How to Build Muscle on the Rib Cage

Nothing says shredded like well-developed serratus anterior muscles. Also known as the “boxer’s muscle,” they are the finger-like muscles just below your pectorals that extend from the superior (upper) lateral ribs to the scapula (shoulder blade).

The intercostals, the small muscles between your ribs, also contribute to the appearance of a muscular torso.

You automatically work these muscles when you do bench presses and push-ups, but a few bonus exercises can help you really zero in for a more chiseled torso.

Choose one to three of the following exercises and perform three to five sets of 8 to 15 repetitions two or three times a week, says Mayo Clinic.

Make sure to eat a healthy diet as well, notes Cleveland Clinic. Just as with abs, if too much body fat is covering your muscles, you won’t see them even if you’ve worked hard to get them. It’s also important to provide your body with the fuel it needs to build muscle.

1. Dumbbell Pullover

Perform dumbbell pullovers to work the muscles along your rib cage, says ExRx.net, an online fitness resource. You’ll need a bench and one dumbbell to do this exercise.

1. Grab a dumbbell and position yourself so you’re perpendicular to the seat. Lie back so your upper back is resting on the pad. Clench your glutes to hold your torso parallel to the floor.
2. Flex your hips slightly and raise the dumbbell above your chest. Grasp it with both hands under the inner plate of the dumbbell.
3. Keep your elbows slightly bent and slowly bring the dumbbell back and beyond your head until your upper arms are in line with your torso.
4. Slowly raise the dumbbell back up over your chest.

2. Ab Wheel Roll-Out

A barbell set up with round plates can stand in for an ab roller if you don’t have one. Contract your core muscles and maintain a neutral spine as you roll out and in, says the American Council on Exercise.

1. Begin on your knees with an ab roller on the ground in front of you. Bend down and grasp either side of the roller.
2. Keeping your core and hips contracted, roll out as far as you can without bending or sagging at the hips or back. Use a slow and controlled motion, and keep your elbows slightly bent.
3. Using your core strength, slowly roll back to your starting position.

3. Floor Press

This exercise derives from a yoga pose called tolasana (Scale pose), explains Yoga International. It’s key for lifting up into yoga arm balances and inversions and may help build definition around your ribs. All you need is your own body weight.

1. Sit on the floor with your legs crossed and your palms pressing into the floor next to your hips.
2. Press through your palms with straight arms to lift your backside away from the floor, keeping only the edges of your feet on the floor for support. Focus on using the serratus anterior to lift you.
3. Press up as high as you can; this might only be a quarter inch to start. Hold for a second, and then lower back down.
4. For an added challenge, try lifting your feet off the floor as well.

4. Push-Up Plus

If you’re already doing push-ups as part of your chest workout, just add in this bonus movement to target the serratus anterior and rib muscles, says ExRx.net.

1. Get into a push-up position. Lower down, bending your elbows back and keeping your core locked.
2. Press up to the top of the push-up, and then press even higher, rounding slightly across the shoulder blades.