The muscles that support proper posture might be the most important muscles in the body. This collective set of muscles ensures we maintain proper alignment when we’re sitting, standing, exercising, and anything else we’d do in our day. The problem is the muscles that support proper posture are in a constant state of “detraining” because as a society we are sitting most of the time. Let’s explore what this detraining causes as well as some effective ways to strengthen these all-important muscles.
What is Proper Posture
For starters, let’s describe proper standing posture. The components are as follows:
- Head and Neck Alignment: Imagine your head is being gently pulled upward by a string attached to the top of your skull. Your head is straight and your neck in line with your spine. Your head is not forward, backward, or to the side.
- Shoulder Position: Your shoulders are relaxed and gently pulled back and down. Avoid letting them slouch forward or hunch up near your ears.
- Back Alignment: Maintain a natural, not exaggerated, curve in your lower back. Your spine should have an “S” shape when viewed from the side.
- Hip Placement: Align your hips directly over your feet when standing. Avoid pushing your hips forward or letting them sag backward.
- Knee Flexibility: Keep your knees slightly bent, not locked. This helps maintain balance and reduces strain on the joints.
- Feet and Weight Distribution: Keep your feet about hip-width apart, with your weight distributed evenly on both feet. Avoid leaning to one side or the other.
As you can see by that description, there are MANY muscles involved in proper posture. You could easily count upwards of 30 muscles involved in maintaining good posture. With so many muscles it can be difficult to know which ones to strengthen. We’ll explore that below.
Consequences of Poor Posture
Poor posture can lead to a multitude of negative health outcomes. Chronic back and neck pain are common as slouching or awkward positioning strains muscles and ligaments. This misalignment also increases the risk of injuries, particularly in areas like the back, neck, and shoulders. Sitting or standing incorrectly for extended periods can compress blood vessels, impairing circulation and causing symptoms such as swelling and numbness. Additionally, poor posture can compress the lungs, reducing their capacity to expand fully, which diminishes oxygen intake and can leave individuals feeling fatigued.
Digestive issues also arise as the gastrointestinal tract’s normal function is inhibited by abdominal compression, potentially leading to acid reflux and constipation. Joint degradation can occur over time due to the excessive pressure placed on joints in unnatural alignments, contributing to conditions like osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the tension in the neck and upper back from poor posture can lead to frequent tension headaches.
Muscles and ligaments
Slouching holds the tissues that support your spine in a lengthened, loaded position for hours. The strain shows up as aching in the neck, upper back and lower back.
Breathing
A collapsed chest leaves the lungs less room to expand. Each breath moves less air, and less oxygen over a long day is one reason slouching feels tiring.
Digestion
Folding forward compresses the abdomen and presses on the stomach. That pressure can push stomach acid the wrong direction and slow how fast food moves through the gut.
Joints
A joint held off its normal line wears surfaces that were never built to carry that force, and years of that wear contribute to osteoarthritis.
Beyond physical health, posture also influences appearance and mental health. A slumped or slouched appearance can negatively impact first impressions and portray a lack of confidence, which might influence social and professional interactions. There’s also a noted link between poor posture and increased feelings of depression and stress, possibly due to discomfort and a decrease in self-esteem. Addressing posture not only helps alleviate physical ailments but also enhances overall well-being and energy levels.
Best Exercises to Improve Posture
All is not lost in terms of improving posture, even if you sit a lot. Below are five great exercises you can perform to strengthen those important posture muscles. Each one includes an animation of the movement so you can see what the exercise should look like before you try it.
Exercise 1 to Improve Posture: Squats
Even when done with just your body weight, squats are one of the best postural exercises when you perform them correctly. The exercise engages muscles in your shoulder blades, core, and hips that all contribute to better posture.
Exercise 2 to Improve Posture: Planks
Planks activate the deep abdominal muscles in the front of our torso. These muscles act as a corset around the torso to maintain spinal stability and posture when activated. Given the amount of time we sit, these muscles get weaker. A little planking goes a long way.
Exercise 3 to Improve Posture: Side Planks
Side planks activate the deep abdominal muscles on the side of our torso. Again, these muscles act as a corset around the torso to maintain spinal stability and posture when activated (except here on the sides, instead of in the front). As a bonus, side planks also activate muscles in the lateral hip, which is key to the alignment of your pelvis.
Exercise 4 to Improve Posture: Shoulder Blade Squeezes
The ability to have strong muscles to pull the shoulder blades back and down is critical to good posture. Simply doing the exercise of squeezing your shoulder blades back and down and holding for a few seconds, for sets of 10, can have a huge impact on muscles that are responsible for keeping the upper part of your spine in the right position.
Exercise 5 to Improve Posture: Supermans
We saved the best for last. This exercise activates nearly every extensor muscle on the backside of your body. We spend so much time leaning (or hunching) forward during our day, so getting all of these muscles activated at once is a high mileage way to improve your posture.
Where to Start, and How Often
Posture is not something you fix once and then keep for good. The muscles that hold you upright respond to what you ask of them, and right now most of us are asking them to do almost nothing for eight or nine hours a day.
You do not need all five exercises on day one. Start with the shoulder blade squeeze and one of the two planks, four or five days a week. The squeeze takes about a minute and you can do it in your chair without anyone noticing. Add the squat and the Superman once those first two are a habit.
The muscles that got weak from sitting will get strong again the same way they got weak, a little at a time. Give these exercises six weeks before you decide whether they are working, and pay attention to how your neck and upper back feel at 4pm rather than to what you see in the mirror.
If you would rather be coached through these movements than guess at them on your own, our group strength training classes run these same patterns with an exercise physiologist watching and correcting. And for women past 50, the shoulder blade squeeze and the Superman train back-side muscles that also help slow bone loss, which Mike covers in the five most important benefits of strength training for women.
Not Every Back Needs the Same Five Exercises
Our exercise physiologists assess how you move, then build a strength plan with you that fits your schedule and your goals. The MY180 program pairs you with a Health Coach, a Registered Dietitian, and an Exercise Physiologist working from one plan for 180 days.
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Sources
- Harvard Health Publishing. 3 surprising risks of poor posture. Harvard Medical School.
- Harvard Health Publishing. In a slump? Fix your posture. Harvard Medical School.
- Cleveland Clinic. Poor posture hurts your health more than you realize. Health Essentials.