9 Essential Exercises to Promote Good Posture for Desk Workers
Do you work at a desk? Here are a few of my favorite exercises for good posture.
Have you ever noticed your tendency to slouch? No matter how often you correct your form, it can be easy to fall back into bad posture, especially if you have a desk job. Maybe you had a teacher or parent tell you to sit up straight when you were a kid, but the habit never really came to fruition.
I was certainly that way. In fact, thinking about sitting or standing up straight can be very exhausting
My bad posture inspired me to target my postural muscles while working out. I knew by strengthening this muscle group, I would promote good posture, even when I wasn’t thinking about it.
This article was crafted on my experience. I’ve been in your shoes and I know what it takes to create a habit that promotes good posture.
I hope you find this article to be a helpful resource on your fitness journey. I have certainly found these concepts to be a great reminder on the importance of good posture exercises.
What are the Benefits of Good Posture?
Posture is the position in which you hold your body while standing, sitting or lying down. This means that at all times, you are either promoting good posture or bad posture.
According to multiple scientific sources, good posture has several key benefits including, but not limited to:
Reduced Lower Back Pain
Fewer Headaches
Increased Energy Levels
Decreased Risk of Abnormal Wearing of Joint Surfaces
Increased Lung Capacity
Improved Circulation and Digestion
Improved Core and Scapular Strength
These benefits are just the tip of the iceberg.
As you get older, these habits you create will become more and more valuable. Your bones don’t have to get weaker and you will decrease your risk of falling. Strengthening your back through the appropriate postural exercises will help to increase your mobility as you age and much more.
You Don’t Need a Lot of Equipment
I often find that people have trouble starting an exercise program. A lack of equipment or fitness knowledge can make it challenging to know where to start as a beginner. In reality, you can achieve good posture and a healthier lifestyle without a single exercise machine.
I have provided you with a list of nine essential exercises to promote good posture. These exercises can be performed with only a pair of dumbbells, a resistance band, or even no equipment at all.
Stay Focused and Enjoy the Process
Any physical activity should be a balance of staying focused on your goals and enjoying the process. Without focus, you will surely get lost and need redirection; creating a longer journey than what you may have intended. Without enjoyment, it can be tough to stay committed. It is important for you to discover what exercises work for you and continually remind yourself that exercise is a healthy habit for the betterment of your body, just like brushing your teeth.
Don’t worry if working out is something that you don’t really like. I have found that the things I dislike are often the things I have never tried or know very little about. You will grow to enjoy the process by learning more about developing good posture through exercise and practice.
My clients often fall in love with the process of working out, and many go on to teach their exercises to friends and family. While you may never personally teach fitness, I promise that a great fitness habit will make your health journey more enjoyable and rewarding.
Find the Amount of Training that Works Best for You
Oftentimes, when starting their fitness journey, people actually do too much work. It would be better to be motivated with three easy workouts per week than to dread trying three difficult ones.
Remember, we are in this for the long haul. It isn’t a simple fix. It is a lifestyle, and if that is the case, then we must create sustainable and habitual routines.
If you are just starting off, this is a good place to begin. Select three to four exercises from below. Try them two to three times a week. Start with two sets of ten repetitions with each exercise. Over time, as this gets easier, add in another set, training day, or change up your exercises. The most important thing is that you stay consistent.
9 Essential Exercises to Promote Good Posture for Desk Workers
Here is the list of nine exercises that are essential for good posture.
Bodyweight Exercises
1. Chair Squats
Chair squats are one of my favorite leg and core exercises.
Why you should do chair squats:
Whether you want to have stronger legs, a sturdier core, or better overall posture, squats should always be in your repertoire. In fact, we all actually squat every day. You squat when you sit down and stand up at your desk, get in and out of your car, and well… go to the restroom. Adding chair squats to your routine is so essential, because they functionally carry over to everyday life.
How you do chair squats:
When you perform the chair squat, find a chair that is around knee to thigh height. Stand in front of the chair facing out with your feet hip to shoulder width apart. Slightly point your toes out and trace your knees in that same direction as you squat to touch the chair. Stand back up to your starting position. Make sure the whole time you are squatting, you maintain an upright position with a straight back.
2. Split Squats
The split squat is another great lower body and core exercise.
Why you should do split squats:
Like a normal squat, split squats are very functional and translate to everyday life very well. On top of this, they promote balance, core stability, and stretch out the hips and thighs.
How to do split squats:
Place a chair that is knee-height behind you. Facing away from the chair, set one foot back on it and keep the other on the ground in front of you. Squat down until you feel a stretch in the glute of your front leg and the hip flexor of the back leg. Stand back up to the starting position and repeat. Make sure you are maintaining an upright chest with your shoulder blades pulled back.
3. Reverse Crunches
The reverse crunches takes the cake for my favorite lower ab exercise.
Why you should do reverse crunches:
One issue that plagues a lot of people is lower back pain. There are many factors that cause this sort of pain. In a lot of the cases, it’s either a weakness or an immense tightness of the muscles in the lower back. Reverse Crunches help strengthen your core while constructing a more neutral spine. Thus, relieving some of that tightness in the lower back. Relieving the tightness happens by pulling the pelvis forward with the strengthening of the abdominals. Strengthening the abdominals relieves the tension of posteriorly compressed vertebrae and the tight muscles around it.
How to do reverse crunches:
Lay flat on the ground with your hands in a diamond shape under your butt. Bend your knees to 90°. Start with your feet together and slightly off the ground. From here, rock your knees up to just over your chest and then bring them back to the starting position. Make sure to do this in a slower and controlled manner.
Band Exercises
Bands are like an extension of your own muscles with a little added resistance. Here are my top three band exercises for good posture.
4. Reverse Flies
This band exercise is one of the best for targeting the upper back.
Why you should do Reverse Flies:
Reverse flies are the perfect exercise for strengthening the specific muscles that directly impact your posture. These are the muscles surrounding the shoulder blades, like your trapezius, rhomboids, and deltoids. These muscles help to pull your arms and shoulder blades back into a more natural and correct posture.
How to do Reverse Flies:
Hold the band in both hands with your arms stretched out in front of you. From here, pull your hands apart while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Have enough tension on the band to where you can feel the back muscles getting a good contraction, but not too much to where you cannot perform the exercise.
5. Low Rows
The low row is a great band exercise utilizing the bottom of a door.
Why you should do Low Rows:
This exercise is one of the most important for promoting good posture when using bands. It works the back muscles in all the right places. As the back muscles get strengthened, your arms and shoulders are naturally pulled back into a more correct posture.
How to do Low Rows:
Use either a door stop or towel to attach your band under a door. While holding your band in both hands, step back to where you have good tension on it. Row your arms back, retracting the shoulders together. Your elbows should be close to your body the whole time. You should feel a big squeeze between your shoulder blades, and then a stretch as you release them back to the starting position.
6. Face Pulls
The face pull exercise is great for targeting the minor muscles of the upper back.
Why you should do Face Pulls:
The face pull is so unique in its movement, because it literally takes the two above exercises, reverse flies & low rows, and combines them into one. It hits all of those posture muscles between the shoulder blades, while also working on the back of your shoulders and biceps.
How to do Face Pulls:
Just like a low row, you will need a door stop or towel, but now you will place the bands at the top of the door. The movement is exactly the same as a low row with one exception, your elbows flare out. You should feel a great stretch across your upper back at the starting position and a big squeeze between the shoulder blades as you draw your arms and shoulders back.
Dumbbell Exercises
Dumbbell exercises are great because you know exactly how much tension you are getting at all times.
7. Single Arm Rows
The single arm row is one of my favorite dumbbell exercises.
Why you should do Single Arm Rows:
The thing I love most about single arm rows is that you get to focus on one side of your body at a time. You will target all of the muscles that draw your shoulder blades and arms back into the correct posture. The best part about single arm rows is that you can work on any minor asymmetry that you may have. You also get a better stretch, and a tighter contraction because of its unique unilateral motion.
How to do Single Arm Rows:
There are several techniques you can use with single arm rows. One of my favorite techniques involves utilizing a bench or couch. Place one hand and one knee on the bench. Straighten your back to parallel with the ground. Have the dumbbell in the opposite hand stretched down toward the floor. Retract your shoulder blade as you bring the dumbbell up, keeping your elbow close to the body. Feel a flex in your upper and middle back, and then gently lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
8. Romanian Deadlifts (RDL’s)
RDL’s are the perfect exercise for overall back development.
Why you should do Romanian Deadlifts:
RDL’s are very common among strength and power athletes. The RDL targets your whole posterior chain. The posterior chain is your whole back, ranging from your hamstrings to your trapezius. RDL’s are a phenomenal exercise for both your posture and your overall body strength.
How to do Romanian Deadlifts:
Stand with your feet hip to shoulder width apart. Hold your dumbbells in front of your waist. Create just a slight bend in the knees and keep them in that same position throughout the whole exercise. Push your butt back as you descend down the legs with the dumbbells close to your body. Continue until you feel a good stretch in the back of your legs, and then ascend back to the starting position. Make sure to tuck your hips back under you and squeeze your glutes for a full contraction.
9. Bent Over Rows
The bent over row is the most powerful exercise for overall upper body back development.
Why you should do Bent Over Rows:
Without the stability of a bench, the bent over row targets nearly all the muscles in your back and core. On top of this, most people are able to use a little more weight. By lifting more weight, your back strength will increase. This increase in strength is directly correlated with better posture.
How to do Bent Over Rows:
The bent over row incorporates the RDL technique. You start from the bottom of the RDL position with dumbbells in both hands. Row both arms up with your elbows tucked in close to your body. You will contract your shoulder blades together and then slowly lower the dumbbells back to that starting position.
My Favorite Fitness Resources
Here are a few great resources that have changed the way I approach my health and wellness.
The Benefits of Good Posture – Here is a great TED Talk on posture.
ACSM - This is one of the organizations I am certified through. ACSM has many great resources on health and wellness.
The Renaissance Diet 2.0 – This is hands down the best book I have ever read in regard to nutrition.
I also routinely upload fitness content on my Instagram @rickerfit.
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You Can Literally Change Your Life
Changing your life takes a habitual practice of pursuing a healthy direction. That all starts with a singular decision. Once you’ve made that decision, your life will have already changed.
You deserve your best body.
I look forward to hearing your journey come to fruition!
What do you think?
What are your favorite tips for posture? Have any Questions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
