Cartoon monkey swinging on vine with smiling face

A Move You Should Do MONDAY – The Monkey

Monday

BySherry McLaughlin

Person doing mountain climbers in a gym room.

Time for some monkey business! This week’s exercise, the monkey, is an excellent way to activate some key muscles of your shoulder complex: the serratus anterior and lower trapezius.

Here’s how to do it:

Squat down and place your hands on the floor
Move your hands to the left and then shift your weight to your hands as you jump your feet to the left
Repeat going to the right

Why does this matter?

The serratus anterior plays a key role in stabilizing the scapula (shoulder blade) when you lift your arm up. If your scapula “wings” you may experience pain in the front or top of your shoulder with reaching overhead or across. The lower trapezius often becomes weak with prolonged slouching postures and may cause over activation of the upper trapezius, leading to neck and shoulder pain.

So, give the monkey a try. Your neck and shoulders will thank you.

Because nobody has time to be in pain.

Until next time…