Cross-Training

4 Serratus Anterior Exercises for a Strong, Supported Upper Body

November 21, 2024

If your teachers have ever told you to fix the “chicken wings” (shoulder blades) sticking out of your back, what they’re really asking you to do is engage your serratus anterior muscle. This is a fan-shaped muscle that runs underneath each scapula and attaches to the upper rib cage.

This illustration shows a human skeleton from the back, highlighting the serratus anterior muscle underneath the shoulder blades.
Serratus anterior. Getty Images.

Certified Pilates instructor Kerry Shea, a dance conditioning specialist and former professional dancer based in Charlottesville, Virginia, says the serratus anterior is one of the most undertrained and undervalued muscles. “But once you unlock its power, it can really change your dancing,” she says. “The serratus anterior helps the scapula stay wide and in the back. Strengthening it can help with our pirouettes, our partnering, our balance. And you have more lusciousness in your port de bras because it’s truly coming from your back and being supported.”

Shea, who studied with renowned kinesthetics anatomist and educator Irene Dowd, shares a series of exercises that can be done before class or during your cross-training workout to help identify and strengthen this important upper body muscle.

You’ll need:

  • a yoga mat
  • 2-lb. hand weights (soup cans or filled water bottles will also work)
  • a small foam roller

1. Serratus Work From Forearms and Knees (Courtesy Irene Dowd)

  • Start on the mat on your forearms, knees, and shins. Arms should be shoulder-width apart, with each shoulder over the elbow to prepare. Knees are underneath the hips, about hip-distance apart.
  • Keeping a neutral spine, inhale and move your body forward towards the front edge of your mat. Keep your rib cage and scapula connected, staying wide in the back.
  • Keeping those elements in mind, exhale and move your body back past your starting position.  Go right into the next set (one set is forward and back), without pausing at your starting position. 
  • Do 8–10 sets.
  • For an extra challenge, try the exercise going on a diagonal. Inhale, going towards the right forearm and hand, and then exhale back towards the left knee and shin. Do 4 sets before switching sides.

Tip: To prevent the shoulder girdle and neck from collapsing, imagine pressing away from a fire underneath you as you move forward and back.

  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights poses on her forearms and shins and looks down towards the floor.
    Serratus work on forearms and knees. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights balances on her forearms and shins and moves her body slightly forward towards the front of the mat, her eyes towards the floor.
    inhale and move your body forward towards the front edge of the mat. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights balances on her forearms and shins and moves her body slightly back towards her heels, her eyes looking towards the floor.
    Exhale, moving your body back past your starting position. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights poses on her forearms and shins and moves her body slightly forward over her right arm.
    For an added challenge, try moving on the diagonal. Photo by Meghan Keeney.

2. Serratus Push-Ups

  • Begin on your forearms with palms flat on the floor and shoulders aligned over the elbows. Legs are stretched behind you with your pelvis, thighs, and tops of feet on the mat and your abdomen lifted off the floor. Your head is facing down with your eyes towards the floor.
  • Inhale and lower the upper body slightly, feeling your shoulder blades come closer together. Keep the abdominals engaged and the arms at a 90-degree angle.
  • As you exhale, separate and widen the scapula, lifting the upper body back up.
  • Work up to 10 reps.
  • For an extra challenge, try this same exercise in a forearm plank position. Keep your core engaged and make sure you’re not collapsing in the lower back and neck.

Tip: Focus on exercise quality and alignment over quantity of reps. “If you can only do 5, do 5 and slowly work up to 10,” says Shea.

  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights props herself up on her forearms with her legs extended long behind her. She brings her shoulder blades close together.
    Serratus push ups. Inhale, lowering the upper body slightly, feeling shoulder blades come closer together. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights props herself up on her forearms with her legs extended long behind her. She brings her shoulder blades close together.
    Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights props herself up on her forearms with her legs extended long behind her. She is shown in profile and opens her shoulder blades wide.
    Exhale as you separate and widen the scapula, lifting the upper body back up. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights balances in a forearm plank position. She brings her shoulder blades close together, lowering her body slightly.
    For an added challenge, try this in a forearm plank position. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights balances in a forearm plank position. She opens her shoulder blades wide.
    Photo by Meghan Keeney.

3. Standing Serratus Work (Courtesy Irene Dowd)

  • Holding a 2-lb. weight in each hand, palms facing forward, stand in parallel with your feet a little wider than hip-distance apart.
  • Plié and lean slightly forward, making a long line from the crown of the head to the tailbone. Keep your arms by your side.
  • Inhale and lift your arms forward and up towards your ears, facing the palms towards the ceiling without letting the ribs flare or the shoulder blades pop up.
  • Work up to 10 reps.

Tip: “Imagine the tips of your scapulae are smiling up into your armpits as you lift your arms,” says Shea. Focus more on quality of movement than quantity of reps.

A teenage ballerina on a yoga mat wearing an orange leotard and pink tights is shown in profile. She bends slightly at the waist and lifts two pink arms weights up and down.
Standing serratus work. Photos by Meghan Keeney.

4. Wall Work With Foam Roller

  • Stand facing a wall, feet hip-distance apart. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and press your forearms against a foam roller placed horizontally against the wall.
  • Inhale, gently push into the roller and roll it up the wall, straightening your arms.
  • Exhale and roll back down to your starting position.
  • Do 10 reps.
  • For an extra challenge, add a loop band or TheraBand around your forearms. Repeat the exercise, gently squeezing out against the band as you inhale and exhale.

Tip: Keep your shoulders wide and open and the rib cage closed. Again, imagine the bottom tips of your scapula smiling up into your armpits.

  • A teenage ballerina wearing an orange leotard and pink tights is shown from behind with her arms bent at a right angle and resting against a horizontal red foam roller on a wall.
    Wall work with foam roller. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina wearing an orange leotard and pink tights is shown from behind. Her forearms press against a horizontal red foam roller as she rolls it up a wall.
    Inhale, gently push into the roller and roll it up the wall. Exhale and roll it back down. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
  • A teenage ballerina wearing an orange leotard and pink tights is shown with her arms bent at a right angle and resting against a horizontal red foam roller on a wall. A yellow resistance band is looped around her forearms.
    For an extra challenge, add a loop band or TheraBand around your forearms. Photo by Meghan Keeney.
cross training kerry shea serratus anterior upper body exercises