Targeted Muscles: Rhomboids & serratus anterior
Purpose: To help strengthen & stabilize. The shoulders during push/pull movements.
Setup: Standing wall protocol. Keeping scapulae depressed and retracted (shoulders drawn down & back), draw the straight arms up until the fists are roughly in line with the mid-chest (arms parallel with the floor).
Exhale: Lead with the fists as you draw the arms forward, without peeling the shoulder blades off the wall. This is done using the muscles around the shoulder, with focused awareness to Serratus Anterior (muscle on the side of your chest).
Inhale: Lead with the shoulders, as you draw your arms back towards the wall, feeling the focused engagement in your rhomboids (muscles between your shoulder blades). Keep the space between your shoulder blades expansive, rather than ‘pinching’ them together.
Reminder: Keep shoulder blades anchored on the wall throughout. Less is more, you should only be able to draw the arms approximately 4-6” forwards & backwards. Level of engagement on both sides remains equal and sustained.