Three Methods For Improving Your Posture 

These methods will help you build better postural alignment, and that will help you both in and out of the gym.

1. Wall presses

Stand with your back to a wall, your heels against the wall, shoulder width apart. Touch your butt and the base of your skull against the wall. Now, try to place the rest of your spine against the wall. As simple as this sounds, many people have trouble with it. It’s made easier by slightly Flexing your butt muscles and your abs, and by consciously extending your back and neck – imagine there’s a string attached to the crown of your head, pulling your whole body upward.

When you can hold your spine against the wall for thirty seconds at a stretch, the next stage of this exercise is to put your shoulders against the wall too. Make sure that your whole shoulderblade and the head of your shoulder touch the wall!

2. Pull ups

Pull-ups require a strong contraction of the trapezius inferior, which attaches the scapular spine to the thoracic spine – or, in English, the shoulderblade to the backbone, as far down as the waist.

In most people, the upper trapezius muscles are comparatively too strong and the lower ones too weak, resulting in a tight neck, elevated, hunched shoulders and a weak upper back. Pull-ups are the ideal solution. Ideally you’ll use a bar that you can hang off full length without touching the ground. When you hang, pull your shoulderblades down and extend your neck, feeling the upper back contract.

Use a ‘palms-away’ grip to prevent muscling through the move with your arms. Inflate your chest and pull your elbows to your hips as you pull your shoulderblades back and down. If you can’t do a full pull-up yet, try hanging in the bottom position and allowing your back to stretch out while your lower traps take the weight. In time you can transition to the full exercise.

3. Chin retractions

Finally, something you can do at your desk! Chin retractions just consist of sitting up as straight as you can and pulling your chin back into your neck. If you find that you’re just ending up looking down into your lap when you do this, choose a spot on the wall level with your eyes and keep focussed on it as you perform your retractions. Try to think of it as moving your whole skull, rather than just your chin, and inflate and lift your chest while you do them. Try doing these regularly – a dozen repetitions three or four times a day, every day, isn't excessive.

Try these tips for improving your posture to improve your health and fitness and your performance in the gym. If you have any questions, comments or stories to tell us, please post them in the comments section below!