Incline Scapular Push Up

The scapular push up trains the serratus anterior, a muscle almost nobody works directly and the one responsible for keeping the shoulder blade gliding across the rib cage. What defines the exercise is what it does not do: the arms stay completely straight and the elbows never bend. The entire range comes from the shoulder blades, drawing together as the chest sinks and spreading apart as you push the surface away. Performing it with the hands raised on a bench reduces the load and makes the movement easier to feel, which matters because the range is small and easily confused with a badly performed push up. A weak serratus shows up immediately as the shoulder blade lifting off the ribs when you press. It makes an excellent warm-up before any overhead work. Two sets of fifteen repetitions before pressing are enough to feel the difference, and the exercise is light enough that it never interferes with the work that follows.