Standing Posture Exercise

Overview

Are your shoulders and neck leaning forward? If you’re starting to notice hunching, try this standing posture exercise to get back to better posture.standing posture exercise

Level

Beginner to moderate

Targets

Posture

Step by Step Instructions

  1. Stand about one foot in front of a wall with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Let your hips touch the wall if they can; press your mid-back and shoulders to the wall, and your head if possible. (If your head can’t reach, simply aim it backward toward the wall.)
  3. Extend your arms out to your sides.
  4. Press all contact points (hips, mid-back, shoulders, head if possible) firmly into the wall for 5 seconds.
  5. Relax and step out of the press.
  6. Repeat for at least 10 reps of 5-second holds, and work up throughout the day to as many as you can (goal up to 100 total).

[Video Transcript]

If you’re noticing that your posture is starting to round forward, your shoulders are hunched, you’re developing a hump in the upper back, and your neck is rolled forward, try this exercise to reset your posture. All you need is a wall. Stand with your feet hip-width apart about a foot in front of the wall. Let your hips touch the wall if they can; press your mid-back, shoulders, and head to the wall as well. Extend your arms out to your sides and press all of those points into the wall as hard as you can for five seconds, push, hold, then relax.

If you have a bigger curve in your mid-back, you might not be able to get the back of your head to touch the wall. That’s okay. Just push as far back toward the wall as you can, even if you’re pressing into the air, aiming your head backward as if to touch. Again, bring hips, mid-back, shoulders, and head (if possible) toward the wall and press firmly for five seconds, then relax.

Start with at least ten repetitions, holding each press for five seconds, and work up to as many as you can throughout the day. If you can reach one hundred total reps, you’ll make meaningful progress toward resetting your posture and reducing forward rounding. Try it at home, at work, or anywhere you can find a wall. It’s a tough but very effective way to get more upright and less hunched.

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