigue. Stop while the reps are clean.
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The straight-arm plank and the knee hover, 3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds (the move pages' doses). Wrist and forearm flow, 60 seconds (our push-up challenge workout), and quadruped wrist rocks, 10 rocks (our parkour warm-up). Prone Y-T-W raises for the middle and lower trapezius, which the push-up plus works little, 5 to 8 of each letter, 2 rounds (our rounded shoulders guide). Band rows to balance the pushing, 3 sets of 10 to 15 (the move page's dose). The scaption raise, which trains the serratus as the arm rises, 2 to 3 sets of 10, light, to shoulder height (our winged scapula guide), and standing band external rotation, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 (our rounded shoulders guide).
3D demoStraight-arm plank (high plank)Intermediate · No equipment3D demoKnee hover (Pilates tabletop hover)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoQuadruped wrist rocksBeginner · No equipment
3D demoProne Y-T-W raisesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoScaption raiseBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor pointThe push-up progression uses the push-up plus as support work, 2 sets of 10; the shoulder mobility and stability routine does 10 on a wall or bench with a 1-second pause; the sport warm-ups use the handball trial's version, 15 to 30 seconds on the knees and forearms first; the others use 10 reps or 2 sets of 10 to warm up.
Work up to full push-ups: wall, incline and knee push-ups, then the floor push-up and harder variations.
15 minBeginner8 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 15-minute push-up ladder for the 30-day push-up challenge: wrist prep, wall to knee push-ups or floor to archer push-ups, and band rows to balance it.
15 minBeginner11 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 25-minute band routine for healthy shoulders: move the shoulder and upper back through their range, then strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blades.
25 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandAn upper body workout at home with no gym: push-ups, band rows, pike push-ups, face pulls, close-grip push-ups and Y-T-W raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate13 movesA band, An anchor pointWork up to bar dips: bent-knee and straight-leg bench dips, a support hold, slow lowering and assisted dips, then full dips and ring dips.
20 minBeginner9 movesA band, A bench or boxA 20-minute Pilates class for a sore shoulder: gentle range first, then shoulder-blade and rotator cuff strength, then light weight on the arms, in steps.
20 minBeginner15 movesA bench or box, Other / check instructionsA 25-minute routine for racket players: the five-part Shoulder Control programme from handball trials, band rotations, forearm lowering, hops and balance.
25 minBeginner12 movesA dumbbell, A cable machineA 20-minute handball warm-up: easy running, leg swings, Knee Control, landings and cuts, Shoulder Control, then build-up runs before passes and shots.
20 minBeginner18 movesCardio machine, A wallA 15-minute volleyball warm-up: skips, shuffles and zig-zag runs, planks, one-leg balance, landings, Nordics and lunges, band shoulder work and block jumps.
15 minBeginner13 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 35-minute session for baseball and softball players: the five Shoulder Control exercises, rotator cuff and forearm work, medicine-ball throws and legs.
35 minIntermediate17 movesA dumbbell, A cable machineThe 30-day push-up challenge uses it in the warm-up at the wall, on your knees or on your toes to match your step; the 30-day pull-up challenge's warm-up swaps in 8 scapular push-ups if you have no band.
A free 30-day push-up challenge, from wall to archer push-ups: 3 short sessions a week, optional practice days and a push-up test at each end.
3 training days15 minBeginner3 days a weekA free 30-day pull-up challenge with four levels, from building a hang to more reps: three short sessions a week, rest days and a test on day 1 and day 30.
3 training days25 minBeginnerStart at the wall or bench, within the shoulder rule above, and follow our shoulder pain or shoulder impingement guide's stages.
After a recent shoulder dislocation, or shoulder or elbow surgery, follow your surgical team's limits first.
The NHS says it usually takes 6 to 12 weeks to recover from a dislocated shoulder, and up to 16 weeks to return fully to some sports. With a shoulder that feels loose, keep the push small and stable.
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Get it checked by a GP before training it (our winged scapula guide).
Use fists, handles or the knees-and-forearms version, and see our wrist pain from push-ups guide.
Stop if your fingers tingle or go numb: that's a nerve, not a tired muscle, as our grip strength guide says.
After surgery through the breastbone, or breast surgery, follow your team's limits on taking weight through your arms; the wall version is usually the first step back (our editorial suggestion).
With a pacemaker or defibrillator, the American Heart Association asks you to check with your doctor before upper-body strength training, because repeated arm movements can damage or dislodge the leads.
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Keep your elbows soft rather than locked, and stop at a range you can control.
The wall and bench versions suit later pregnancy. Stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell, as the NHS advises.
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If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; arm pain that comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest; severe difficulty breathing, or a chest that feels tight or heavy; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for sudden or very bad shoulder pain, an arm you can't move, a shoulder that has changed shape or is badly swollen, pins and needles that don't go away, no feeling in your arm or shoulder, an arm or shoulder that's hot or cold to touch, pain after an injury or a fall, severe pain in both shoulders, or feeling feverish or unwell. Go to A&E if, after an injury, you can't move your arm or your shoulder looks out of place or has changed shape. See a GP if shoulder pain is getting worse or hasn't improved after 2 weeks.
While your shoulder is sore, the NHS says not to make up your own strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment.
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With new weakness lifting, pushing or carrying: see a GP, as our winged scapula guide says.
For severe wrist pain; feeling faint, dizzy or sick from the pain; a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of the injury; being unable to move your wrist or hold things; a wrist that has changed shape or colour; a very painful, hot or red lump; or lost feeling in your hand. In the US, use urgent care.
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If wrist pain is no better after 2 weeks of home treatment, or comes with tingling, diabetes, or a hot, swollen, stiff wrist.
Stop if your fingers tingle or go numb: that's a nerve, not a tired muscle, as our grip strength guide says.
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Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new or harder session is common and fades. Sharp pain, or pain that builds during a set or lingers into the next day, isn't: swap to an easier version, and see a clinician if it persists, as our plans advise. The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get help from 111 if symptoms worry you or don't go away.
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Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
With controlled high blood pressure, the American Heart Association considers low- to moderate-intensity strength training with proper breathing safe. Breathe out as you lift, as our breathing guide advises.
With a pacemaker or defibrillator, the American Heart Association asks you to check with your doctor before upper-body strength training, because repeated arm movements can damage or dislodge the leads.
A review of 30 studies calls the push-up plus an advanced exercise for the late stages of rehab and for general upper-body strengthening, a workplace trial built on it eased neck and shoulder pain in office workers, and strength coaches and a baseball arm-care programme use it. Nobody has tested it for sport performance.
Two reviews found no extra serratus work on unstable surfaces, and more upper trapezius; one found a small rise. Raising your feet works better.
Your body weight is plenty: the full push-up plus reached up to 123% of a maximal test in the serratus, and 85% with the feet raised. A band across your back is the next step.
It's the lightest version and a good start, but the serratus works least there and the upper trapezius relatively more, and the authors of a bone-pin study advise modifying it early in impingement rehab.
Untested. A coaching book says so; we found no trial. A warm-up programme that included it cut shoulder injuries in handball players, but it had five exercises.
Uneven shoulder blade movement is common in people without pain, and exercise hasn't been shown to change how the shoulder blade sits or moves. Sudden winging with weakness can be a nerve problem that needs a GP.
No study shows they do. Strength doesn't set where your shoulder blades sit at rest, and posture isn't a reliable cause of shoulder or neck pain. Our rounded shoulders guide covers posture.
A push-up where only your shoulder blades move: with your elbows straight, you let your chest sink between your shoulder blades, then push the floor away so they spread around your ribs. It trains the serratus anterior, the muscle that holds your shoulder blades against your ribs.
Nearly. The scapular push-up is the shoulder blade movement on its own; the push-up plus adds the same extra push at the top of a full push-up. Both train the serratus most in that final "plus".
Get into a high plank, or put your hands on a wall or bench, with your hands under your shoulders. Keeping your elbows straight and your body in one line, let your chest sink a little, then push the floor away, pause for a second and return slowly.
Mainly the serratus anterior, with your chest, triceps and stomach muscles holding you steady and little work from the upper trapezius. The full version drew some of the highest serratus activity of any exercise measured.
Start where you can keep your elbows straight and your shoulders down. The wall is the lightest but the least targeted; serratus work rose from the wall to the knees to the full version in one study, so move down the ladder as it gets easy.
Start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 on a wall or bench, 2 or 3 times a week. Build to 3 sets of 10 to 15 on your knees, then your toes, as shoulder pain trials did. As a warm-up, 10 reps is plenty.
No. A large review calls the push-up plus an advanced exercise for general upper-body strengthening, a workplace trial built on it eased neck and shoulder pain in office workers, and athletes use it in their warm-ups.
For mildly uneven movement without weakness, they're a sensible part of a shoulder programme, but uneven movement is common in people without pain and exercise hasn't been shown to change how the shoulder blade moves. A shoulder blade that suddenly sticks out with weakness needs a GP.
They're one part of shoulder programmes that help a little in the short term. Because the wall version moves the shoulder blade in a way one study's authors advise modifying early on, follow our impingement guide's stages and keep pain to about 5 out of 10 or less.
There's no need. Unstable surfaces didn't add serratus work in two reviews and brought in more of the upper trapezius. Raise your feet instead to make them harder.
Put your hands on a wall or bench, or press on your fists, knuckles or push-up handles to keep your wrists straighter; knuckles cost the serratus very little. The knees-and-forearms version takes the wrists out altogether.
No study shows they do. They train the serratus, which matters for moving your arms, but strength doesn't set where your shoulder blades sit at rest. Our rounded shoulders guide covers posture.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
