Serratus slides are an awesome exercise for strengthening the serratus anterior muscle. The serratus anterior is overlooked by many, and is hugely influential in terms of shoulder health and function. The serratus upwardly rotates, protracts, and posteriorly tilts the shoulder blades. The serratus anterior is also a key player in overhead mobility.
Most people do not perform serratus slide variations correctly. Serratus slides should be treated as an exercise for improving activation and awareness. Most people cannot feel their serratus muscle working (or shoulder blades moving properly), and make the mistake of treating serratus exercises as strengthening exercises and use too much resistance (often in the form of a band). As a result, they compensate and do not achieve good results. Most people should start off using bodyweight only.
In the video on the left I highlighted some mistakes/compensations you often see. I could have included more.
Coaching tips:
- Get into a staggered stance position, and so your body is relatively close to a wall. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position. The staggered stance makes it tougher to compensate by arching the back.
- Place your wrists on a roller. In the starting position, the roller should be well above chest height. Do not start with the roller too low as this can cause the shoulders to round forward, humerus bones to jam forward in the sockets, and shoulder blades to tilt anteriorly.
- Keep your forearms in an ”11 o’clock” position, or hands slightly outside of the elbows (do not allow your hands to fall in and elbows to flare out) and apply pressure into the roller.
- At the beginning of each rep, press your body away from the roller. When you do you should feel your shoulder blades protract (spread apart and move away from your spine, and around your ribcage). Now slide the roller up the wall, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move and should protract, elevate, upwardly rotate (spread apart and move away from your spine, around your ribcage, and away from your opposite hip), and tilt posteriorly, as you slide the roller up the wall.
- Once you hit your end range, perform the reverse movements and return the roller to the starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to excessively shrug. A slight shrug at the very top is ok if you wish to target more upper traps.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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