Barbell Incline Shoulder Raise
Trains the Serratus.
- Equipment
- A barbell and an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Lie on an incline bench holding a barbell at arm's length above the chest, with a grip about shoulder-width apart.
- Keep the arms straight and the elbows locked.
- Without bending the arms, let the shoulders sink back towards the bench so the bar drops an inch or two.
- Push the shoulders forward off the bench, raising the bar the same short distance.
- Hold the top for a moment, feeling the shoulder blades spread apart.
- Lower the shoulders back down and repeat, with the arms doing nothing throughout.
Common mistakes
- Bending the elbows. The moment the arms bend this is a press; the whole movement is the shoulders travelling forward and back with the arms as fixed rods.
- Expecting a long range. The bar moves a hand's width; chasing more means the arms have started to help.
- Shrugging up towards the ears. The shoulders push forward towards the ceiling, not up towards the head.
- Loading it like a press. This is a small movement for the muscles that pull the shoulder blade forward, and a bar you can press is too heavy to move this way.