Serratus Punch
Lying on a bench with straight arms holding dumbbells over your shoulders, you push them toward the ceiling by lifting your shoulder blades off the bench, working your serratus.
- Primary muscles
- Serratus
- Secondary
- Front delts, Upper chest
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The serratus punch isolates the muscle that pulls your shoulder blades forward around your rib cage, a small movement that pressing exercises tend not to train through its full range. It suits lifters adding light accessory work for their shoulders, often in a warm-up before pressing. Use light dumbbells: the movement is only a short reach, and heavy weights just turn it into a wobble. It's an accessory, not a chest builder, so pair it with your regular presses.
How to do it
Lie on your back on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight above your shoulders.
Keep your elbows locked and push the dumbbells toward the ceiling by lifting your shoulder blades off the bench.
Hold the top for a second; the movement is only a few centimetres.
Let your shoulder blades sink back to the bench slowly. Use a light weight; this is about moving the shoulder blade, not pressing.
Common mistakes
Bending your elbows
Bent elbows turn it into a small press for your triceps. Lock your arms straight and move only by sliding your shoulder blades apart.
Going heavy on a tiny movement
Heavy dumbbells make the short range hard to feel and easy to lose. Pick light ones and hold the top briefly on each rep.
Dropping back down fast
Letting your shoulder blades fall onto the bench skips half the work. Lower them slowly until they rest on the bench, then reach again.
Shrugging toward your ears
Pushing the dumbbells toward your head instead of the ceiling brings in your upper traps. Reach straight up and keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
