The side of your chest contains muscles responsible for protraction of the scapula, or movement of your shoulders over the rib area. Movements in which your arms extend out in front of your chest work these particular muscles. Complete development of these muscles through various exercises creates the "boxer's cut" muscle definition for a sleek, well-defined, look under your chest muscles. You can perform an assortment of exercises to target these muscles with various pieces of exercise equipment.
Plank Plus
This exercise requires no extra equipment to work the serratus muscles. Assume a standard plank position with your forearms on the ground, with elbow in direct alignment with your shoulder, and your body extending back, forming a straight line between your back, hips, legs and feet. Your feet will be flat on the floor and your elbow will be bent at a 90-degree angle. To perform the plank plus, collapse your elbow joint by bending your elbows until your forearm and upper arm touch. Now, utilizing your side chest muscles, push down on your forearms until the 90-degree angle at your elbow is restored.
Barbell Protraction
This exercise starts with a similar position to the barbell bench press exercise. Lay with your back flat on a bench so that your back is flat on the bench and your feet are flat on the ground. Grip the barbell with an overhand grip so that your hands are spaced shoulder-width apart. Unrack the bar so that it is centered over the middle of your chest with your arms fully extended. Now, force the bar upward by extending at your shoulders trying to lift your shoulders as high up off of the bench as possible. Once this position is reached, lower your shoulder blades back to the bench. As soon as your shoulders touch the bench, you may repeat.
Resistance Band Boxing
This exercise requires one medium length resistance band to be used. Grip one end of the resistance band in each hand and wrap the band around the middle of your back, just below your shoulders. Keeping your elbows tight to your side and your hands close to your shoulders, punch forward with your right hand, making sure your left hand doesn't move. Now, quickly bring your right hand back, and punch forward with your left hand, making sure the right hand doesn't move. Alternate back and forth to target the serratus muscles.
Considerations
It takes a considerably low body-fat percentage to get your serratus anterior muscles to show up; however, training them will increase their size and make them easier to see, even with higher levels of body fat. The way you need to use those muscles, either for absolute strength or strength endurance, will dictate which exercise you should use. For absolute strength, the best choice is the barbell protraction exercise, while the resistance band boxing should be utilized if strength endurance is your primary goal. For boxers, this means you should use the barbell if you want to work on knockout power, but if you want your strength to last for the duration of the fight, then resistance bands are the way to go.
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