Stop Stretching Your Pec- Fix Your Shoulder Blade Instead
When people talk about posture, the advice is almost always the same:
“Stretch your pecs.”
And while pec stretches aren’t bad, they’re incomplete.
If nothing is actively holding your shoulder blade in place, stretching alone won’t change how you sit, stand, or move, especially under load.
Scapular Winging Is a Control Problem, Not a Flexibility Problem
Scapular winging often gets blamed on “tight muscles,” but more often than not, it’s a coordination and stability issue, particularly involving the serratus anterior.
The serratus anterior’s job is to:
hold the scapula flush to the rib cage
guide smooth upward rotation
stabilize the shoulder during overhead movement
That last part matters more than people think.
Why Basic Scap Push-Ups Aren’t Enough
Scap push-ups are a great entry point.
But relying on them alone is like training biceps with half reps and wondering why strength stalls.
They don’t expose the serratus to:
full overhead range
meaningful load
real-world stability demands
If your goal is resilient shoulders and better posture, the work has to progress overhead.
Overhead Stability = Full ROM for the Shoulder
Overhead work challenges the scapula where it matters most:
kettlebell windmills
overhead carries
controlled plank variations
shoulder taps with load and intent
This is where the serratus learns to coordinate, not just contract.
A Note on Rows & “Posture Exercises”
One of my biggest pet peeves in posture programming is heavy resisted rowing being prescribed as the solution.
Why?
Because many rowing variations heavily load muscles that:
attach medially on the humerus
act as internal rotators of the shoulder
If posture issues already include rounded shoulders, piling more tension into internal rotators can actually reinforce the problem, not fix it.
That doesn’t mean rows are bad- it means they’re often misused.
What Actually Improves Posture
Better posture comes from:
scapular stability, not just mobility
overhead exposure
external rotation under load
teaching the shoulder blade to tolerate instability
Stretching opens the door.
Stability keeps it open.
