- EquipmentBodyweight
- PatternIsolation
- Reps8 to 20 reps
- Joint loadWrist
Get into a push-up position with straight arms, hands under your shoulders and body in a straight line.
First cueThe elbows never bend.
How to do the Scapular Push-Up
Set up. Get into a push-up position with straight arms, hands under your shoulders and body in a straight line.
- Keeping your elbows straight, let your chest sink so your shoulder blades come together.
- Push the floor away so your shoulder blades spread apart and your upper back rounds slightly.
- Repeat slowly through this small range.
Form cues
- The elbows never bend.
- Move only at the shoulder blades.
- Keep the hips still.
Common mistakes
- Bending the elbows and turning it into a small push-up.
- Letting the lower back sag.
Muscles worked
Main target: Chest. The chest muscles fan out across the front of the ribcage, from the breastbone and collarbone to the upper arm. They bring the arm forward and across the body, which is the work of every press, push-up and fly.
On the way: Front delts and Abs.
Its other side: Upper back, Lats and Rear delts, in the horizontal push and pull pattern.
Alternatives and swaps
The same main muscle with other equipment: a swap never changes the muscle a workout trains.
Home or dumbbell swap
Dumbbell Fly
Dumbbell
Gym or cable swap
Pec Deck
Machine
Less load on the wrist
Dumbbell Fly
The Scapular Push-Up loads the wrist by the catalog's joint rule, the one the app's workaround mode uses; this one does not.
A swap describes the movement, not your body: if a joint hurts, ask a professional before you train it.
Track it in StatBlockFit
In the StatBlockFit app the Scapular Push-Up is logged set by set: the app suggests your next weight after each session, times your rests, keeps your records and shows the 72-hour recovery of every muscle on its training map. The training guide explains how.
Questions
How do you do the Scapular Push-Up?
Set up: Get into a push-up position with straight arms, hands under your shoulders and body in a straight line. Steps: 1. Keeping your elbows straight, let your chest sink so your shoulder blades come together. 2. Push the floor away so your shoulder blades spread apart and your upper back rounds slightly. 3. Repeat slowly through this small range. Form cues: The elbows never bend. Move only at the shoulder blades. Keep the hips still. Common mistakes: Bending the elbows and turning it into a small push-up. Letting the lower back sag.
What muscles does the Scapular Push-Up work?
It trains the chest as its main target and works the front delts and abs on the way.
What can I do instead of the Scapular Push-Up?
At home: Dumbbell Fly. In a gym: Pec Deck. With less load on the wrist: Dumbbell Fly. Each trains the same main muscle.