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Hoots : What is the correct Push Up technique for Serratus Anterior Engagement? In this video trainer Nick Tumminello recommends: Hands closer together, slightly elevated and slightly internally rotated. But in the comments, - freshhoot.com

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What is the correct Push Up technique for Serratus Anterior Engagement?
In this video trainer Nick Tumminello recommends:

Hands closer together, slightly elevated and slightly internally
rotated.

But in the comments, a "Sylvester Koh" (no idea who he is, but his comments sound informed and so I wanted to confirm or deny) agrees with a "Kirstine Vest Have" who says:

Funny. A study using EMG says the hands should be externally rotated
for max activation of the serratus ant.. Not internally rotated.

(Perhaps this study, though it's for an unstable surface.)

Sylvester Koh also says:

If you [have] clinical reason in terms of muscle biomechanics and physiology,
internal rotation will result in the recruitment of the pectoral
muscles ( internal rotators) which defeat the purpose of this
exercise. Push up plus serves to isolate serratus anterior muscle
activation only and removes as much recruitment of pectorals as
possible. Besides performing external rotation, at the shoulders,
isometric shoulder horizontal abduction would further deactivate the
pectoral muscle via reciprocal inhibition.

In summary, in order to perform the perfect push up plus exercise,
there should be thoracic kyphosis, lower cervical flexion, lumbar
flexion with posterior pelvic tilt, shoulder external rotation, and
isometric shoulder horizontal abduction, in order to fully activate
the serratus anterior muscles.

And

Place your palms on the floor in a standard push up position such that
your palms are directly under your shoulders. Try to contract your
posterior deltoids such that your wanna bring your hands away from one
another. Next flex your neck gently and focus on protracting your
scapular as much as position. I would recommend that your keep your
scapular protracted for as long as you can rather that continuously
move through the range of motion like in this video. Make sure that
your abdominal muscles and buttock muscles are contracted fully
throughout the exercise such that your lower back is flat out.

So my questions are who is right, and what is the best form? Thanks!


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Here is an interesting study on this subject:

EMG activity of the serratus anterior and trapezius muscles during the different phases of the push-up plus exercise on different support surfaces and different hand positions www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4968519/
In the conclusion you'll find:

SA showed significant increase in activity in hand position P3,

P3 being a hand position with the fingers rotated internally, compared to P1/P2 where the fingers were parallel.


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