Incline Scapula Push-up

Description

How to Do Incline Scapula Push-up

1. 1
   Setup

   Find an incline surface, such as a sturdy bench or box, and place your hands on it slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with fingers pointing forward.

2. 2
   Setup

   Step your feet back until your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels, ensuring your core and glutes are actively engaged.

3. 3

   Keeping your elbows completely straight and your core tight, allow your shoulder blades to retract (pinch together) as your chest moves closer to the incline surface.

4. 4

   Actively push through the palms of your hands, protracting your shoulder blades (spreading them apart) to push your body away from the surface and return to the starting straight-arm plank position.

5. 5

   Breathe in as you allow your chest to lower due to scapular retraction, and exhale forcefully as you push up by protracting your shoulder blades.

Tips

• Focus solely on the movement of your shoulder blades; avoid bending your elbows or shrugging your shoulders towards your ears.
• Maintain a rigid plank position throughout the entire movement by keeping your core engaged and preventing your hips from sagging or rising excessively.
• Control both the eccentric (lowering) and concentric (pushing) phases to maximize muscle activation and improve your overall scapular control and stability.
• Adjust the incline to modify the difficulty: a higher incline makes the exercise easier, while a lower incline increases the challenge.

Common Mistakes

• ×Bending your elbows during the movement defeats the purpose of isolating the scapula; ensure your arms remain completely straight to focus on shoulder blade articulation.
• ×Shrugging your shoulders towards your ears indicates poor scapular depression; actively keep your shoulders down and away from your ears as you protract.
• ×Allowing your hips to sag or pike up breaks the straight body line; maintain a strong, stable core to keep your body in a rigid plank position.