The bench press does activate the serratus anterior, but not nearly as much as other exercises. During a standard bench press, the serratus anterior works at roughly 12-13% of its maximum capacity, mostly helping stabilize your shoulder blades against the ribcage as you press. That’s enough to qualify as “working,” but far too little to meaningfully strengthen the muscle.
What the Serratus Anterior Actually Does
The serratus anterior is a fan-shaped muscle that wraps around your ribcage, originating from the first through eighth (or ninth) ribs and attaching along the inner border of your shoulder blade. It has three jobs: pulling the shoulder blade forward around the ribcage (protraction), rotating the shoulder blade upward so you can raise your arm overhead, and pressing the shoulder blade flat against your rib cage during movement.
It’s sometimes called the “boxer’s muscle” because it’s the primary driver behind punching, where the shoulder blade slides forward at the end of the motion. That forward-reaching component is exactly what’s missing from the bench press.
Why the Bench Press Falls Short
The serratus anterior fires hardest during scapular protraction, when your shoulder blades spread apart and reach forward. On a bench press, your back is pinned to the bench, which physically prevents your shoulder blades from protracting fully. The muscle still activates to stabilize the scapula, but it never goes through the full range of motion that would challenge it.
Research comparing open-chain exercises (where your hands move freely in space) to closed-chain exercises (where your body moves against a fixed surface, like a bench) makes this gap clear. In one study, serratus anterior activity during an open-chain protraction exercise averaged about 42% of maximum voluntary contraction, compared to just 12.6% during a closed-chain pressing movement. Meanwhile, the pectoralis major showed the opposite pattern: roughly 21% activation during the closed-chain press versus only 7% during the open-chain exercise. The bench press is built for your chest, not your serratus.
Exercises That Work the Serratus Much Harder
Push-up variations consistently outperform the bench press for serratus recruitment, and the reason is simple: your shoulder blades are free to move. The push-up plus, where you perform a standard push-up and then push your upper back toward the ceiling at the top, is one of the most studied serratus exercises. Research measuring both the middle and lower fibers of the serratus anterior found that a resisted scapular protraction exercise (similar to a push-up plus with resistance) produced about 80% activation in the middle fibers and 95% in the lower fibers. A standard push-up plus produced around 65% and 51% activation in those same fibers. Both significantly outperformed the bench press position.
The lower fibers of the serratus are particularly important because they handle the upward rotation of the scapula needed for overhead movements. These fibers respond best to exercises that combine protraction with an upward reaching motion, like landmine presses, wall slides, or serratus punches with a band or cable.
Why Serratus Strength Matters for Benching
Even though the bench press isn’t a great serratus builder, having a strong serratus anterior makes you a better and safer bench presser. The muscle keeps your shoulder blade stable against your ribcage throughout the lift. When it’s weak, the shoulder blade can tilt or wing out, which changes the angle of the rotator cuff and increases the risk of shoulder impingement. That nagging front-of-shoulder pain many lifters develop over time is often linked to poor scapular control rather than a problem with the pressing movement itself.
Training the serratus directly through push-up plus variations, band protractions, or overhead pressing movements gives the bench press a more stable foundation. Think of it as maintaining the platform your shoulder operates on. A few sets of push-up plus exercises at the end of an upper body session, or as part of a warm-up, can go a long way.
The Bottom Line on Bench Press and Serratus
The bench press activates the serratus anterior at low levels, enough for basic stabilization but not enough for meaningful development. If you’re benching regularly and wondering why your serratus still looks flat or feels weak, it’s because the exercise simply doesn’t demand enough from the muscle. Add push-up plus variations or banded protraction work to your routine, and you’ll target the serratus at three to six times the activation level that benching provides.