Posture AI

28 Excellent Posture Exercises for a Pain-Free, Aligned Body

Nov 27, 2024

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Do you often slump over your desk, couch, or phone? Poor posture has become so common that we hardly notice it. Yet, this posture epidemic can have serious consequences. Slouching and other forms of poor posture can lead to neck, back, and shoulder pain, headaches, fatigue, and digestive issues. Not to mention, they can leave you looking less confident and even less friendly. Luckily, correcting posture is a process you can start today. Posture exercises target the muscles affected by poor posture to relieve pain, restore balance, and help you look and feel your best. In this blog, we'll explore some practical exercises for improving your posture, how they benefit your health, and how you can easily fit them into your daily routine.

Posture AI's posture correction app is a helpful tool that can guide you through your posture exercise routine as you work to improve your alignment and relieve your symptoms. With personalized feedback and easy-to-follow videos, the app can help you achieve your goals to get back to doing what you love.

What is Good Posture and Why It's Important

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Good posture refers to your body’s alignment at any given moment. There are two types of posture:

Static posture which refers to how your body is positioned while sitting, standing, or sleeping
Dynamic posture, which describes your body’s position in motion

Good posture keeps your joints and soft tissues, like muscles and tendons, aligned in a neutral position. It feels natural and comfortable, unlike stretching, straining, or pulling on anything.

Pelvic Neutral Posture

Whether you’re seated or standing, your pelvis plays a significant role in your posture, Phillip Higgins, DPT, a physical therapist who works with older adults at Bespoke Treatments in Seattle, says. “Your spine is a column, so if you manipulate one portion, it’s going to impact how the other parts behave,” he explains.

“Finding a solid pelvic-neutral position will help the rest of your body.” To do that while seated, first sit in a chair, feet flat on the floor. Sit up tall and engage your abdominal muscles. (Here’s exactly how to activate your core if unsure.) Tuck your pelvis under a tad, engaging your glutes a little as you do so that your lower back isn’t arched uncomfortably.

Shoulder Blade Position

You might naturally have a slight arch, and that’s okay as long as it feels comfortable. You want to ensure you’re not putting all your weight into your lower back, so sitting up and engaging the core will help. Then, focus on your shoulders.

“You want a nice relaxed shoulder retraction,” Dr. Higgins says. That means keeping the shoulders relaxed so your shoulder blades are in place comfortably in the mid-back. That doesn’t mean you need to squeeze them, Dr. Higgins adds, and you should be able to breathe freely.

Head and Neck Alignment

Once your pelvis and back are in the correct position, you should be able to rest your head on top comfortably, Dr. Higgins says. “Standing is somewhat similar,” he says. “Your feet are planted, and you must first control that pelvis. Don’t lock out the knees—you want a soft knee, a controlled pelvis, and a relaxed and retracted spine.”

Why is Good Posture Important?

When you have bad posture, you put extra stress on your joints and muscles. As SELF has previously reported, bad posture can lead to widespread body pain over time, particularly in your:

Neck
Back
Knees
Hips

Posture and Health

Bad posture can also throw off your balance, and in some cases, poor body alignment can even cause breathing problems, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Higgins says poor posture can also result in tightness that can limit one's ability to do everyday tasks, like reaching behind one's back to wash it in the shower. By maintaining good posture, one can ultimately move better.

What Makes a Good Posture Exercise?

Regarding incorporating posture exercises into your fitness routine, Dr. Higgins recommends focusing on your core strength, which gives you reasonable control of your pelvis, and then moving up to exercises that strengthen the upper back. “If you can’t control the pelvis, the upper back stuff won’t matter,” Dr. Higgins says. “They impact each other.”

Also, he says, people can arch through their lower spines to have “good posture,” or at least what looks like it from the shoulders up. But compromising your lower back for seemingly good posture isn’t doing you any favors.

28 Excellent Posture Exercises to Add to Your Routine

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1. Supine Marching: Start with Your Back Flat

Lie face up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Extend your arms by your sides and lift your knees up so they are directly above your hips, knees bent at 90 degrees.
Keeping your knees bent, slowly lower one heel down toward the floor.
Bring the foot back, and then repeat with the other leg. That’s 1 rep.
Continue alternating legs, keeping the core engaged and the low back flat on the floor the entire time.

Dr. Higgins says the easiest way to control the pelvis is to do exercises in a supine position, lying on your back. This supine marching exercise builds strength in the abdominals, hip flexors, and back stabilizing muscles. Keep your lower back connected to the floor the entire time; if it starts to pop off, don’t lower your feet as far.

2. Dead Bug: A Core Classic

Lie faceup with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs in a tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips). This is the starting position.
Slowly extend your right leg straight while simultaneously lowering your left arm overhead. Keep both a few inches from the ground.
Squeeze your butt and keep your core engaged the entire time, low back pressed into the floor.
Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm.

Dead Bug is a supine marching progression that adds arm movement and a coordination challenge. It also works the entire core, including:

The transverse abdominis (deep abdominal muscle)
The erector spinae (deep stabilizing muscles of the spine)
The glutes

This move loops in hip and shoulder mobility too.

3. Bird Dog: For Better Balance

Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position with your wrists stacked under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. This is the starting position.
Extend your right arm forward and left leg back, maintaining a flat back and keeping your hips aligned with the floor. Think about driving your foot toward the wall behind you.
Squeeze your abs and return your arm and leg to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
After finishing all your reps, repeat with the other arm and leg.

Bird Dog is another core and pelvis stability exercise that works the deep muscles in the abdominals, lower back, and glutes in a slightly more challenging way than a dead bug.

4. Kneeling Glute Hinge: A Hip-Friendly Move

Kneel with knees hip-distance apart, toes on the floor, torso upright, core braced, and arms by your sides.
If you need extra padding, fold up your exercise mat or place a folded towel on the floor under your knees.
Hold a dumbbell at your chest with both hands. This is the starting position.
Engage your entire core, including your glutes.
Push your hips back so that your glutes go toward your heels as your torso hinges forward. Pause when your glutes touch your heels, then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Squeeze your glutes at the top. This is 1 rep.

Dr. Higgins says exercises in the kneeling position, like this kneeling glute hinge, introduce the challenge of working the core against the force of gravity on the spine. This hinge not only teaches you to properly align the pelvis but also to do a hip hinge, a foundational movement needed to properly do squats and deadlifts.

5. Dumbbell Halo: A Core Stabilization Move

Start in a tall-kneeling position, holding a dumbbell at your chest with both hands, gripping it on each end.
Lift the weight to eye level and slowly circle it around your head counterclockwise, making a halo shape, until you return to the starting position.
As you circle the weight around your head, keep your elbows tucked in and maintain a tight core.
Repeat in the opposite direction. This is 1 rep.
Continue alternating directions each time.

The dumbbell halo is a sneaky core workout. Maintaining a flat back and hips aligned while moving the weight is a great way to work on pelvis stability. It’s also anti-rotation work for the mid-back, which helps train stability because your spine has to engage to work against the urge to twist.

6. Farmer Carry: A Functional Core Exercise

Place a dumbbell on the floor next to each of your feet. Squat to grab onto the weights with a neutral, palms-in grip.
Keeping your chest up and core braced, stand up.
Walk forward, keeping an upright torso and engaging your abs so the weight doesn’t dump into your lower back.
Imagine a string connected to the top of your head pulling you toward the ceiling.
Walk forward for 50 feet. If you don’t have the room to do this in one shot, you can break up the distance.
When you’re finished, squat to place the weight back on the floor.

The farmer works on your grip strength (which you need for big strength moves like deadlifts and pull-ups) and your core and shoulder stability. It trains you to maintain an upright posture as you move and carry weight.

7. High Knees March: A Dynamic Core Exercise

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, arms out in front of you, and elbows bent at 90 degrees.
Keep your chest lifted and your abs tight as you slowly march your knees up so that they hit your palms, one at a time.

The high knees march is a core and hip flexor exercise that trains you to control the pelvis while walking. Keep your core engaged as you drive each knee toward your hands.

8. Bent-Over Row: A Back Strengthening Exercise

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
With your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your butt back, and bend your left knee, making sure you don’t round your shoulders. (Your hip mobility and hamstring flexibility will dictate how far you can bend over.)
Gaze at the ground a few inches in front of your feet to keep your neck in a comfortable position.
Do a row by pulling the weights up toward your chest, keeping your elbows hugged close to your body, and squeezing your shoulder blades for two seconds at the top of the movement. Your elbows should go past your back as you bring the weight toward your chest.
Slowly lower the weights by extending your arms toward the floor. That’s 1 rep.

The bent-over row is a pulling exercise that targets important postural muscles in your upper body, including the rhomboids (small muscles located between the shoulder blades), trapezius (a diamond-shaped muscle that runs from the neck down the mid-back and spans from shoulder to shoulder), and the lats. It also works the shoulders and biceps, which help you perform the pulling motion.

9. Cat-Cow: An Essential Spinal Mobility Exercise

Get on all fours with your wrists aligned below your shoulders and your knees aligned below your hips.
Keep your toes tucked under.
Inhale, relax your belly so it moves toward the floor, gently arching your back and tilting your tailbone and chin toward the ceiling.
Exhale, gently rounding your spine, drawing your chin to your chest, and untucking your toes.

Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off.

10. Crescent Lunge: A Hip Flexor Stretch

Place one knee down on the ground and the other foot planted in front of you in a lunge.
Push your hips forward and squeeze the glute of the back leg.
For an extra stretch, raise the arm on the same side of the back leg and lean slightly inward to open the hip even more.
Pause for a few seconds, and repeat on the other side.

Sets and Reps: Aim for 2 sets of 10 reps on each side.

11. World’s Greatest Stretch: A Full-Body Mobility Move

Bring your right foot up from the plank position to place it outside your hand.
Squeeze your left glute and then drop your right elbow toward the ground, feeling the stretch on the back of the thigh.
Twist back through the center and rotate your torso to bring your right arm straight up to the ceiling, following your hand with your eyes.
Return the palm to the plank position and repeat on the opposite side.

Sets and Reps: Aim for 2 sets of 10 reps on each side.

12. Squat with Thoracic Rotation: A Dynamic Mobility Exercise

Begin standing with feet at hips-width.
Bend your knees to lower down into a deep squat.
At the bottom of the movement, open your arms out wide, twisting your torso to the right as you lift your right arm straight up, following your hand with your eyes.
Come back through the center to twist to the left side, raising your left hand up toward the ceiling.
Repeat, switching sides.

Sets and Reps: Aim for 2 sets of 10 reps on each side.

13. Bird Dog: A Classic Posture Exercise

From an all fours position, tuck your right toes under and extend your right leg behind you.
Slowly lift your leg off the floor no higher than hip height.
Bracing your core, slowly reach your left arm forward, no higher than shoulder height, and turn your palm inward so your thumb points toward the ceiling.
Hold for no more than 7 to 8 seconds, keeping your hips and shoulders level.
Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.

Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

14. Back to the Wall: Posture Practice

One way to see where your posture is going wonky is to stand with your back against a wall. “If you’re standing straight with good posture, the back of your head as well as your shoulder blades, hip and back of your legs should all touch the wall,” Dr. Danzo advises.

Use the wall to support you as you position your body so you’re flush against it.
Pull your head back.
Roll your shoulders.
Tuck your pelvis.
Take time to feel what it’s like to be in proper posture.

It may feel uncomfortable or unnatural at first. That’s OK. The more you practice, the more natural it’ll start to feel. And the more you’ll begin to recognize when you’re letting old posture habits take over.

15. Wall Angels: A Scapular Mobility Exercise

Remember when you were a kid, you would lie in the fresh snow and wave your arms up and down to make a snow angel? A similar move can help you stretch your arms and chest muscles to correct your posture. Here’s how to do it:

Stand against a wall with your arms at your sides. (Remember that good posture position, where your head, shoulder blades, hips, and backs of your legs touch the wall.)
Face your palms out. Keep your gaze straight ahead.
Slowly slide your arms out to the side and up over your head.
Keep the backs of your hands in contact with the wall the whole way up, and keep the rest of your body in proper posture.
Hold for a few seconds.
Slowly lower your arms back down.
On your way down, keep the backs of your hands in contact with the wall and maintain a strong posture.
You can also try this exercise lying on the floor with straight legs.

16. Pull Your Head Back: A Simple Neck Exercise

One common posture mistake people make is a “head-forward posture.” Your head hangs out too far in front of your shoulders. “When our head gets forward, the weight of the head is pulling on the muscles in the back of the neck and puts extra stress on those muscles,” Dr. Danzo explains.

“So, the muscles in your chest get tight, and your shoulders start to round forward.” To counteract all that:

Practice moving your head back into position.
While sitting, carefully pull your chin backward without changing eye level. Don’t look up or down.
You can use your fingertips to gently coax your chin back and hold it there for several seconds.
Try doing it while standing with your back against the wall.
Focus your eyes on a spot in front of you at a comfortable eye level and pull your head back until it touches.

17. Doorway Lunge: A Chest Stretch for Better Posture

Flexibility and strength in your upper chest muscles are key to keeping your shoulders from rounding forward.

Give those muscles a good stretch with this posture-correcting exercise.
Stand in an open doorway.
Put your arms out to your sides and bend at the elbows. Your upper arm should parallel the floor and bend 90 degrees at your elbow. (That’s called cactus arms if you’re familiar with yoga terms.)
Place your palms on either side of the doorway.
Take a big step back with your right leg, leaning your weight forward into your arms. You should feel a stretch in your upper chest area and the lower part of your right leg.
Hold for a few seconds.
Repeat with your left leg back.

18. Standing Row: An Upper Back Exercise

Strengthening your upper back can also help to keep your shoulders from rolling forward and putting pressure on your back. One exercise to help strengthen your upper back is a standing row. This can be done with a set of resistance bands if you have them. (Or imagine pulling on invisible rubber bands if you don’t have a set handy.)

Attach the middle of a resistance band to a doorknob.
Hold one end of the band in each hand.
Bend your elbows and squeeze your shoulder blades as you draw the band back.

“I tell people to graze their ribcage with their elbows. As you pull your elbows back, they should be close to your sides,” Dr. Danzo advises. “Don’t pull your elbows up high, as it can cause a pinch in your shoulders.”

19. Shoulder Blade Push: An Easy Exercise to Do at Home

Training your body to keep your shoulders back is vital to improving poor posture. Dr. Danzo suggests this exercise:

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keep your arms at your sides and your palms facing the ceiling.
Push your shoulder blades down and back, sinking them to the ground.

“Pinching the shoulder blades helps to strengthen the back,” she adds.

20. Pelvic Tilt: An Easy Exercise to Do at Home

Your lower back is another victim of poor posture. “Your lower back should have a little inward curve. But if your lower back is tight or weak, the natural curve can become exaggerated,” Dr. Danzo shares.

That’s called lumbar lordosis or swayback. It’s when your belly pushes forward, and your butt sticks out behind you. When lying down, you’ll notice a bigger gap between your lower back and the floor. Pelvic tilt exercises can help to counteract that. Here’s how to do it:

Lie flat on the floor with your arms at your sides, palms facing up.
Round your pelvis forward to bring your lower back closer to the floor. That should engage the abdominal muscle just above your pelvic bone.
Hold for several seconds and repeat. It may take a few tries to determine what an excellent forward tilt feels like for you.

The goal isn’t for your lower back to touch the floor completely. (Remember, there should be some natural curve there.) You want your back close to the ground and not arched.

21. Seated Neck Stretch: A Simple Stretch to Do at Your Desk

Keeping your neck muscles strong and flexible can help support your head and prevent it from drooping.

Help stretch the side of your neck. You can do this stretch from your desk chair.
Sit comfortably with your shoulders back and your feet on the floor.
Reach and hold the bottom of your chair with your right hand. That helps to keep your shoulders from creeping up.
Keep your trunk straight as you lower your left ear toward your left shoulder until you feel a stretch. Don’t push further than is comfortable.
Hold for several seconds.
Repeat on the other side, holding your seat with your left hand and lowering your right ear to your right shoulder.

22. Quadruped Chin Tuck with Scapular Push-up: A Neck Exercise for Good Posture

Dorian recommends this posture exercise to help strengthen your deep neck stabilizers and serratus anterior, both of which tend to weaken if you sit with forward-rounded shoulders.

Start on your hands and knees in a quadruped position.
Tuck your chin slightly to lengthen the back of your neck. Your head should be in line with your shoulders.
Lower your chest between your shoulders and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Keep your core engaged, and try not to let your ribs flare open or your lower back arch.
Press into your palms as if trying to push the floor away, and allow your upper back to lift and shoulders to round.
Repeat for 10-30 seconds. Do 3-5 sets.

Muscles worked:

Deep neck stabilizers
Serratus anterior (a fan-shaped muscle that lies along the ribs, under the shoulder blade)

23. Seated Band Pull-Apart: An Upper Back Exercise

This move combines both upper-body and lower-body postural work, Dorian says. You’re using your rhomboids and middle trapezius to retract your shoulder blades while also being aware of your core:

Try not to allow your ribs to flare open or arch your lower back.
Focus on keeping your shoulders stacked over your hips.
Sit on a chair or bench with your feet flat on the floor.
Hold a long resistance band in both hands at belly button height with your arms extended but not locked.
Keeping your arms long, squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your hands out to your sides until they align with your shoulders.
Slowly reverse the movement, drawing your hands together before your torso. That’s one rep. Do two to three sets of 15-20 reps.

Muscles worked: Upper back muscles (rhomboids and middle traps)

24. Dead Bug Variation: An Advanced Core Exercise

Both Dorian and Gagliardi recommend this move, which asks you to:

Find a neutral position with the lower back
Stabilize your core
Strengthen your hip flexors

“This is a common misconception: We feel tightness, stiffness in the hip flexors, and we think we just need to stretch,” Dorian explains. “But the hip flexors are important in terms of movement and strength and power production, and it's just necessary to have strength and length of the hip flexors.”

Lie face-up on the floor with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your knees bent at 90 degrees, feet lifted off the ground, and shins parallel to the floor.
Press the right palm into the left thigh.
Hold this position, extend your right leg, and reach your left arm by your ear, hovering both off the floor.
Keep your core engaged, and don’t let your lower back arch off the ground.
Bring your arm and leg back to center to return to start.
Do 10-15 reps, then repeat on the other side. Do 2-3 sets.

Muscles worked:

Hip flexors
Core

25. Single-leg Glute Bridge with Knee Drive: A Stabilizing Exercise

This move translates to a standing posture, as it asks your gluteus maximus to extend your hip and hold your body upright, Dorian says. At the same time, you’re working the hip flexor mobility on the opposite side.

Lie face-up on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Engage your core, tucking your hips under just slightly, and place your weight into the right heel. Press into your right heel to lift your hips off the ground into a glute bridge.
Keeping your left knee bent at 90 degrees, draw your left knee toward your chest.
Press your right hand into your left thigh and maintain tension, pushing your knee into your hand and your hand into your knee.
Hold this position for 10-30 seconds, trying not to let your hips tilt side to side or back arch. Repeat on the other side. Do two to three sets.

Muscles worked:

Glutes
Hip flexors
Hamstrings
Core

26. Plank: The King of Core Exercises

Planks are great for core and shoulder strength and promote a neutral spine, says Cagley. To ensure the correct form:

Feel free to modify by resting your knees on the floor.
Start on your hands and knees, with your palms directly underneath your shoulders.
Extend each leg, balancing on the balls of your feet, and lift your knees off the floor to find a plank position.
Keep your neck long, shoulder blades squeezing together, and core engaged.
Try not to let your upper back round up toward the ceiling or your hips drop toward the floor.
Hold this position for 15-30 seconds.

Muscles worked:

Core
Shoulders
Back
Glutes
Quads

27. Superman: An Easy Exercise to Do at Home

The classic Superman exercise “strengthens back muscles and counteracts slouching,” says Cagley.

Lay face-down on the floor with your arms and legs outstretched.
Keep your neck long and allow your forehead to rest on the floor.
Keeping your gaze on the floor, lift your arms and legs a few inches.
Hold for one second, then lower them to the floor. That’s one rep. Do 8 reps.

Muscles worked:

Upper back
Lower back
Core
Glutes
Hamstrings

28. Prone IYTWO Series: An Advanced Back Exercise

This series of moves, recommended by Gagliardi, focuses on scapular stabilization, helping to counteract the common postural issue of forward-rounded shoulders.

Lie face-down on the floor with your arms and legs extended, palms facing each other.
Engage your core to stabilize your spine.
Pull your shoulders back and down, keeping your neck long, gazing at the floor. Hold this position.

‘I’ Formation:

Exhale and lift your arms off the floor with palms facing inward, biceps by your ears.
Focus on lifting through your shoulders and not the lower back.
Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Do two to four reps.

‘Y’ Formation:

From the same starting position, exhale and lift your arms off the floor, moving them slightly outward so your body forms a “Y” shape with palms facing inward.
Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Do two to four reps.

‘T’ Formation

From the same starting position, exhale and lift your arms off the floor, moving them out to the sides so your body forms a “T” shape, with your palms facing forward.
Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Do two to four reps.

‘W’ Formation

From the same starting position, exhale and lift your arms off the floor, bending your elbows and drawing them towards your hips to form a “W” shape.
Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Do two to four reps.

‘O’ Formation

From the same starting position, move your arms down to your sides.
Exhale and elevate your shoulders, then reach both arms behind your lower back, bending your elbows inward to overlap your hands into an “O” shape.
Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Do two to four reps.

Muscles worked:

Upper back
Shoulders

8 Other Tips for Improving Posture

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1. Use a Posture Device for Better Alignment

Devices like posture braces and shirts support the body to achieve better alignment, so they can help you ease into better posture as you also work on improving your posture through exercises.

Posture devices gently pull back the shoulders to improve the way that the person sits and stands. They can be particularly helpful for people who are re-learning how to hold their bodies after developing poor posture and muscle imbalances over time.

2. Stay Active to Support Posture Improvement

Exercise helps build up the muscles necessary for maintaining good posture. Regular activity can also reduce body weight and improve overall health. Aim to incorporate a variety of workouts into your routine, including:

Aerobic exercise
Strength training
Flexibility and balance activities like yoga and Pilates

3. Mind Your Devices to Avoid Poor Posture

Computers and digital devices can hinder posture. Ensure that computer screens and keyboards are at a height that encourages healthful posture. Desk chairs and work surfaces should also be at an appropriate height. Consider using an ergonomic chair and a standing desk with adjustable features to promote better posture while you work.

4. Maintain a Healthy Weight to Avoid Added Stress

Extra weight can stress the muscles and pull the body out of alignment. To achieve a healthy weight for your body type, focus on improving your diet and getting regular exercise.

5. Get Enough Support to Avoid Poor Posture

Ensure that the buttocks, back, and thighs have enough support when sitting down. Use a small pillow behind the back if necessary, and ensure that the hips and thighs are parallel to the floor. If you’re sitting on a hard surface, like a gym bleacher, consider using a cushion to reduce the risk of slumping.

6. Use Your Imagination for Better Posture

When standing up, pretend that a string extends from the top of your head into the air. Imagine someone pulling on that string, keeping the head up and the shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles straight.

7. Take Breaks to Reduce Muscle Tightness

Muscles can tighten every 40 minutes of a static posture due to decreased blood flow. In these scenarios, your best posture is just your next posture. In other words, move in any way you can. Try breaking up sedentary time by using a standing desk, getting up to take a few steps, or exercise snacking.

8. Massage Tight Muscles to Alleviate Posture Problems

Whether you foam roll, use a lacrosse ball, or book a massage treatment, it can help to release tension in tight muscles that contribute to poor posture via massage.