Serratus Anterior Muscle Activation During Different Push-up Exercises: A Critically Appraised Topic

Clinical Question: In a healthy adult population, which push-up position produces the greatest mean serratus anterior (SA) activation, expressed as a percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC)? clinical Bottom line: In a healthy population, there is moderate evidence to support the use of the standard push-up on an unstable surface, elbow push-ups on stable and unstable surfaces, wall push-ups on an unstable surface, the full weight-bearing position using the Cuff Link system, and all three hand positions (shoulder width, wide base, and narrow base) with and without the use of the Perfect Pushup™ handgrips for the purpose of SA strengthening. These exercises produced a mean SA activation of at least 50% of the MVIC in the four cross-sectional studies that were reviewed for this critically appraised topic. © 2015 Human Kinetics.