8 Postural Exercises For Better Posture
Linda Carlsson dipl. Postural Therapist at Caverus has developed a number of exercises that strengthen muscle groups that contribute to a better posture. A good posture means that the ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle are in a straight line above each other with an S-curvature in the spine. From the front, shoulders, hips and knees should be parallel to each other. The body should be able to stand upright, without conscious effort.
According to Linda Carlsson, there are many ways to train for a better posture. What we often see as posture training are exercises that strengthen large muscle groups, which appear to provide a better posture but require a great deal of effort to maintain. The muscles are trained to cope with keeping the body in a better posture for a longer period of time, but when the muscle becomes tired and relaxes, the body will fall back to a bad posture again. With Linda’s more in-depth postural exercises, you strengthen posture to always have a good posture!
Here are 8 postural exercises that will take you to a better posture. Want to see more exercises go to Caversus website. There you can also book time with Linda for individual Postural Therapy.
1. RUNNER´S STRETCH
If one or both of your feet are pointing outwards instead of straight forward when standing or walking, this exercise releases the tension that builds up so that the right muscles can do the posture work.
- Move the back leg as far as you can with the heel remaining in the ground
- Keep both knees stretched
- Turn your toes inward, the third toe should point straight ahead
- Breathe in, where you feel the most stretch
- Exhale, relax more and more for each breath
- It should stretch into the calf on the back leg and possibly into the back of the thighs
2. STANDING – QUAD STRETCH WITH HAND
If you sit a lot or are very weak, this exercise is good for preventing the front of the thighs from taking over the posture.
- Keep your knees parallel and your body upright
- Inhale, lift the sternum upwards
- Exhale, strain the buttocks lightly, pull the heel towards the buttocks and stretch out the hips
- Keep your hips parallel throughout the exercise
- It should stretch to the front of the thigh
3. STATIC BACK – KNEE PILLOW SQUEEZES
- Lie with your legs at 90 degrees
- Inhale through the abdomen, simultaneously increasing the pressure against the block
- Exhale, gradually reducing the pressure on the block
- Relax in the upper body throughout the exercise
- You should feel a job on the inside of the thighs and in the groin
4. STATIC BACK – GOAL POST PRESSES
This exercise relieves stiffness and tension in the chest so that these are not in the way for you to be able to relax in a good posture.
- Lie with your legs at 90 degree
- 90 degrees in elbow and shoulder joint
- Clasped hands with thumbs down
- Inhale, push the thumb side of your hands loosely, 10% of the max, down to the floor
- Exhale, gradually reducing the pressure on the floor
- You should feel light work between the shoulder blades
5. SPIDER CRAWLS – STATIC
Many today find it difficult to separate the hips. It affects the ability to use the posture muscles correctly. This exercise works with just the separation while teaching your body to load the foot, knee and hip straight.
Note that it is in the groin of the leg you have forward that you should feel the most
- Hips parallel
- Neutral front foot, knee above ankle
- Slow down the movement with the groin on the front leg so that you “sit” on the front groin
- Inhale through the abdomen to the area where it tightens
- Exhale, let the “brake movement” take you deeper into the position
6. KNEELING – ANKLE SQUEEZES
When you do this exercise, the head is automatically moved backwards and is balanced more central above the shoulders. It’s an exercise that is very good in todays lifestyle where we often hang over our digital devices with our heads a bit in front of our shoulders.
If it feels tight in the back or knees of doing this exercise, you need to do more of the above exercises before proceeding with this exercise.
- Stand narrow between your knees
- Inhale, gradually increasing the pressure against the block
- Exhale, gradually reducing the pressure on the block
- Maintain an upright position throughout the exercise. You should feel a work deep inside the seat muscles, the large superficial seat muscles should be relaxed
7. SQUATTING – STATIC
Man is made to squat. When you do this exercise, your posture muscles are activated and the nerve system is balanced so that your body automatically finds the right support in the posture when you then stand up.
- Neutral foot position in the sitting position (third toe pointed straight forward and a fist wide between the feet)
- Knees slightly wider than the ankles and heels of the ground
- Lift your butt a cm as you begin to rise
- Inhale, lift the sternum
- Exhale, try to faint by taking in the hip bends
- You should feel a work in the hip bends
8. STATIC DOG
A position that is contrary to the one we often end up in when we sit in front of the computer and work. It relieves your tension in the neck, shoulders and chest while providing an automatic activation of your posture muscles in the hip, pelvis and lower back.
- Hands a little wider than shoulder width
- The hips a little in front of the knees
- Collapse between the shoulder blades to meet them
- Relax in the back and neck
- Breathe in to your thighs
- Exhale, relax in the stomach and thighs
- Note the light work in the hip bends