The Push-Up and Pull-Up Game Changer That is Scapular Rotation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Why you should be using scapular rotation:
Improved tension control in the working muscles.
Improved stability and functional control for all upper body exercises.
Improved joint alignment and decreased stress.
Extended spine and open chest for better breathing.
Improved back stability for more effective leg raises.
Balances out the tension in your traps to relieve upper back stress and reduced tension headaches.
Reduce stress on the elbows during pull-ups.
Reduced stress on the wrists during push-ups
Reduced shoulder stress during dips.
Improved should mobility on hanging and dipping exercises.
Reduced lower back stress on all hip hinge and bridging exercises.
Greater chest activation during push-ups and dips.
Full shoulder activation during all overhead pressing exercises.
Improves posture and full-body agility.
Better endurance during long-distance exercise like running, cycling and swimming.
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This video nearly singlehandedly fixed my pushups. Thank you
The scapulae is so important. I screwed myself up because no one taught anything about it when I was young. I've been working on correcting things for like 5 years now. Things are better but I still have to be careful.
I know just what you mean Eric, I'm the same way and am still correcting all of those years hunched over a bike handle bar.
I've been feeling it and it's like a newfound ability, I feel more in control of my body, I feel strong throughout the motion and not just some part of it, it's something you can't describe, you HAVE to feel it yourself
I've been struggling with shoulder pain during pull-ups. After implementing scapular rotation, I noticed a big difference in how my shoulders feel. Definitely recommend trying this technique.
I just tried this with my push-ups and it felt more solid and controllable during the movement, and after I felt the tension ringing in my lats. Thanks Matt, you always give me something else to work on with these "basic" movements.
Happy to help Mike, proficiency in the basics is the way to go!
I've certainly been struggling with my scapula since breaking my shoulder 6 months ago. Ouch. Very, very ouch. And soooo debilitating. Anyhow, as a result I'd heard of scapula this and scapula that, as well as rotation, but your explanation, by making it visually explicit, is extremely helpful. Thank you!
Yes, 6 months on and still attempting to get back to 90% of where I was. Have been told 100% is just impossible. Well, maybe in some ways (given my age) but in others I'm planning 110%. I never, ever want to feel so debilitated again.
Great tip! I have been working on my scapular retractions for a while now and they really do make the difference in the displacement of muscle tension to your muscles and alleviating joint pain!
Fantastic! keep up the great work!
Yes! Awareness in scapular movements are a hard very hard to learn. Just yesterday I was trying to understand what would be best to do with my back while doing push-ups and you have answered that here. Thanks a lot! I'll try it out on today's workout.
Fantastic! Best of luck with your push-up training Vinicius!
Yes I agree,in the press up,load your lats on the negative movement ,squeezing your elbows into your lats on the way down
Wow! That was a game changer! Thanks for sharing!
helped me with my wrist problem!
Woo hoo! Always good to remove any stress on the joints.
You are absolutely right! I just experienced this today. I feel all right muscles are working and the whole body are aligned through scapular control. I feel I can do any type of exercises now
BINGO! That's how it should feel when you get this locked in, it's like taking off the brakes and removing the limits that were holding you back
Bridges. Thank you. Haven't thought of that. Def will incorporate that in tomorrows workout.
Ok another great video.
Thank you Reg, I hope this may bring your workouts to a new level 'course with your wealth of experience you're still so far above and beyond that may be a tall order
The description of spreading your wings was really helpful
Glad to like it Kalle. I always think of those jets from the movie Top gun where the wings sweep back. Funny how visualization can really make an exercise work better
Great advice! I've started again chain training after a pause due to the fact that it didn't work. But now i have bought Smart Bodyweight Training and i found that, as you say, you have to add tension very slightly at first in your "sleepy" muscles. It made a great difference and i feel very well my back and pecs. Will be the same as for scapula i think since they are sometimes very hard to control. Otto Arco was a master in this art and his body proved how important it is
Glad to hear you're getting something out of the second time around Alessandro, sometimes we have to visit an old idea several times before it takes.
Nice tip
Wow. I just tried push ups. A was like is this how im supposed to feel my chest ?? This is genius.
Glad to hear Matus! here's to a great many strong sets in your future
nice
Thank you for that tip. Never thought about it. Thats a new thing to focus on
You're more than welcome Healer and thank you very much for watching :)
Excellent advice from Kryten as usual (Love ya, man)
Thanks Blip!
Up Open wings down shut wings push up. I’ve always just tried to extend at the top .
Recently been focusing hard on pulling my lower traps down but didn’t visualize the upper traps lengthening. That was helpful.
For sure, that was what did it for me too. Otherwise you probably just have retraction rather than rotation.
I wish I could have learned about this when I was younger
I suffered my whole life with pain and weakness until recently
Knots in my back
Shoulder impingements
I thought I could never get stronger
I’m 41 and finally I have hope for a better tomorrow
I can relate, most of my best training has been in. my 40s
Scapular movement should be talked about a lot more. Outside of calisthenics the only thing you might hear is "scapular retraction", so people either don't control their scapula at all or they force them into a position (depressed and retracted) that isn't optimal much of the time.
Ahh.... it's completely an awareness things.... I've been practicing this while sitting to get the feel of how my muscles light up..
mind/body nervous system awareness type of thing.
I think this is going to help me kick it up to the nxt level... also will help with close hands pushups and pullups.
Matt you rock man!!
THANKS!
You're so right Jake, it's all between the ears on this one, but oh what a difference it makes!
Brother why should the scapula rotate upwards when ur arm is only at most perpendicular to ur torso? Doesnt it onlu rotate upwards when u raise ur arm past 120deg flexion?
Matt vas a hacer algún videos de los de 60 segundos para las otras tres cadenas?
Can focusing on where your elbows go help with rotation? i.e. "squeezing" your elbows down and back during push-ups and pull-ups?
For sure! It's all part of the rotational chain, so scap rotation --> shoulder rotation --> elbow position ---> Wrist rotation
Should u stay in this position through the whole movement of the exercise? Also that 1 video about 6 isometrics for chain training, the 1st one was the extension chain. Is that movement scapular rotation?
At 1:45 he talks about pushing your scapula apart at the top of the pushup and the opposite at the bottom. I'm not sure if that's just so you can get a feel for scapular retraction or not
Perfect💪🏾💰
when i come down and im folding my wings i feel a collarbone pain
is this normal?
Not too uncommon, but pain is a sign something is off. Might be due to slightly elevated shoulders
Amazing tip! Can u do a vid about ur favorite pullup variation? I need some variation on my routine to not get bored haha. Tia
Another great video. Is it ok to go to failure on pushups? I understand failure should be avoided mostly, but is it ok for pushups?
It' fine, and it' fine for most everything else too. A lot of the fears are a bit over blown. It's not necessary, but it's not that bad either. It's a pretty subjective thing anyway
Can you show us balancing movement for legs? I have flat foot on my left and it is harder to balance on that foot, I need movement for balancing, stability and strength for my foot.
Try the exercises in this video here:
th-cam.com/video/Qq-Mpuhb9sE/w-d-xo.html
A lot of times it's not so much balance as it is stability that we need and that comes from stronger hips much of the time
Great video! I've heard some people saying that it is better to do pushing movements with scapular protraction during the whole execution of the exercise, specially if the goal is to focus on the shoulders. What do you think about this? Thanks!
keeping protraction during the whole range may hit those shoulders more, sure but I fear it may be doing so just by taking work away from the chest which may make the exercise less effective overall. You're still getting plenty of shoulder work if you include retraction though.
@@RedDeltaProject Very interesting point. It makes sense. Thanks
What if i shrug my shoulders and do push ups i feel it will target my upper chest.
Is this like the other stability videos? Do we just squeeze and push down our traps?
It's very similar, but with a slight twist (pun intended) making sure you're getting that lower trap activation can really change how stable the push ups feel
Hey Matt, sorry yet again.😅I have a problem with my chest. I’ve implemented everything you said (including this video) but I don’t feel so much in my chest. My shoulders are also haunting me again unfortunately.(shoulder pain) Any ideas why? and how I can get my chest to light up?
Not really sure what' going on technique or tension-wise but it's a sure bet the stress is going into your shoulders instead of your chest so something is certainly off somewhere. Send me a video through the RDP instagram and maybe I can spot something
I don’t think I am able to film myself at this time unfortunately. I might just have to stick to your other videos because I was getting more chest engagement previously. 😢
I appreciate the help though, thank you.
Sorry Matt, can I get an answer to my follow up question? I tried scapular rotation, it felt easier than before but I had some pain in my left shoulder afterwards. Is there a reason why? I also kind of didn’t feel it in my chest like I normally do. Did I not rotate my scapula all the way when I pushed myself up? Would that have been the cause??
I am keeping my arms in close to my sides, is the tension in my arms interfering with the rotation of my shoulder blades?
Yea, you do want to let your scapmove outward and slightly upward as you push yourself up. One of the great things about push-ups is the give you more scapular freedom compared to keeping your back on a bench or machine which is why some people find things like the bench can be hard on the shoulder.
Thanks Matt, hopefully I will have better push ups from now on!
Hey Matt,shouldn't we train scapular stabilization when doing pushups?
I've heard that scapula should be stabilized during pushups so as to put more focus on shoulders,chest and triceps (as if not stabilized,most of the work is done by scapula).
Stabilizing the scapula also is recommended for less wear and tear of shoulder blades.
Different pushups (scapular and regular) are encouraged to be done to avoid muscular imbalances.
So should I need to do various kinds of pushups,for scapular mobility and stability?
What is your opinion regarding this?
For sure! It can make a big difference and sadly that's not something I've given enough attention to in the past assuming the scaps will naturally move as they should with "correct form"
That's why I'm employing much more scapular work in the GSC program and in my own workouts too. The more scapular control and stability you have the better.
Thanks Matt, really appreciate your answer.
Do you have plans to make some videos on this topic anytime soon?
It would make all our upper body workouts freakin' awesome.
I’m a little confused on the application, particularly with Push Ups. Can you kind of simplify for me for Push Up application?
It can be a pit tough to get the hang of without doing it, just practice it and focus on rotating your shoulders down and in as you lower yourself down. Push them out and apart as you push yourself up.
So I tried application and it seemed to go well! My push up seemed easier but I feel pain in my left shoulder afterwards. Also I don’t think I feel too much in my chest? Any idea why?
Would this be better than using your lower trap muscles for shoulder stability? That’s what I have been doing before this.
Are those portable hang boards you were doing push ups on?
yep, I think they are called rock rings and they are perfect for push training as well.
RedDeltaProject are they useful for building up grip strength ? Can you hang from pull up bar?
RedDeltaProject hey Matt I’ve got a question for you. I’ve found and bought a pair of rock rings from eBay but they have replaced the rope with some string so I would like to buy the originally or best version and replace it so it’s safer. Can you recommend some and what length should I go for ?
You thank us for watching? Man just let me let you know there is no way any one of us could be able to thank you enough for this amazing curriculum of calisthenics you have created so I just feel ashamed and guilty when you thank us. O:)
hey, I understand my videos are not free to you. They cost you your time, energy and attention to watch, all resources which I know are very valuable and I'm always humbled that someone is willing to spend those things to listen to my song-bird like voice and super model good looks ;)
thank you :D I wish everyone I knew would also spend their time, energy and attention on the invaluable material here since it would be an investment not a spending and honestly your voice and the passion it conveys is half of the push I get from RedDeltaProject -the other being the knowledge itself- yet I understand and treasure your humility sir and thank you again million times :)
What about dips Matt?
Also a game changer for dips as well. Good by shoulder issues, hello chest and triceps gainz!
Good to know! Thanks 🙏🏼
Been using this advice, been really helpful in my push-ups, though I seem to struggle with it in my chin/pull-ups as I keep getting elbow pains. So still needing to work.
For push-up, what also helped me with the scapular pull fir push-ups is the advice of when going down work on making as of you are pulling you self to the floor. Really makes it more effective.
That's really good advice for sure George. it takes a bit of coordination but it can really help get the back fired up and improve your push-up stability.
RedDeltaProject Well I hope after this video, with using your traps visualisation it will help me more with my chin/pull-ups & also improve my push-ups, though thought my only struggle is to keep my core & glutes tight with also making sure my arms stay close to my body and not flair out.
This happens naturally when heavily depressing scapula during push-up
I try to be mindful of this but I'm just to weak
Strength comes from the mind, so you're in the perfect position to get stronger. The more you try the stronger you become.
Still confused.
The best way to cut through the fog of confusion is to get moving.
Try moving your shoulder blades as I show in the grafix, just while standing and see if you can get that motion happening. Then, once you can get that motion down try applying it a bit in your basic movements.
Agree! But I will try!
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💯
🙏💪👊⚔
Way too much talkin'!
Showed virtually zero!