25 Exercises To Fix Bad Posture In A Few Minutes A Day

Poor posture is rarely the result of one particular thing. It’s typically the result of a lack of mobility from a sedentary lifestyle or injury, a weak core, muscle imbalances and a general lack of awareness with regards to posture. 

Each individual is unique and everyone will come with their own baggage. For some, mobility may be a larger concern than muscle imbalances, while others may suffer from a particular weakness in a given area. While there is no such thing as a one-fits-all solution, this article will give you 25 exercises that are all relatively easy to perform and are an excellent place to start

The routine below is split up into three parts.

1. Lower Body Mobility and Upper Body Mobility (10 Minutes)

2. Stretching and Yoga Poses (8 Minutes)

3. Strengthening Exercises (15 Minutes)

The first set of exercises is a great way to warm up for any physical activity. It takes about ten minutes and will help keep you injury free while improving your overall mobility.

The second can be fit in any time you have a few minutes during a break.

Finally, the strength exercises need equipment and can easily be added to your current gym routine.

Lower Body Mobility and Core Exercises (5 Minutes)

Photo by Justyn Warner on Unsplash

Pelvic Tilt

Pelvic Tilt Video

Start by lying on your back with your feet flat and your knees bent. In this position you should be able to naturally slide your hand between your lower back and the floor. 

• Engage your lower abdominal and draw your belly button inwards. The gap between the floor and your lower back will close.
• Breathe normally while keeping your core engaged and your lower back flat on the ground. Hold for a count of 15 seconds.
• Repeat for 4 sets of 15 seconds.

Dynamic Lunges

Dynamic Lunge Warm Up Video 

• Place your hands behind your neck
• Take a big step forward with your right leg
• Slowly lower your body until your right knee touches the floor, make sure your knee doesn’t go past your toes
• Press into your right heel and return to the starting position
• Alternate to your left leg
• Perform 20 reps, 10 on each side

As you perform this exercise, remember to tighten your core and try to move along the vertical line.

Your hip flexors should be working actively while your pelvis remain neutral, without tilting it forward.

Single Leg Bench Lunges

Single Leg Bench Lunge Video

• Place the top of your right foot on a bench and your left foot slightly in front of your body
• Make sure that your upper body is in an upright position and that your spine is neutral
• Tighten your core and slowly lower your body until your right knee touches the floor
• Press into your right heel and raise your body back to the starting position
• Perform 20 reps, 10 on each side

As you can see, the procedure of this exercise is very similar to dynamic lunges.

The difference is that single leg bench lunges targets your anterior thigh muscles more efficiently, while also giving your posterior thigh muscles a proper stretch.

Single Leg Lift

Single Leg Lift Video

• Lie down on your back with bent knees and stretch your other leg in the air
• Keep your supporting leg approximately 30 centimetres from your hip
• Tighten your core and extend your hip until your body forms a line
• Slowly lower yourself back down to the floor and repeat
• Perform 20 reps, 10 on each side

The single leg hip lift activates the posterior chain and primarily targets the glutes.

As you perform the exercise, avoid overextension in your back.

Lying Leg Raises

Lying Leg Raise Video

• Lie down on your back with your legs 90 degrees in the air
• Press your lower back towards the floor
• Tighten your core and slowly lower your legs with high control
• As soon as you feel that you starting to lose contact with the floor with your lower back, bring your legs back up to 90 degrees
• Perform 2 sets of 12-20 reps

This is a great exercise to estimate and challenge your core strength.

Aim to be able to lower your legs at least 45 degrees without arching your lower back.

The lying leg raises can be made easier by lowering one leg at a time, or more difficult by keeping your arms raised above your head throughout the movement.

Goblet Squats

Goblet Squat Video

Goblet squats did more for my range of motion than any other exercise. They really help improve your hip mobility and ankle mobility. You can perform this with a light weight if you’d like, but I’d recommend just doing bodyweight goblet squats for this series of exercises.

• With your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, your toes should be turned slightly outwards.
• Drop your butt down, grounding through your heels while maintaining a neutral spine.
• I like to keep my elbows in tight so I can drop them between my knees, but that’s just on variation.
• Drop down as far as is comfortable before returning to the top. Over time you’ll find you can practically get the seat of your pants on the floor while maintaining good posture.
• Perform 2 sets of 10 reps.

Upper Body Mobility Exercises (5 Minutes)

Many individuals with poor posture lack mobility in their thoracic spine.  

Inability to properly extend the thoracic spine can lead to a forward rounding at the base of the neck, also known as dowager’s hump.

This can affect the mobility of the shoulder blades and cause movement restriction in the shoulder joint.

A simple way to measure your mobility is to compare these two movements:

• Get in a standing position, round your shoulders and push your head forward
• Lift your arms sideways as high as possible

Next:

• Get in a standing position with proper posture
• Lift your arms sideways as high as possible

After performing these two movements, you should notice a significant difference in your mobility when alternating between poor posture and proper posture.

If you suffer from rounded shoulders, you most likely need to stretch pectoralis minor which is a muscle located in the upper part of the chest.

One way to do this is through an exercise called wall slides.

Wall Slides

Wall Slides Video

Wall slides are beneficial both for improving shoulder rotation and scupular mobility

The fact that the only thing you need to do it is a wall makes it a great mobility stretch to perform in the office. 

Here’s how:

• Stand upright and press your head, back and shoulder blades against a wall
• Hold your hands at shoulder level and your elbows bent 45 degrees
• Slowly extend your arms as high as you can without raising your shoulder blades
• Make sure that your lower back and forearms are constantly in contact with the wall, throughout the entire movement
• Return to the starting position
• Repeat 10 repetitions for two sets
• If you’re finding that you are disengaging with the wall, shuffle your feet out a few inches further from the wall.

Shoulder Dislocates

Shoulder Dislocates Video

Shoulder dislocates is a warm-up exercise primarily aimed at loosing up your shoulders.

However, it also helps to increase your mobility and by doing so, you improve your ability to perform other exercises with a better posture.

• Grab a stick or a rope and hold it by your waist using a wide grip
• Lift the stick and move it above and behind your head until you reach your lower back, then pull it back up and return to the starting position
• Keep your arms straight throughout the movement and avoid arching your back
• Repeat 10 repetitions for two sets
• The wider your grip, the easier it will be

Table Maker

Table Maker Video

This exercise activates your core and focuses on increasing both strength and flexibility in your spine.

• Position yourself in a sitting position with your feet flat and your knees bent.
• Place your hands with palms down next to your hips
• Press with your hands towards the floor as you lift your chest, abdominal and hips towards the ceiling
• Try to create a straight line with your hips so that your body takes the shape of a table
• Hold the position for approximately 3 seconds and return to the starting position
• Perform 10 repetitions for two sets

T Spin Rotation

T Spin Rotation Video

T-spine rotations is a simple warm-up exercise that will help to open up your chest and increase your thoracic spine mobility.

• Move into a table top position with your knees placed underneath your hips and your shoulder above your wrists
• Bring one hand behind your head so that your elbow points towards the floor
• Exhale as you twist, opening your chest and your back
• Hold the top position for 2-3 seconds
• Perform 10 reps on each side
• You can use a foam roller, if you’re really tight (as shown in the video)

T-Spine Extension – Foam Roller

T- Spine Extension Video

If you want to prevent poor posture and counterwork rounded shoulders, t-spine extensions can do wonders.

All you need to get started is a foam roller.

• Place a foam roller on your middle back and position. Place your hands straight out in front of you. You’ll be tempted to put both your hands behind your head, this video explains why you shouldn’t do that.
• Maintain your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor
• Exhale as you extend your upper back and wrap yourself around the foam roller while keeping your ribcage down
• Slowly roll up and down along your thoracic spin
• Roll for one-two minutes

Downward Dog to Upward Dog

Downward Dog to Upward Facing Dog 

This is a personal favorite to sneak in anytime I’ve been sitting in a chair for long periods of time. It’s a great way to improve mobility thoracic spine.

• Both your feet and your hands should be shoulder width apart.
• Starting in a plank position push your hips into the air and your feet towards the floor. Your back should not be rounded.
• Drop yourself back into a plank position. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders.
• Curl your feet underneath you, so the top of your feet and knees are on the ground. Your spine should have a slight back bend as you push away from the floor.
• Hold each position for several breathes before alternating. 
• Perform this transition five times. Take your time working through each transition

Stretching and Yoga Exercises (8 Minutes)

Photo by Lena Bell on Unsplash

Cat Cow Pose

Cat Cow Video

The purpose of the cat/cow pose exercise is to stretch your neck and back, as well as increasing spinal flexibility.

• Enter the starting position by placing your hands and knees on the floor
• Ensure that your wrists are under your shoulders and your knees are under your hips
• Keep your spine neutral and maintain a flat back
• (Cow phase) Inhale – let your abdominal fall and roll your shoulders back while gazing up towards the ceiling
• Hold this position for 3-4 seconds
• (Cat) Exhale – round your spine and pull your navel in while tucking your chin towards your chest
• Hold this position for 3-5 seconds
• Alternate between these two poses for approximately 10 repetitions. This is a perfect way to warm-up your back.

Bird Dog

Bird Dog Video

Practising the bird dog exercise is a good way to increase your core strength and improve your lumbar spine stability. It’s also beneficial for recovering from- and preventing- back injuries.

The starting position is very similar to the cat cow pose.

• Begin on your hands and knees with your wrists underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips
• Tighten your core while keeping your back and pelvis stable
• Lift and reach your right arm forward and your left leg backward
• Hold this position for 3-5 seconds
• Return to the starting position
• Lift and reach your left arm forward and your right leg backward
• Hold this position for 3-5 seconds
• Alternate between these two poses for 8-12 reps per side.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Hip Flexor Stretch Video

If you have a sedentary job or spend a lot of time sitting, your hip flexors shorten and can overtime become very tight.

By doing this stretch you prevent this by loosening up your hip muscles and adding more flexibility to that area.

• Get into a lunge position by placing your right foot forward and your left knee on the floor
• Squeeze your left glute and push your hips forward.
• Raise your left arm over your head with your thumb pointing towards the back wall. 
• Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
• Repeat on the other side

There is a chance that your hip flexors aren’t tight; they’re just extremely weak. It’s very common to confuse the two. Check out this video for a good job explaining the difference between the two and how to identify it.

Frog Stretch: Groin/Hip Adductor Stretch

Frog Stretch Video

Your groin muscles consist of adductor magnus, adductor brevis, adductor longus, gracilis and pectineus. They connect between your abdominal and your thigh, on either side of the pubic bone.

These muscles are responsible for pulling your legs towards your body’s midline, as well as assisting in stabilizing and rotating your knees.

If you sit a lot, it’s very likely that your groin can feel tight and thus, you need to stretch to loosen it up.

• Position yourself on the floor and get into a frog position. Your knees will be splayed out to the side and the insides of your feet will be resting on the ground.
• Keep your knees underneath your hips and your hands (or elbows if you’re flexible enough to get your elbows on the ground) under your shoulders.
• Maintain a neutral spine and your back flat
• For most of us, we’ll struggle to get very deep into this stretch. This is a good indication that we ought to focus more attention on it. 
• Stay in that stretch for 45-60 seconds

Lateral Hip Stretch

Lateral Hip Stretch Video

Injuries involving the muscles around the hip area are very common, which can lead to long-term hip issues and pain in the lower back.

Fortunately, you can prevent these kinds of injuries by regularly practising exercises such as the lateral hip stretch. 

• Lay down with your back resting on the floor
• Bring your right leg up and tuck your right foot behind your left knee
• Drop both knees towards the right side, until your right leg is resting on the ground
• Keep your back and shoulders against the ground. If you’re struggling with this, add a foam roller or a block under your lead leg.
• Hold for 30-45 seconds
• Repeat on the other side

Lower Back Knee to Chest Stretch

Knee to Chest Video

If you experience soreness and tightness in your lower back, this movement can help to relieve your pain. It also stretches your hips and hamstrings.

• Lie down on your back with both legs extended
• Place your hands just below your right knee and pull it towards your chest
• Keep your left leg remain straight
• Hold this position for 30-45 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side

As you perform this exercise, remember to press your lower back down against the floor.

Lower Back Bridge

Lower Back Bridge Video

This is a perfect warm-up exercise for your core and lower back, while also engaging your glutes and hamstrings.

• Lie down and bend your knees in a 90-degree angle
• Keep your gaze focused on the ceiling and your heels in contact with the floor
• Tighten your core and slowly raise your hips towards the ceiling, creating a straight line with your knees and shoulders
• Hold for 3-5 seconds
• Return to starting position
• Perform 15 reps

Chest Opener Stretch

Chest Opener Doorway Stretch

Desk jobs and daily monotonous work can result in increasingly tight chest muscles. This can also be triggered by overdoing chest exercises, such as bench press, or performing press movements with improper form.

Thus, it’s important to remember to stretch and focus on opening up your chest.

• Position your forearm against a door frame and bend your right arm in a 90-degree angle
• Place your right foot in front of your left foot
• Begin by rotating your chest until you feel the stretch in your chest and shoulder
• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds
• Repeat on the other side

Pull Up Lat Stretch

Lat Stretch Video

Stretching your lats, or latissimus dorsi, is one of the most effective ways to lengthen your lats and prevent rounded shoulders. It can also help to loosen up tissues in the biceps and triceps tendons.

Latissimus dorsi is known as the broadest back muscle and the largest muscle in our upper body. It plays a crucial part in extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine, as well as rotating the shoulder joint.

• Grab a pullup bar with your hands positioned shoulder-width apart
• In order to enhance your grip strength, think of your hands as firm hooks
• Hang from the bar with all your bodyweight. Make sure you keep your shoulders blades back and maintain a neutral spine. 
• Try to hold for 20-30 seconds. Perform this twice.

This is a perfect stretch to begin and end your workouts with.

Strength Exercises for Improved Posture (10-20 Minutes)

Improving strength and reducing muscle imbalances is one of the best ways to relieve pain from poor posture.

Be cautious with the final two exercises; deadlifts and front squats – if they’re done incorrectly they can actually cause you more problems. If you’re not comfortable with those exercises work with a trainer to build up competence.

And for our purposes, lighter weight and higher reps is generally better, we want to ensure we’re maintaining form through out each movement.

Face Pulls with an Exercise Band

Face Pull Video

Attach a resistance band to a fixed object so that it’s in level with your chest

• Grab the other end of the resistance band and step back
• Position yourself with your feet shoulder width and your knees slightly bent
• Pull the resistance band towards your ears and maintain your elbows right above your shoulders
• Hold the position for 2-3 seconds and keep your arms back straight, squeezing your shoulders blades together
• Return to the starting position and repeat
• Aim for 2 sets of 15-20 reps with a light band.

When performing shoulder faces pulls, aim for deep contact with your muscles rather than lifting heavy loads.

Thus, limit the amount of weight you lift.

Apart from working your deltoids – the largest shoulder muscle – this exercise will strengthen your rotator cuff, which consists of supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.

These muscles are collectively responsible for both internal and external rotation of your arms, as well maintaining shoulder joint stability.

Rear Deltoid Raises

Rear Deltoid Raise Video

Rear deltoid raise is an isolation exercise that mainly targets the posterior deltoid muscle.

The Scapulothoracic joint and the Glenohumeral joint are the primary shoulder joints involved.

In terms of posture, this exercise is great for strengthening your upper back and will also contribute to balancing your shoulders with the rest of your body.

• Place two dumbbells right in front of a flat bench
• Sit down on the end of the bench and put your legs together so that the dumbbells are behind your calves
• From this position, keep your back straight and bend down to pick up the dumbbells
• Keep your torso forward and lift the dumbbells with your palms down until your arms are parallel to the floor – hold for 2-3 seconds
• Lower the dumbbells with high control back to the starting position, then repeat.
• Aim for 2 sets of 10-15 reps.

This will be done with a relatively light weight. Focus on engaging your deltoids, not how many reps or how quickly the exercise is performed. 

Deadlift

Deadlift Video

Deadlift is one of the most optimal exercises you can do to increase your over-all strength and total muscle mass, as well as for improving your back-health and posture.

The movement pattern of deadlift is common in many different sports. It’s also very transferable for learning how to lift more safely and efficiently in your everyday life.

In order to avoid injuries, it’s crucial that you execute the deadlift with proper form, if you’re uncomfortable with the movement work with a trainer. Normally, I’d link to the video but because form is so important, I’m going to leave it right here.

• Walk up to the weight bar and position yourself hip-width with your feet under the bar
• Bend over and grip the weight bar just outside your legs
• Drop into lifting position by bending your knees so that your shins touch the weight bar
• Tighten your core and lift your chest up in order to straighten your back
• Keep your head in a neutral position and your gaze focused forward
• Take a deep breath and pull the weight bar from the floor, lifting it so that it’s constantly in contact with your shins and hips – until it reaches your upper-thigh
• At the top, squeeze your glutes but don’t over extend your back.

As you return the weight bar to the floor, make sure that you maintain control and a neutral spine.

If you experience difficulties in keeping your back straight throughout the lift, decrease the weights and return to practising your technique. 

Never mind your ego, start light and master the movement.

Front Squat

Front Squat Video

Front squats are another incredible movement when it comes to building lower body muscle mass and core stability.

Although most people won’t be able to lift as much weight in the front squat as in the back squat, this exercise brings many other benefits.

Firstly, it’s less taxing on your knee joints and your spine, particularly the lumbar spine.

The execution of the front squat also offers a deeper range of motions, which stretches your leg muscles and enhances the mobility in your hips, knees and ankles.

Secondly, front squats stimulate several muscles simultaneously, including your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves.

Additionally, it also strengthens your trapezius and erector spinae muscles, generating a better posture in your shoulders and spine. Like the deadlift, the front squat needs to be taken seriously and preformed cautiously. 

• Step right underneath the weight bar and position it just outside of shoulder width, allowing it to rest above your collarbone and on top of your deltoids
• Keep your arms high and your elbows pointing forward
• Take a deep breath, tighten your core and unrack the weight bar
• Move back with one foot and let the other one follow, so that your feet are parallel to each other
• Start squatting by allowing the weight to go through your hips to your knee joints, until you reach a sitting position
• Exhale and move back up to the starting position, fully extending your hips and knees

The depth of your front squat should be adjusted based on how deep you can go without rounding your back.

This exercise might be challenging at first, both in terms of keeping your elbows up and reaching a proper depth in your squat.

However, if you keep practising, your joints and muscles will adapt, which will enable you to perform the movement more effortlessly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is posture?

A: Your posture reflects how different parts of your body interact and relate to each other.

It can also be described as the position in which you hold your body while moving, standing, sitting or lying down. In other words, all activity you perform begins and ends with posture.

There are several factors that can affect your posture, including mobility, skeletal size, lifestyle habits, mental state, and muscle interaction.

Apart from this, we are all born with genetic anatomical differences, which makes every individual’s posture unique. Thus, it’s basically impossible to determine the perfect posture.

However, there are postures that could be considered more beneficial than others, usually referred to as ideal posture.

Q. What is ideal posture?

A: Ideal postures are positions where you are able to perform an activity in the most energy-efficient way possible.

There are many benefits to having a good posture, you create a skeletal-, joint- and muscle- balance, which protects your body from injuries and overuse damage. It also reduces the amount of stress affected to your ligaments.

One of the most common procedures to examine an individual’s posture is to view their standing position from the side.

In this scenario, there should be a vertical line passing through the body’s centre of gravity:

The vertical line starts at the ear and continues through the shoulder, hip, and knee, all the way to the foot.

In order to achieve this kind of posture, you have to work on improving your muscle- and joint- ability, as well as strengthen your postural muscles.

Q: What is poor posture?

A: Poor posture makes it more difficult for your body to maintain proper balance and stability.

This can over time lead to a variety of problems, such as fatigue, headaches, back pain, muscle tightness, and lower self-esteem.

The cause of poor posture is typically a result of sedentary lifestyle habits and incorrect use of your body’s natural structure [4].

In contrast to ideal posture, where the vertical line passes through the body’s centre of gravity, poor posture creates an imbalance between the weight distribution across your body.

Unless treated, this imbalance can lead to that your muscles eventually adapt to the poor positioning, which will reflect negatively on your posture.

One of the more common posture patterns is known as “sway back”.

Q: What is sway back posture?

A: Sway back falls into the category of poor postures which can cause both pain and discomfort in the back. The image below shows other common types of poor posture positions.

Image Source: The Back Clinic

When comparing this picture with the ideal posture, we can see some distinctive differences in the posture pattern.

Firstly, the head is slightly thrust forward, resulting in an excessive convex curve in the neck and the lumbar spine (the lower back), also known as lordosis.

In order to compensate, there is an increased concave curve in the thoracic spine (the upper back), medically known as kyphosis.

As you might have figured, there is a correlation between lordosis and kyphosis. If one of them is increased, the other one will also increase; to create balance.

Since the head is slightly thrust forward, the neck muscles will constantly work to try to keep the head upright.

Secondly, the s-shape of the spine is significantly more pronounced than in the ideal posture. This can have a compressing effect on the spine and may reduce the length of the individual.

When the spine is forced into this position, the pelvis is tipped forward at the same time as the arch in the lower back is exaggerated.

Apart from influencing your physical appearance, the total weight of your upper body will be distributed over a smaller area, which can overload your joints and ligaments.

Furthermore, if you have an exaggerated arch in the lower back, it can lead to an inward-rotation of your femur (thigh bone). This causes stress on your lateral leg-muscles and may result in knee pain and foot pain.

Q: Do all people with poor posture have back pain?

A: Before we go deeper into research, it’s important to remember that defining posture and its impact on our bodies is a complex topic.

As we mentioned before, every individual’s posture is unique and so is the experience of how it affects us.

In some cases, pain problems can be solely related to the individuals work environment. This is typically common in highly monotonous jobs. In such situations, the problem may go away by itself after the person quit or change their job.

At the same time, some people who fall into the category of poor posture do not experience or report any pain at all [5].

Once again, this is highly individual.

What we do know is that most humans are to some extent asymmetric and flaws can be found in anyone’s posture, if you analyse them thoroughly enough.

With all this taken into consideration, there is research that has measured the effectiveness of exercise programs for posture correction and found positive results in terms of pain reduction – particularly in shoulders and lower back [6].

Additionally, several studies have identified poor posture in terms of abnormal curvature in the neck to be associated with neck pain [7, 8].

As we review this research collectively, the key takeaway is that if you have a poor posture that you want to address, there is a lot that you can do to try to improve it.

The first thing you can do is to work on developing a good base position.

Q: What is a good base position?

A: In order to find a good position, begin with following these steps:

1) Position yourself slightly wider than hip-width and move your weight towards the front of your feet

2) Relax your knee joint so that your weight is centred

3) Let your arms hang naturally along with your body

4) Pull your stomach in and rotate your pelvis so that it enters its neutral position

5) Raise your chest by imagining that someone lifts you through your head and along your spine

6) Pull your chin in and look straight forward

This position should feel relaxed and effortless.

When you pull your stomach in and raise your chest, avoid drastic movements or overdoing it. Simply adjust your posture in a subtle manner.

A simple way to practise this base position is to stand with your back along a wall.

Analyze the positioning of your back by feeling the distance between your lower back and the wall with your hands. If you notice that they are not in contact and that the distance is wide, try to decrease it by following the steps above.

While you do this procedure, ensure that your neck is always in contact with the wall.

Conclusion

As we have discussed in this article, poor posture can arise due to several reasons.

One of the core issues that we’ve concluded is the negative effect of monotonous jobs and sedentary lifestyles, combined with little to no exercise.

Another problem is when the individual knowingly or unknowingly stops paying attention to their posture.

The positive news is that this also means that you are fully in charge of improving your posture.

By actively increasing the awareness of your own posture and performing mobility, stretching and strength exercises on a regular basis, you will start to both feel and see progress in your health and physique.