Muscle & Fitness UK – July 2019

COVER STORY

14 MUSCLE & FITNESS/JULY 2019

EXERCISE #8 – HANGING SIDE LIFTS (SERRATUS ANTERIOR FOCUS)

When most people think of training the abdominals, crunches,

knee lifts, and rotations spring to mind, which typically only

stress the main rectus abdominis and oblique muscles. The

serratus anterior muscles – the finger-like muscles that sit just

to the lower and outer region of the pecs, can make a big

difference to your six pack efforts, and will really enhance the

whole look of your upper torso.

One of the best ways to work this muscle group is

practically with the same movement as shown in exercise 7,

but instead of titling or rotating the knees, you’re crunching

your hips to the side (not an easy movement to master, but

once you do you’ll soon notice the effect it has on the serratus

anterior).

Keep the knees raised up, but just short from being parallel

to the floor, and really focus on your deep breathing – exhaling

on every lateral crunch, and keeping the movement slow and

controlled.

Again, I’ll aim for 30 repetitions total for 3 sets, but if

you’re new to this one, aim for a solid 5 reps each side

(10 total) for 1-2 sets, and then try dropping down and

performing a push-up to failure (which also works the

serratus anterior muscle, but to a lesser degree).

There you have it! An awesome shoulder and abdominal

routine that will help deliver cuts and conditioning almost

immediately. Try using these same techniques on other

muscle groups within your workouts as well.

If you find them useful – let me know, by tagging

me or giving me a shoutout on my Instagram

(@robrichesfitness).