Serratus anterior: exercises and how to train
The serratus anterior sits on the side of your rib cage under the armpit, with finger-like slips running from the upper eight or nine ribs to the inner edge of the shoulder blade. It pulls the shoulder blade forward, rotates it upward as you raise your arms and holds it flat against the ribs. Every overhead press and the top of every push-up depend on it.
How to train it
The catalog options are Pullover and Straight-arm pulldown, both moving the arm in an arc from overhead down toward the body. In push-ups, finish each rep by pushing the floor away and spreading your shoulder blades. It rarely needs its own volume: pressing and pullovers cover it, and 2–4 focused sets a week are more than enough.
Exercises where it is the main mover
Exercises where it assists
Weekly sets in ready-made programs
A set where the muscle is primary counts in full, a set where it assists counts as half — the same way the log’s stats count it.
Other chest muscles
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