If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of training the posterior chain and also working on getting serratus anterior firing to improve scapular upward rotation. So, you can imagine how excited I am to present to you an exercise of the week video that hits both. Thanks to Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard for the demo:

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Glute-ham raises with banded reach are a great way to train scapular upward rotation while working the posterior chain. Serratus anterior works like an “anti-lat,” so this setup keeps athletes honest: they can’t cheat the concentric by moving through lumbar (low back) extension instead of hip extension. #Mets pitcher @nsyndergaard with the stellar demo.👍#cspfamily

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Feb 12, 2019 at 2:10pm PST

I like this exercise as a first or second assistance exercise on a lower body day, or as part of a full body day. I love it when the late offseason rolls around and athletes have built up a solid foundation of strength, and are ready for more advanced arm care progressions. It’s a game changer if you have an athlete who is heavily lordotic (arched back) with downwardly rotated/depressed shoulder blades and a flat thoracic spine (upper back). Enjoy!