Have you ever had a real heavy session at the gym and next day had to struggle your way into a top because your shoulders are SO sore? Gone to put something in a high cupboard and found yourself struggling to reach? Or just been working away at your laptop and really had to pull your shoulders back?
These problems all have one thing in common, that they can be a sign of serratus anterior tension. The Serratus Anterior is a fan-shaped muscle that starts from the inside border of your shoulder blade and wraps under the shoulder blade and around to the front of the shoulder and ribs. When it’s working well, it pulls the shoulders forward (protraction) and tilt the shoulder blade upwards (upward rotation).
But overuse and repetitive use in sports like boxing, swimming, and heavy weightlifting can cause these muscles to tighten and shorten, limiting movement of the arm overhead and reducing shoulder-scapular stability which increases the risk of injuring your rotator cuff or shoulder.
So, what can you do to keep this muscle healthy? Well, a simple exercise, done regularly can work to improve the activation of the serratus anterior.
Quite a common exercise, nonetheless the isometric plank is a fantastic exercise for activating the serratus anterior. Start by lying on the ground with the elbows in line with the shoulder and the feet shoulder width apart. You can do this either with straight arms or resting on your forearms.
Push your body up bearing the weight on the forearms and feet and keep your body straight. Hold this position for 1-2 minutes.
The plank is a great exercise as it has low compressive forces on the spine which means you can work on core muscles without higher pressure on the lumbar vertebrae.
