Best exercises for improving posture

RickyBlobby

RickyBlobby

Well-known member
Just curious what exercises are best for helping to improve your posture (standing straight and tall, shoulders back)

For some reason my posture is generally bad and it takes a significant amount of conscious effort to improve it.
 
You need a mother that slaps you on the back of the head if you don't stand up straight......Worked for me ! I would say core work, Abs, lower back.
 
Pretty much any posterior chain exercise will aid in posture and proper shoulder alignment (rotation). Deadlifts for sure. Rear delt work. Snatch grip high pulls. to name a few
 
I always perform rows to help with my posture. My shoulders are always rounded and rolled anteriorly, so I perform rows and really focus on retracting that scapula. Even performing light weight and focus on pinching the shoulder blades together.
 
Another thing is, a lot of people experience anterior shoulder pain when they are hunched over and there shoulders are rolled to the front. With people like that, we usually focus on stretching the pecs. I know that is a problem for me. My pecs are often tight and it pulls my shoulders forward and really throws my posture off.
 
And for performing rows for posture, a lot of therapists have patient perform them with their palms down to prevent impingement. It is kind of difficult to explain on here, but if you perform rows for something like posture you can actually totally isolate the muscles in the back. We always use the cable systems that are together, have arms at shoulder height and kind of pull back at an angle. This just isolated the lats, rhomboids, and erector spinae which is a postural muscle and prevents the bicep from firing. You have to really play around with it a bit and feel if your bicep is contracting or not. Just something worth trying if you really want to isolate those muscles and not compensate with your biceps and all.
 
A lot of good info and ideas here
 
Stretching.... ABS, hamstrings, abductors for pelvic tilts. Chest, back and shoulders for upper back slouch. Rear delts are usually under devleloped because they can be difficult to hit properly, and we are all so bench happy lol
 
Just like it is easy to find the guys that don't like leg day, it is also easy to see the guys that don't like back day with their rounded, chest heavy walk.
 
You might want to work on packing your shoulders during lifting. As in pulling the shoulders down and back. For example, a lot of lifters protract their shoulders (push them forward) when benching. This can just add to the imbalance that causes a lot of people to have their shoulders rounded forwards.

Also, a packed shoulder is going to be more stable and safer for the joint. Thing of trying to move a weight with an outstretched hand compared to moving it with your hand close to your body.
 
PC and rear delt work. I like GM's and facepulls but there are dozens of great exercises with many variations
 
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