Serratus anterior and upper trapezius muscle activity during upper-body exercises

Abstract

Serratus anterior (SA) and upper trapezius (UT) are commonly targeted in exercise programs to address prevention and treatment of poor scapular control (e.g., shoulder impingement, scapular winging). While modified push-ups are often used for this purpose due to their good SA/UT activation ratio, a better understanding of SA and UT activation during different upper-body exercises is needed. For example, the ability of common exercises such as suspended push-ups and standing cable press to activate the SA and UT is unknown. Furthermore, while sensory manipulation demonstrates enhanced muscle activation in other stabilizer muscles, there is no knowledge regarding this variation during suspended push-ups and its effect on SA and UT activation.PURPOSE: To compare muscle activation and activity ratios during standard push-ups on the floor, suspended push-ups with/without visual input, and standing cable press at 70%1RM.METHODS: 29 physically fit and healthy male participants took part in a randomized, within-subject design assessment. The maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) was used to normalize data. Each participant performed three repetitions in all conditions using the same grip width, speed, and range of movement. Mean %MVIC values of the SA, UT, and ratios were compared using Analysis of Variance with a Bonferroni post-hoc analysis.RESULTS: Significant differences were found between conditions for all muscles (p<0.001) (Table 1).CONCLUSIONS: Suspended push-ups are not an optimal exercise for those with shoulder impingement or scapular winging. Visual input manipulation does affect SA or UT muscle activity. These data provide an understanding of SA and UT activation during upper-body exercises.