Eight Exercises For Better Posture

Shoulder-Abductor Stretch

Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your arms straight up in the air. With your back flat, slowly move your arms back and down toward the floor, keeping them straight and close to the sides of your head. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Peel

Stand facing a wall and place your right arm against it,
fingers pointing to 3 o'clock. Keeping your shoulder and arm flush against the wall, rotate your body to the left by moving your feet. When you feel a stretch along your chest, hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Progression: After you've gained enough flexibility to perform the stretch with your body perpendicular to the wall, move your arm up to 2 o'clock, then progress to 1 o'clock.

Kneeling Lat Stretch

Kneel in front of a Swiss ball with your left arm on the ball and the other hand on the floor. Move your left arm forward until you feel slight tension. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat with your right arm. Progression: At the end of the stretch, when your arm is straight, slowly move it inward across your body until you feel tension.

Swiss-Ball T

Grab a pair of 2- or 5-pound dumbbells and lie facedown on a Swiss ball. Start with your back flat, your chest off the ball, and your arms hanging down, palms forward. Squeeze your shoulder blades down and together as you extend your arms to the sides, creating a T with your torso. Pause, then return to the starting position.

Incline Dumbbell V Raise

Lie facedown on an incline bench and hold dumbbells below your shoulders, thumbs pointing forward. Raise the weights in front of you at 45-degree angles, forming a V with your arms, until your arms are almost parallel to the floor. Pause, then lower the weights.

Kneeling External Rotation

Kneel with a cable station to your right and a small folded towel under your left armpit. With your left hand, grab the low pulley handle. Starting with the handle at your navel, rotate your arm away from your body to a 10 o'clock position. Pause, then return to the starting position. Finish the set, then repeat with the other arm.

Single-Leg PNF

Stand with a cable station to your left. Lift your right foot off the floor and reach across your body with your right hand to grab the handle. Pull the cable up and across your body while rotating your thumb to the right so that at the top of the move, your arm is straight and to the right of your shoulder. Reverse the move to the starting position and finish a set before repeating with your other arm.

Standing Cable Reverse Fly

Grab the left handle of a cable-crossover system with your right hand and the right handle with your left. Lean back and pull the handles down and across your body while squeezing your shoulder blades down and together. Pause, then return to the starting position.

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