EXERCISE HACKS EP. 18 - OFFSET KETTLEBELL SERRATUS BENCH PRESS

This exercise is a hybrid of the bottoms up kettlebell (KB) serratus press and the McGill one arm bench press.

The bottoms up KB serratus press is often performed on the floor or on a foam roller. The problem is the floor will impede natural scapular motion and the foam roller is frankly awkward and uncomfortable. We want to enhance muscular activation, not create difficulty. This isn't to say that the other methods are wrong, they may not be ideal for everyone. Odds are, once you allow the scapula to move and track along the rib cage with greater freedom, the response to the exercise will be more positive.

This is why blending it with the McGill one arm bench press becomes an ideal variation. We just subbed out the bench press for the serratus press. The serratus press will enable one to learn how to "pack the shoulder", thus creating a more solid platform for pressing.

The added benefits being:

1. By placing half your body off the bench, you will target the serratus and develop scapular control far better than from the ground and more comfortably than on a foam roller. By allowing the scapula free range of movement, we can better target the ideal mechanics for improved strength and muscular activation.
2. You get the added benefit of enhancing rotary athleticism through the core and hips by eliminating energy leaks by oblique sling development. Developing rotary athleticism is critical to contact and combat sport athletes.
3. Developing rotary stability in this sense has carry over to standing pressing strength and power. This is key as standing press strength is more often limited by the strength and coordination of our torso musculature than our chest or shoulders.