Seated Scapular Retraction with Pronated Grip

The seated scapular retraction is an upper back exercise in which you squeeze your shoulder blades together while holding dumbbells with straight arms, moving nothing but the scapulae. The range of motion is small, only an inch or two, and that is the point: by locking the elbows out you take the biceps and lats out of the equation and leave the rhomboids and middle traps to do the work alone. Rowing machines rarely teach that skill, because the arms bend and the bigger muscles take over before the shoulder blades ever fully retract. Desk workers and lifters whose shoulders round forward tend to feel this one immediately. Use a light pair of dumbbells, hold each squeeze for two seconds, and run sets of twelve to fifteen reps. Loading it heavy shortens the range and defeats the purpose, so treat it as a positioning drill rather than a strength lift.