Scapular retractions help strengthen your back, neck, and shoulder muscles so you’re less likely to slouch forward.
Wall slides make you straighten your back so your shoulders stay in the proper posture. Try raising your arms above your head or bending your elbows at a 90-degree angle to hit different parts of your shoulder muscle.
Wall push-ups build up your chest muscles so your shoulders aren’t rounded or drooping forward. As wall push-ups get easier, try doing 20 reps per set or standing further out from the wall to increase the difficulty.
Floor angels work your lats and your traps to help you maintain a better posture. If doing floor angels is too difficult, try doing them against the wall instead. Stand with your back against the wall and your arms straight above your head. Keep the backs of your hands against the wall, and slowly lower your arms until your elbows make a W-shape.
The resistance band strengthens your chest muscles to help fix any imbalances causing bad posture and rounded shoulders. Use a resistance band that has a lower resistance if you’re just starting off. Otherwise, it might be too difficult to complete all of your reps.
If you can’t secure a resistance band between your door and the frame, then you can tie it to a railing or banister instead. Band rotations help you build your shoulder and chest muscles so you’re less likely to slouch forward.
Lateral neck flexions loosen up tight shoulder muscles that could make your shoulders look rounded.
Chin tucks stretch the muscles in the back of your neck to help prevent slouched shoulders and correct forward head posture.
Stretching your lats helps get rid of any tension in your back so you can improve your posture. If you don’t feel a deep stretch up the side of your body, slightly bend your torso forward while you’re doing it.
A doorway stretch opens up your chest muscles so you’re less likely to slouch forward. If you want a deeper stretch, then take a bigger step forward. Just be sure to ease up if you start feeling any severe pain or discomfort. If you don’t have an open doorway available, you can do the same stretch in a corner. Just put your arms against the walls and lean into the corner to feel the stretch.
Foam rolling your back helps loosen tight muscles so you’re able to relax and maintain good posture. Try using a foam roller by laying it parallel with your shoulders and rolling it down the length of your back.
A tennis ball makes it a lot easier to deeply massage your muscles so your chest and back aren’t so tight. If you don’t have a tennis ball, you can instead use a massage hook to reach and target areas on your back and neck.
Try setting a timer every 30 minutes and checking your posture when it goes off. That way, it’ll be a lot easier to recognize when your shoulders are slouching. Try to distribute your weight evenly between both legs so you don’t favor one side over the other.
Wearing or relying on a posture corrector for long periods of time can actually weaken your muscles and make rounded shoulders worse.
You can test your posture by standing with your back against a wall and your feet 6 inches (15 cm) away. If you have correct posture, the back of your head and your shoulder blades will touch the wall.
