There’s more to posture than sitting up straight at the dining table because your mum told you to. Being able to identify and correct your postural imbalances is KEY for gaining good mobility, optimising your ability to move, avoiding injuries and much more. 

From building tree huts in real life to now building them on an iPad… What were once habits deemed as ‘old person's posture’ such as the ‘hunchback’ which consists of forward head tilt and rounded shoulders, we are now starting to see in young adults, teenagers and even kids! With the introduction of cell phones, laptops, televisions, gaming devices etc, we have created a daily environment that facilitates these postures which makes them very hard to combat.

On top of that, we have the rise of HIIT/bodyweight style workouts. These workouts are quite commonly ‘anterior dominant’, meaning they work the muscles down the fronts of our bodies, more than the back. Think, pushups, burpees, planks, crunches, boxing, bear crawls, ropes, etc. More often than not, to correct one's posture, the focus needs to be on the posterior (back) side of the body. These types of workouts still have their place with plenty of benefits, but ensuring you’re still targeting the muscles you need for healthy posture outside of these sessions is important too. 

So why should you care about your posture?

Bad posture is linked to:

• Muscular imbalances and other injuries. 

• Mental health issues. 

• Decreased self-confidence.

• Headaches 

• Mental fatigue. 

• Muscle cramps.

Good Posture is linked to: 

• Improved health and wellbeing. 

• Better mobility. 

• Self-confidence. 

• Optimised movement patterns. 

• Improved appearance and body composition. 

Correcting your posture is a great starting point for any gym session or program - so let's identify what type of posture you have!

Stand in a regular and relaxed stance in front of a long-length mirror and see what posture you identify within the below images. Sometimes it’s best to get a second set of eyes and ask someone else what they think too.

It is also possible to have a mixture, for instance, you may have lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis too.

Now that you have figured out your type, I’m going to give you some specific tips below on what you could be doing in your gym session, at home, or even during your work break to help combat these incorrect postures. This will help you to move better and avoid injury. 

Please keep in mind, the exercise recommendations I give you below is general advice to get you started on your posture correction journey. It does not take into account things like injuries, syndromes or genetic disorders that may inhibit your ability to improve your posture. 

The exercise recommendations you see below are encouraged to be performed at least 3x per week, although stretches and light bodyweight activation exercises can be a daily occurrence for best results.

Thoracic Kyphosis

Potential or current symptoms: 

• Prone to neck and shoulder injuries. 

• Tight chest and posterior (back) neck muscles.

• Weak upper back and anterior (front) neck muscles. 

• Limits neck, shoulder and spinal mobility, affecting your ability to effectively rotate and stand tall.

• Challenges your ability to effectively change direction and produce power.

• Forward rolling shoulders create an unconscious internal dialogue with self that mimics lowered self-esteem.

Lifestyle recommendations:

• Create an ergonomic workspace that allows you to work comfortably with the correct posture. A great starting point would be to put your work screen at eye level. 

• Avoid extended periods of sitting. If you work at a desk, set your alarm to remind you to get up and move for even a couple of minutes every hour.

Exercise recommendations:

• Chest stretch, 60 seconds.

• Posterior neck activation, x10 with a 2-second pause. 

• Banded external shoulder rotations (you can do this bodyweight too!) x10. 

• Superman extensions, x10. 

• Seated row (you can do this bodyweight too!), x10. 

Sway Back

Potential or current symptoms: 

• Prone to the lower back and hip injuries. 

• Tight upper abdominals, hamstrings and lower back.

• Weak lower abdominals, hip flexors, glutes and pelvic floor muscles. 

• Limits pelvis and spinal mobility limiting your ability to squat and hinge to produce strength and power. 

Lifestyle recommendations:

• Avoid sleeping on your stomach. 

• Avoid standing with your hips pushed forwards.

Exercise recommendations:

• Cobra, 10-20 seconds x3. 

• Hamstring stretch, 60 seconds. 

• Glutes stretch, 60 seconds each side. 

• Deadbugs, x10 total. 

• Sitting hip flexion, x10 each leg. 

• Standing glute kickbacks, x10 each leg. 

• Romanian deadlifts, x10. 

Lumbar Lordosis

Potential or current symptoms: 

• Prone to lower back injuries. 

• Tight hip flexors and lower back. 

• Weak abdominals (specifically lower) and pelvic floor muscles. 

• Limits pelvis, hips and spinal mobility. 

Lifestyle recommendations:

• Sleep with a pillow under your knees to encourage a neutral pelvis position and take the pressure off your spine. 

• When standing, try to draw your belly button towards your spine. 

• Adopt a daily core routine. 

Exercise recommendations:

• Half kneeling hip flexor and quad stretch, 60 seconds each side. 

• Pelvis mobility on swiss ball x10 ea way.

• Deadbugs, x10 total. 

• Plank with a posterior pelvic tilt (regress to knees if needed), 20-60 seconds depending on level of strength.

Now that you know your posture type and how to remedy it, you can work towards being a happier, healthier, and stronger you. Try adding some of the recommended exercises and activities into your daily routine and reap the benefits of good posture!