Try Scap Push Ups For Stronger Shoulders

Shoulder health is one of the biggest preventative areas to work on for an athlete, which is why I love having my guys incorporate “scap push ups” to their upper body warm-up. Learn more about why you might want to include them as well in your next session…

Athlete Perform Pushups

WHY DO SCAP PUSH-UPS?

Scapulas push ups are great at working a lot of the small but important muscles of the shoulder joint such as: deltoids, trapezius, teres major and minor, levator scapulae and rhomboids.

Before moving into big upper body strength movements such as bench press or standing overhead press, it’s important to make sure the shoulders are warm and mobile. This will not only help prevent injury but also increase range of motion allowing you to build more strength throughout the joint.

Check out these posts for more on shoulder mobility and upper body activation:

BANDED PULL APARTS

SHOULDER MOBILITY FOR BASEBALL

How to do scap push ups?

To do scapulas push ups, begin in a plank position with your hands directly under the shoulders and the hips lifted so there’s no sway in the low back. Next keeping the arms straight the whole time, push firmly into the ground so the scars lift just slightly. Release down to your original position and continue.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake I see made while doing scap push ups is bending through the elbows. Maintain straight arms as you depress, and push through just the shoulder girdle.

Programming

You can start with anywhere from 2-3 sets of 10 as a warm-up or a part of your active recovery during a workout.

Try hitting any of these superset combos during your next upper body session.

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