Fitter, Flatter Abs – With the Serratus Anterior

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The Serratus Anterior is a non-abdominal muscle that stabilizes the shoulder girdle and shoulder blades.  It runs under you armpit along the ribs – it looks like fingers, coming from under the armpit to wrap around the ribcage and helps to “button” the ribs together.  Activating this muscle helps to strengthen your core, especially the top part of the abdominals….the rectus abdominus, which is the 6-pack muscle.

How do you know if the Serratus muscle is strong?  Try doing a plank.  If your shoulder blades stick out like “wings” then the Serratus is not engaged or strong enough to support your plank properly.  You will not be able to tell if you are “winging” on your own.  Get into a plank position, preferable on your forearms and ask a trained Pilates Teacher to assess your situation.  Are your scapula (shoulder blades) “winging?”

How do you fix this?  You think about “buttoning” your ribs together.  Feel like you have a corset on that is cinching your waist in and gathering it together nice and tight.  It also helps if you firmly press your forearms into the floor….this activates the Serratus muscle as well.  This feeling of corseting or cinching in your waist or “buttoning” your ribs makes your midsection look smaller and more sculpted….all the more reason to train this “non-abdominal” muscle.  When you hold your plank, visualize a large coat hanger, the kind you would hang a men’s sport coat on, with the broad, wide ends to support the jacket.  Your shoulder girdle is literally that coat hanger, broad and strong to support the shoulder girdle and shoulder blades.  Most of us tend to “sink” into our shoulders, which is what causes the “wing” look.   You will want to think broad shoulders and lift up out of your shoulder blades.  Over compensating will make you look like you have a hump on your back, which you don’t want either.  Again, use a trained professional to help get you into the correct position and then feel what that correct position feels like so that you can repeat it on your own.

Try holding your plank in correct form for 30 seconds then take a break so that you don’t lose your good form.  Repeat the exercise twice more.  Holding the plank for 30 seconds then take 30 seconds of rest.  As you get stronger and can maintain good form, you can hold your plank for longer.

You are now on your way to fitter and flatter abs!

 

 

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