10 most effective strength exercises for beautiful posture

"Meie asi" liiga võitleja, judo maailma- ja Euroopa meister, Judoliiga Tähtedega asutaja.

Correct posture is not only beauty, but also general physical health, it reduces the load on joints, muscles, spine and protects them from injury. A flat back allows you to use your musculature more efficiently, and improves your mood and performance. Learning to maintain a minimal lumbar flexion will take time and focused effort: retraining the brain is not an easy task. If you’ve been used to maintaining the same position for years, your brain perceives it as natural and comfortable for your body. In addition, your body itself may not be ready for the correct posture, as it requires a well-developed muscle corset.

I suggest 10 of my favorite exercises to strengthen the right muscle fibers and acquire the right beautiful posture! Start practicing and you’ll be surprised at how much you can improve your quality of life just by straightening your shoulders and chest.

Classic plank

The elbow plank is a good way to strengthen your muscular corset and correct your posture.

Bend your elbows at right angles and transfer the body weight to your forearms. Your feet rest on your toes, and the body is on the weight. Breathe evenly and make sure that your back remains straight, your abdomen and knees are tense and your pelvis does not “go” up or down. The body should form one straight line parallel to the floor.

For beginners, I recommend starting with 20 seconds of the morning plank. In the future, the time of performance can be increased to five minutes. In addition to the classic, the side plank on straight arms is useful for posture.

Incline with support on the wall

This exercise is useful for opening the shoulder joints, which are tired and become stiff due to long work at the computer.

Stand two steps away from the wall and place your feet hip-width apart. Lean forward, rest your palms on the wall and stretch your back, feel the tension in your muscles. Try to bend as low as possible to better stretch your shoulders. It is important to keep your legs and back straight. The body should form a 90-degree angle. Hold this position for 40-60 seconds.

Perform the exercise can be done both in a static version, and slightly sway, deepening the stretch.

“Swimmer”

The exercise is aimed at working out the muscles of the back, thoracic and lumbar spine. It will help to remove slouching, strengthen the lower back, tone the gluteal muscles, slightly engage the deltoid bundles, and also help to improve coordination.

Lie on the mat with your head facing the floor. Extend your arms forward, straighten them out. The distance between them is roughly shoulder width apart. Legs are also straightened and slightly apart. From the starting position alternately raise your left arm – right leg and right arm – left leg. Reach upward with the fingertips of your hands and feet. Tense the gluteal muscles while performing the exercise, and at the top point fix the position for one second. Make the movements smooth, without jerks.

Perform 10-12 repetitions for each side.

Pulling blocks on the trainer

Pulling a vertical block on the simulator is another great exercise for correcting posture. There are several ways to perform it: to the chest, behind the neck, reverse grip, as well as narrow or wide. Depending on the technique, the area of load also changes. In the classic version, the pull is carried out behind the head. In this case, it is strictly forbidden to hunch over, otherwise you can get injured.

Pulling the horizontal block on the simulator is aimed at strengthening the broadest muscle of the back. When performing the exercise, it is important not to keep your back straight all the time. The technique allows a slight “stretching” following the load. But at the end of the movement it is important to straighten the back, flexing it in the lower back, and bring the shoulder blades together. The number of repetitions and load is set independently, focusing on the preparation.

Tõmblused gravitronis

The main plus is that the exercise can easily be performed even by beginners, while its effectiveness is practically the same as conventional pull-ups. The higher you set the bar, the easier it will be for you to pull up. Ideally, however, the distance from the floor to your back at the lowest point should be minimized. When you accumulate reserve and raise your muscle strength to a good level, you can move on to classic pull-ups on the bar. The number of repetitions and load is set independently, focusing on your training.

Arm extension in a training machine

This exercise is analogous to the dumbbell dip, if you do not have such equipment in your gym, it can easily be replaced. Spreading the arms allows you to pump up the central part of the back, which is mostly responsible for an even posture.

The number of repetitions and load is set independently, focusing on your preparation.

Twisting with a gymnastic stick or barbell

Even if you don’t have a barbell or gymnastic stick, it doesn’t matter. For example, a mop handle, vacuum cleaner pipe, a piece of water pipe or something similar will do. Put the projectile behind your back and, holding it with bent elbows, make turns from side to side.

By the way, one of the reasons why a person slouches is simply forgetting to keep their back straight. Do not know how to stop slouching – sit with this stick in front of the TV or even at the computer, and as soon as you try to bend, it presses on the spine. It is not very convenient to type in this way, but it is quite convenient to watch TV series or operate a mouse. This is how you get used to the correct posture. You can, of course, buy a fixator or corset for posture, but a stick – much cheaper.

Inclines with dumbbells on the shoulders

Strengthen and strengthen the lower back muscles with back extensors. This stabilizes the spine and improves posture, similar load affects the hips with buttocks, which is equally important for girls, for example.

Stand in a stable position with a heel support, put the dumbbells on your shoulders, elbows apart. Bend your knees slightly. Start simultaneously tilting the body forward and pulling the pelvis back. Do not throw your head with your neck, and keep a slight bend in your lower back. As soon as you lower the top to parallel to the floor, return to the starting position, pushing the pelvis slightly forward.

“Boat” in static

It is useful not only for improving posture, but also for forming a slender figure. The exercise will allow you to tighten the abdomen, strengthen the buttocks and even work the back of the thighs. It also helps the spine: the spinal column is strengthened by creating static tension.

Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms in front of you with palms facing inwards, legs apart, toes extended. Start the exercise by simultaneously lifting your upper body and legs as far as you feel comfortable. By the word “comfort” we mean the maximum acceptable height – do not bend excessively, overcoming pain. Lean only on your pelvis and abdominal area. Arms stretched out along the body. Try not to hold your breath.

Perform for 20 seconds with a short rest for 10 seconds between approaches, the number of approaches vary yourself.

“Sphinx Pose

This exercise for posture training will help make the spine more flexible, strengthen muscles, normalize posture and engage the straighteners of the back. The movement is particularly effective in engaging the lungs, improving their ventilation. Additionally, the flow of blood in the pelvic area is improved, the body carries out an “organ massage”.

Lie on your stomach, legs extended, connecting them to each other. Bend your arms in front of you so that they form a 90° angle. For self-control: elbows should be under the shoulders. While performing the exercise, keep your palms on the floor, fingers facing forward. When inhaling, make a smooth push of the thoracic region forward, shoulders slightly back and down, connecting the shoulder blades. Try to keep your head straight, pulling it up a little, look only forward, do not get distracted by anything.

While performing such flexion exercises as “sphinx pose”, it is very important to distribute the load throughout the spinal column. You must flex not only in the lumbar, but also in the thoracic spine, otherwise this exercise for posture will provoke pain in the lower back.

Perform for 45 to 60 seconds, vary the number of repetitions on your own.

Try to check what will happen if you introduce this set of exercises into your sports schedule on a regular basis. I am sure that in a couple of weeks you will be much less hunched over, and in a month your back will be much stronger!

Finally, I’ll tell you about one more way to learn to walk straight without slouching: put an old notebook (or a book, if you don’t mind) on your head and walk around the house like this. If you drop it, you are slouching without realizing it. Try to maintain the correct position.

How to keep the correct posture?

• Watch the position of the body during the day: while watching TV, walking. Most likely, at first you will manage to keep your back straight for a short time. However, with regular training, your body will accept the effort, and you won’t have to control yourself anymore – your posture will become straight easily and naturally.
• Stay active: use any excuse to start moving more. In the formation of beautiful posture can help any physical activity. I also recommend doing exercises aimed at strengthening the body – the muscles of the back, abdomen and pelvis.
• Watch your body weight. Excess weight can weaken the abdominal muscles, cause problems with the pelvis and spine, and provoke lower back pain. All of this has a negative effect on your posture.
• Don’t forget to take breaks while working. This is necessary not only to reduce static tension of the muscles of the neck-shoulder area and back, but also to increase concentration.
• Ask your loved ones to constantly remind you of your posture. This will help keep your back in the correct position.
• Don’t “drop” your belly when you walk. Retract it, this will help the abdominal muscles to be in tone. And it is they are the basis for the formation of the muscle corset.
• Don’t forget about full-body workouts for a balanced load. This will help strengthen your muscle corset, improve your overall body tone and get rid of back problems.