Powerful Posture Exercises: Lift Real Weights to Get Real Results and Align Your Body + PDF

You already know that exercising is the only way to improve your posture if you landed here. But did you also know that most posture improvement exercises are weak?

Passive stretches or a 10-minute routine of simple rehab exercises will not fix your posture. Unfortunately, you have to put in more effort.

Mobility exercises and stretches do have a place but they are only supplementary.

By utilizing real weight exercises, including compound movements and more specific isolation exercises, you will truly see change in the way you stand, move, and feel.

In this post, we will introduce you to the most effective posture exercises you can do to fix your hunched-over posture.

Powerful Posture Exercises – Posture Labs – Free PDF Download

Fix Muscle Imbalances for Better Posture

Poor Posture is caused by muscular imbalances. Certain muscles in your posterior chain are weak in relation to others in the front of your body.

In addition, tight muscles in the front contribute to pulling your body into a forward rounded position.

Even if you hit the gym regularly, chances are that you put more emphasis on the “mirror muscles” in the front of your body than the muscles in the back which you don’t see as easily.

Muscles in your lower body also play a crucial role in your body positioning although they are often not considered in the posture equation. Think about it: Your whole upper body rests on your pelvis.

A weak or asymmetric leg musculature leads to a compromised pelvic position, like anterior pelvic tilt. With a shift in the angle of the pelvis, your upper body rests on a crooked foundation and has to compensate for it.

On top of that, there are smaller muscles that are often neglected but play an important role in your body posture, like the serratus anterior and the rotator cuff muscles.

To counter a hunched-over posture, focus on strengthening weak and neglected muscles, while improving your overall mobility. At the same time, use stretches to get rid of muscle tightness that contributes to bad posture.

Upper Body Exercises for Posture Improvement

Wall Slides

The Wall Slide is a classic posture exercise. It is great at improving the functional mobility of your shoulder and trains you to maintain a neutral spine during overhead motion. Wall Slides activate the back and rear shoulder muscles and are a good warm-up exercises for your posture improvement routine.

Instructions:

Stand with your back against a wall.
Stretch your arms to the side of your body and bend your elbows at 90° so your fingers point toward the sky.
Try to maintain a neutral spine by squeezing your glutes and locking your hips in a stable position (you should not arch your back, try not to create space between your back and the wall).
Pressing your elbows and wrists against the wall, slowly move your arms overhead as far as possible while maintaining in contact with the wall with your whole back, elbows, and wrists.
Slowly move your arms back into the initial position.
You can make this easier by placing your feet a bit further away from the wall.
Alternatively, you can perform this exercise on the ground, lying on your back.

Barbell Row

One of the main causes of poor posture are weak muscles in the upper back. The Barbell Row is a compound exercise that attacks this problem by engaging the middle and lower trapezius, rhomboid, latissimus dorsi, and posterior deltoid muscles.

Instructions:

Hold a loaded barbell in front of you with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width.
Bend your knees slightly and lean forward until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings or your upper body is parallel to the ground while maintaining a neutral spine (don’t round or arch your back).
With your legs maintaining a bent position, pull the weight towards you until you make contact with your belly (in the area between your belly button and below your chest, depending on your angle towards the ground).
Perform the movement in a controlled way without gaining momentum by using your legs or shrugging your shoulders.
When you make contact with your belly, make sure to pull your shoulder blades together and down.
Hold a second at the top.
Descent the bar slowly and controlled until your arms are fully straightened.

External Rotation Press

Don’t neglect your rotator cuffs! They play an important role in fortifying a stable shoulder position. The External Rotation Press is a unilateral exercise that not only targets your rear delts, rhomboids, lower and mid traps but also specifically your rotator cuffs. Incorporate this exercise to improve shoulder external rotation and get rid of forward rounded shoulders.

Instructions:

Use a light resistance band or cable machine with light weight.
Get down on one knee, with the leg opposite of the side you’re training, propped up.
The resistance band or cable machine should now be set up at shoulder height.
Squeeze your glutes, maintain a neutral spine and keep your shoulder blades back and down during the exercise.

Don't neglect your rotator cuffs. They play an important role in fortifying a stable shoulder position.

Position 1: Pull the band/cable towards you so that your upper arm is on the side of your body, forming a 90° angle and your forearm faces forward, forming also a 90° angle to your upper arm.
Briefly hold for 1 or 2 seconds.

Maintain a neutral spine during the exercise.

Position 2: Rotate your shoulder externally, so that your upper arm stays in the same position parallel to the ground and your forearm now faces towards the sky (again forming 90° angles).
Briefly hold for 1 or 2 seconds.

Do this posture exercise slowly and controlled.

Position 3: Push up, straightening your arm towards the sky without arching your back or shrugging your shoulders.
Briefly hold for 1 or 2 seconds.
Work your way back to position 2 and hold; position 1 and hold; extend your arm in front and hold.
Do all the movements slowly and controlled, pay attention to the angles of your arm position and maintain a neutral spine with your shoulder blades back and down.

Lower Body Posture Exercises to Achieve an Optimal Pelvic Position

Strengthening your lower body is key to improving posture by building a stable pelvic position that acts as a solid foundation for your upper body to sit on. Targeted exercises can enhance the strength and stability of the hips, knees, and lower back, which are crucial for maintaining balance and proper alignment.

90/90 Hip Rotations

90/90 Hip Rotations are a simple dynamic mobility exercise for your hips. They work on your internal and external hip rotation and are a good warm-up exercise for your lower body.

They work on external and internal hip rotation simultaneously.

Your hip mobility influences your posture.

Instructions:

Set yourself up in a seated position on the floor and place your legs in a hurdler position.
The upper thigh of your back leg should be pointing to your side and the lower leg should point behind you (90° knee bend); the inside of your knee is on the ground.
The upper thigh of your front leg should be pointed in front of you and the lower leg should be facing to the side across your center line (90° knee bend). The outside of your knee is on the ground.
Try to keep your upper body upright with a neutral spine.
Lean your upper body forward by hinging from your hip and keep try to maintain a neutral spine if possible. You should feel a stretch on the side of your glutes of your front leg or the inner thigh of your back leg.
Hold the position for 2 seconds, then bring your upper body back up.
Rotate your hip to the side to bring both soles of your feet to the ground and your knees pointing to the sky.
Continue rotating in the same direction to end up in the same position on the opposite side with your knees bent at 90°.
Lean your upper body forward and hold for 2 seconds, then bring your upper body back up.
Try to prevent your lower back from rounding.
Use your hands at the side of your body for balance and as an assistance to maintain a neutral spine.
Do all movements in a slow and controlled way.
If you are having trouble to prevent your back from rounding, you can try elevating your hip by placing a small pillow or block under your butt to assist you.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift is essential in any posture improvement routine. RDLs not only strengthen your hamstrings and glutes which are crucial for that stable pelvic position. They also enhance core stability and practice the important skill of hinging at the hip.

RDLs not only strengthen your hamstrings and glutes but also your core.

Instructions:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell (palms of your hands facing back) with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Squeeze your glutes and engage your core; Maintain a neutral spine and tension in your core during the exercise.
Slowly lower the barbell down the front of your legs by hinging from your hip (pushing your hips back and bending at the waist), while bending your knees slightly.
The emphasis of this exercise is on the slow descent.
Keep the barbell close to your body as you lower it.
Lower the barbell until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings or until the bar is a hand width below your knees. Only go as far as you can without rounding your back.
Pause a second at the bottom.
Return to the starting position by engaging your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hip forward and bring your upper body upright. Straighten your legs.
Keep the barbell close to your body as you lift it.
Again, make sure to maintain a neutral spine during the whole exercise, don’t round your back.

Side Plank Clam Shell

The Side Plank Clam Shell is an absolute monster at training the often forgotten gluteus medius and minimus muscles on the outer side of your hips.

Side Plank Clam Shells also work your core

Instructions:

Lie on your side with a slight bend in the knees and prop up on your elbow (placed underneath your shoulder).
Make sure that your shoulder is not rolled forward but in a stable position.
Lift your hips off the ground and drive them as high as possible while bringing them forward (in alignment with your feet and shoulders on that plane).
Open your legs like a clam by keeping your feet together and driving the top knee toward the sky, without shifting the orientation of your pelvis.
Hold a second at the top.
Slowly lower into the starting position again.
You can start with only your bodyweight and progress by wrapping a short resistance band around your legs just above your knees and/or by placing a weight on your hip.

Core Strengthening for Spinal Support and Stability

To support good posture, specifically targeting your core muscles is essential because they hold your spine upright and stabilize your entire body. Crunching exercises like sit-ups are not ideal at training your core. They teach you to move your spine which goes against its most important purpose of stabilizing your spine. Therefore, exercises that isometrically work on your core stability are better than crunching exercises.

Some of the exercises described above also work your core by forcing it to stabilize your body, like the Barbell Row, Romanian Deadlift, and Side Plank Clam Shell.

Suitcase Carry

Suitcase Carries greatly improve core stability and train your body to maintain a neutral spine. They challenge your core on the coronal plane, meaning you have to work against the weight pulling you to the side.

Suitcase Carries improve core stability and teach you how to maintain a neutral spine.

Instructions:

Stand upright while holding a kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand at your side. You don’t have to go super heavy. Choose a manageable weight that allows you to remain upright without leaning to the side.
This is a core stability exercise. Brace your core and stabilize your body as much as possible throughout the exercise.
Don’t lean your body to either side. Try to keep your shoulder line parallel to the floor.
Start walking with the weight while maintaining core stability.
With every step, bring your front knee up high to at least hip height.
Use short, rhythmic breaths. Use your diaphragm to breathe into your stomach without releasing core tension.
Keep marching for the set amount of time while focusing on maintaining an upright posture.
If you don’t have enough space to walk, you can also march in place, raising your knee to hip height with each step.
You can make the exercise more challenging by using a kettlebell and holding it upside down with your hand gripping the handle at shoulder height. The bulkier part of the kettlebell should be pointing upwards.

Flexibility and Stretching for Better Posture

Stretching is a valuable supplement to your strength training when trying to improve your posture. While stretches alone won’t fix your posture, done in conjunction with strength work and functional mobility training they can alleviate tightness that contributes to pulling you into a rounded posture.

Subscapularis Stretch

You probably already know the classic doorway stretch that is useful to dealing with those forward rolling shoulders. But did you know that the standard chest stretches neglect a certain muscle that contributes to internally rotated shoulders?

The subscapularis muscle hidden under your shoulder blade can add to a forward rounded shoulders. This stretch targets the hard to reach subscapularis. You don’t need to apply a lot of pressure to make this stretch work, so be gentle.

A tight subscapularis muscle pulls your shoulder into a forward rounded position.

Instructions:

Grab a broomstick (or something similar) at the lower end and hold it vertically next to your opposite shoulder.
Bring the thumb of your empty hand towards your ear while maintaining your elbow on the inside of the stick.
From there, grab the upper end of the stick with your empty hand.
Drive your elbow out and relax your shoulder (don’t roll your shoulder forward).
Use your bottom hand to slowly pull the stick downwards, causing your shoulder to rotate externally.
You should feel a stretch on the bottom/rear part of your armpit or under your shoulder blade.
Hold the stretch safely (you should not feel pain or a tingling sensation).
You can increase the intensity by pulling the bottom part of the stick forward (leveraging your shoulder into further external rotation).

Couch Stretch

Any decent posture improvement routine cannot ignore the hip flexors. Prolonged sitting can cause your hip flexors to be really shortened and bring your hips and pelvis into compromised positions. The Couch Stretch can be scaled from simple to super hard and is an excellent choice for stretching your hip flexors.

Instructions:

Get on your hands and knees with your feet touching a wall behind you.
Bring one knee in the corner between the wall and the ground with your foot pointing toward the sky (you could place some sort of cushion underneath, if your knee is sensitive).
Reset your hands so they are positioned directly under your shoulders, with your elbows locked.
Place your other foot just outside of your hands.
Make sure your spine is and stays neutral during the stretch.
If you can’t get into this position while maintaining a neutral spine, you can elevate your hand position by placing something underneath.
Squeeze your glutes to drive your hips forward and stabilize your lower back.
Drive your hips forward and down without arching or rounding your back, stretching your hip flexors and quads.

Tight hip flexors can lead to anterior pelvic tilt.

Once you feel comfortable in that position, slowly bring your torso more upright.
Make sure to keep your glutes squeezed and not arch your lower back. If you can’t do that, lower your upper body back down.
Drive your hips forward to increase the stretch.

To target the psoas on the side of your hip, you can lift up your arm on the side you are stretching and lean your upper body to the opposite side.

Advancing Your Posture Exercise Program

To build muscle strength and improve posture, you have to incorporate progressive overload. This means gradually increasing the weight and number of repetitions in your strength training.

To truly see change, you have to work out consistently for an extended period of time.

If you are serious about fixing your posture and you want to do it as fast as possible, our workout program will bring your posture improvement routine to the next level.

With 46 different exercises for strength, mobility, and flexibility packed into four weekly 90 minute workouts, you make sure to hit every problem area related to poor posture.

Our promise to you is: improve your posture in 90 days or get your money back!