Sitting Scapular Adduction

Description

How to Do Sitting Scapular Adduction

1. 1
   Setup

   Sit tall on a chair or bench with your feet flat on the floor, maintaining a neutral spine and relaxed shoulders.

2. 2
   Setup

   Let your arms hang loosely by your sides or rest gently on your thighs, ensuring your neck is long and relaxed.

3. 3

   Initiate the movement by gently drawing your shoulder blades together and slightly down, as if trying to squeeze a pencil between them.

4. 4

   Hold this contracted position for 1-2 seconds, feeling the muscles in your upper back engage without shrugging your shoulders.

5. 5

   Slowly and with control, release the squeeze, allowing your shoulder blades to return to their natural, relaxed position.

Tips

• Focus on the movement of your shoulder blades, ensuring your shoulders do not shrug up towards your ears during the adduction.
• Visualize pulling your shoulder blades into your 'back pockets' to encourage both adduction and depression of the scapulae.
• Perform each repetition slowly and deliberately, prioritizing a strong mind-muscle connection over speed or range of motion.

Common Mistakes

• ×Shrugging your shoulders towards your ears instead of drawing them back and down negates the target muscle activation; consciously depress your shoulders while adducting.
• ×Using momentum or jerking the movement rather than controlled muscle contraction reduces effectiveness; execute each phase of the movement slowly and with purpose.
• ×Arching your lower back excessively to compensate for lack of upper back engagement places unnecessary strain on the lumbar spine; maintain a stable, neutral spine throughout the exercise.