Rounded shoulders and bad posture

jc1961AA

I have a terrible posture problem, my shoulders are rounded etc (I am aware of it and try sometimes to push my shoulders back, and keep a straight back but I always go back to the bad posture). Last night i run a local 5km race and my wife took a short video of me running, and again my posture was terrible. My desk job does not help at all. Has anyone manage through exercise to correct the problem, has anyone used one of this brace to help you keeping your back straight? I have read a few articles, and they say that some type of exercise would definitely correct the problem (working on mid/lower trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoid, rotator cuff.
I am just curious to hear from people who have managed to fix the problem and maybe give me some tips, thank you
J

kristingjertsen

This is called "forward head" and yes, there are exercises to correct the problem. The basic premise is that you need to strengthen the muscles of your upper back and shoulders and stretch the muscles on the front of your upper body in order to correct forward head. There are also exercises to help stretch and strengthen your neck muscles which also helps correct posture. Just google "exercises for forward head and you will find many links online. It takes a few weeks and some of the exercises seem a little silly, but if you stick with it you will see changes. Also, you wrote that you have a desk job. Adding a lumbar support cushion to your desk chair will help correct your sitting posture. You may want to adjust the height of your monitor stand so you don't have to bend your head down as you type and make sure your feet are flat on the floor with your lower legs at a 90 degree angle when you are seated. Good luck.

jediguitarist

My posture is much better now after making an effort to correct it. The first thing that helped me was to get used to how my shoulders felt when they were retracted. Simply pulling them back felt awkward and unnatural. What I was told was to straighten my arms out in front of me so they were parallel to the ground. From the side it looks like a 90 degree angle. Then I would open them as if I was getting ready to hug someone, then put them down to my sides. It was a very small difference in feel and once I could cue the movement, I was able to do it without extending my arms. My chest would naturally push out slightly upward. Other exercises that helped me was face pulls, anything that would work the rear delts/upper back and farmers carry

Cherimoose

jc1961AA wrote: »

my shoulders are rounded etc (I am aware of it and try sometimes to push my shoulders back, and keep a straight back but I always go back to the bad posture).

Use a reminder app to remind you to do a posture check every 5 minutes. Eventually it will become habitual.

Posture doesn't involve strength - it's an endurance activity. The technical explanation is that posture is the job of the "slow twitch" muscle fibers, not fast twitch. While some people may improve their posture with strength exercises, you're more likely to be successful if you practice good posture all day long and don't do strength exercises than if you do and don't practice good posture.

That said, holding good posture is easier when you do these stretches often:

Pectoral stretch
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bO224K6mS2c

Thoracic stretch
https://youtube.com/watch?v=rUrfdsJV2sY
Use a 45 cm / 18 inch ball, unless you're super tall.

Use the reminder app to do it every hour.. at least the pec stretch.

A brace is fine as a reminder tool. It shouldn't do the work of you holding yourself up.

For strength training, follow any good, full-body program, without modifying it.

concordancia

My husband is working on this right now due to pinched nerve and bulging discs. Rather than a brace, he has ordered an intelliskin shirt. However, he hasn't actually tried it yet, since the small was too small for him and we are waiting on the medium.

betterwhenimdancin

I went to a personal trainer to correct my posture. Tights pecs cause rounded shoulders so stretch your pecs everyday after warming up. You could also ask massage therapist to massage your pecs and teach you pec stretches. Most importantly, build up strength in your shoulders by doing rows and rear flys so that you're strong enough to hold correct posture. Personally, I found that holding my chest up and pushing it out a little was more effective than pulling shoulders back.

rileyes

I just finished a couple physical therapy sessions. She had me working on strengthening muscles in the mid to upper back (infrascapular) region with focused slides and rows. She also had me stretching or rolling out the tension in the area between shoulder and chest. So as others have stated, strengthening back muscles and stretching chest muscles are key. The last session she said it is all about building the endurance so setting a reminder like @cherimoose suggested is a good idea.
(The tennis ball is set between a door jam and shoulder/chest area. Lean in with hand behind back and rotate slightly to relieve tension)

jc1961AA

Thanks guys, some good advice you are giving me. I can't check the YouTube videos as I am at work. rileyes, thanks for posting your personal notes (i may get back to you for some clarifications). I will start the stretches and incorporates to my workouts some exercises to work my back muscles. Cherimoose, good tip to use an app to remind me. Right now it feels so unatural to keep my back straight that it does feel like an impossible mission to correct it. I guess this is a long term goal because i can't really see it happening in a short time

getnickripped

I had the same problem. Less extreme but always had rounded shoulders. The best thing for me was dead lifting with a hex bar (because you do not have to bend as far as a straight bar). Your form has to be perfect. Watch on youtube bc you can hurt your back badly w/o proper form. Also Farmers Walk. They say to walk with a proud chest. Check that too. Now my posture is great. I feel like I grew an inch.

Meggie43

Pilates always proved to improve my posture

daisyf717

These are really great, thanks!

dulinh

jc1961AA wrote: »

Thanks guys, some good advice you are giving me. I can't check the YouTube videos as I am at work. rileyes, thanks for posting your personal notes (i may get back to you for some clarifications). I will start the stretches and incorporates to my workouts some exercises to work my back muscles. Cherimoose, good tip to use an app to remind me. Right now it feels so unatural to keep my back straight that it does feel like an impossible mission to correct it. I guess this is a long term goal because i can't really see it happening in a short time

You can definitely do this! And probably faster than you think. I had the same issue and thought I'd never be able to fix it. It only took around 4-5 weeks for me before people at work noticed that I was standing much straighter. My whole posture is much better too. I mostly focused on a couple of key exercises that I could do at home or work and using a la crosse ball to roll out the tension between my shoulders and chest muscles. Good luck!

simon_pickard

Best advice I ever got was to start doing deadlifts. I sit at a desk a lot also. If I don't do deads for a few weeks I notice it big time. When I deadlift I never have back / rounding issues.

kenyonhaff

I recommend a fitness program on PBS stations called "Classical Stretch - Essentrics" by Miranda Esmonde-White. It's a program that focuses on posture, flexibility, core strength and more. She knows her stuff, and has worked with runners. Her program is also fabulous for athletes and beginning athletes alike. 22 minute program! See if it's available to DVR in your local area if you're in America. She also has DVDs.

jc1961AA

dulinh wrote: »

jc1961AA wrote: »

Thanks guys, some good advice you are giving me. I can't check the YouTube videos as I am at work. rileyes, thanks for posting your personal notes (i may get back to you for some clarifications). I will start the stretches and incorporates to my workouts some exercises to work my back muscles. Cherimoose, good tip to use an app to remind me. Right now it feels so unatural to keep my back straight that it does feel like an impossible mission to correct it. I guess this is a long term goal because i can't really see it happening in a short time

You can definitely do this! And probably faster than you think. I had the same issue and thought I'd never be able to fix it. It only took around 4-5 weeks for me before people at work noticed that I was standing much straighter. My whole posture is much better too. I mostly focused on a couple of key exercises that I could do at home or work and using a la crosse ball to roll out the tension between my shoulders and chest muscles. Good luck!

Thank you. I already feel my shoulders are a bit more flexible (using a PVC pipe rolling my shoulders backwards). At work i have been doing my chest stretch every time i go to the toilet or the kitchen. So finger crossed

mbaker566

these are all great suggestions. i would suggest something that focuses on alignment like pilates or yoga. or as was suggested the pbs fitness for long term resolution