“What exercises improve posture?”

There are common exercises specific for posture related concerns. Many yoga positions can help.

Exercises and Stretches in general can help dramatically. I personally do these the most but results vary on the severity of your "bad" posture and any underlying issues with your spine.

Planks.
Crunch with Twist.
Dumbbell Side Bends.
Back Extensions.
Pilates Swimming.
Chin Glide.
Mid-Back Makeover.
Pelvic Tilt.
Reverse Dumbbell Fly.
Seated Dumbbell Row.
Shoulder Rolls.
Seated Twist.
Kneeling Stretch.

Static Exercises for Neck and Back Pain
Based on the work of Pete Egoscue


CAUTION: Stop the exercise if it causes an increase in pain.

1. Floor-Chair 5-10 minutes
Position: Supine (on your back) with both thighs nearly perpendicular to the floor and both legs flexed at the knees to 90 degrees (right angled to the thighs) resting on a chair or block.

Allow your body to settle into the floor.
Breathe from the diaphragm. Your belly should rise and fall as you breathe.

2. Sitting Floor-Wall 4-6 minutes
Position: Seated on the floor, back against the wall, legs straight out in front of you. Arms are relaxed.

Pull your shoulders back against the wall, tighten your thigh muscles and dorsi-flex your feet (bend feet at the ankles bringing your toes and feet towards your chin).

3. Supine Floor-Wall 3-5 minutes
Position: Supine (on your back) with legs going up a wall. Get as close to the wall as you can without causing pain. Legs should be hip width apart.

Relax your upper body while tightening your thigh muscles and bending your feet at the ankles towards the floor.

4. Step-Drop 3 minutes
Position: Standing with balls of feet at the edge of a step, block or stepstool. Feet are shoulder width apart and pointing straight ahead. Use one or two hands on a support. (Railing, doorway etc.) Wear rubber soled shoes to prevent slipping.

Allow your heels drop using your body’s weight. Feel the stretch in your calves. Remember to maintain an upright posture with both feet pointed straight ahead and shoulder width apart.

5. Frog Leg 1 minute
Position: Supine (on your back), knees bent and spread apart, feet together. Arms relaxed, palms up.

Make sure that your feet are centered to the midline of your body. Don’t forcibly spread your knees apart. Just allow your legs to fall outward of their own weight.

Look up upper and lower cross syndrome exercises.

The less complex answer, yoga. Usually and compound or complex exercise done correctly with increase posture.

When done properly, cat/camels and bird dog exercises are great! In addition, practicing diaphragmatic breathing is fantastic for your body.

There are a lot of good exercises to improve posture, its hard to say it without showing it to you. There are good exercises on Youtube, but if there are any pain when doing exercises make sure to stop and not push it. I recommend exercises from yoga.

Very good question, thanks for asking! Without getting too specific, I can definitely recommend yoga poses like Cat/Camel, Abdominal breathing, Upward/Downward facing dog to be generally great for keeping range of motion in, as well as strengthening key posture holding muscles. I usually insist on all of my patients to find 2-3 poses they can do daily. Hopefully this helps or gives you a good starting point for your research!

Dr. Lauren Harden, D.C.

Such a great question! If you have access to a 15lb kettlebell (maybe more if you're stronger), the farmer's carry and the briefcase carry are solid exercises. Also, goblet squats can be helpful if you are up to it. It's not an exercise, but stretching the pectoralis muscles and hip flexors can help as well if you noticed your arms curling in or you sit a lot during the day. There are a few more exercises, but I would start with those.

Basic core exercises can strengthen and improve postural muscles. Exercises like plank, bridge, bird dogs are examples of some. In the weight room, exercises like squats, lat pull downs, rows can help improve postural muscles as well by strengthening the larger muscle groups around them.

Vishal K. Verma, DC, CCSP

Thoracic extension exercises will improve posture.

One of the very best exercises to have better posture is to roll out your mid-back on a foam roller by laying perpendicular on it, lifting your hips, and taking little steps. After a couple of rolls stop on your mid-back, set your hips down and put your hands over your head. Hold that position for 20 seconds.

Dr. Lonna Denny, D.C.

Always think exercises that extend the spine and/or strengthen the back. Face pulls, rows, pull downs, etc. I like using Foundation Training by Dr. Eric Goodman. He has a whole program or you can search on YouTube for some of his exercises.

A posture and X-ray exam is necessary to determine what exercises would help.

The best exercises for posture are Wall Angels, and core strengthening exercises like side planks and glute bridges.