Bad posture can be the reason for a lot of pain or discomfort found in the back and is so easily adjusted. For those who work for the majority of their time at a desk will probably find their upper back becoming rounded and the shoulders falling forward.
These exercises either help to strengthen the muscles in the upper back, mobilise the upper back or stretch the chest muscles- all of which will help to correct the posture in the upper back.
The exercises
Prone “L” Raise
Lie face down on your matt with your arms in an L shape in line with your shoulders and palms flat on the floor. From here you are going to engage the muscles in the top of your back and lift the arms off the floor, keeping the forearms and hands perpendicular to the floor.
Back extensions
Lie face down on your matt with your hands at your temples. Use your back muscles to lift your head and chest off the floor as high as you can while keeping your feet in contact with the floor. Lower the upper body back to the floor nice and slowly with control.
Resistance Band Pull-aparts
Hold a resistance out in front of you with both hands placed at either end. Keeping your elbows lifted and in-line with both the shoulder and the wrists, pull the band moving both hands out to either side, slowly and with control. Hold this position, squeezing between the shoulder blades and keeping the shoulders down for 5 seconds, then slowly move the hands back to their starting position.
Upper Back Stretch
Find a flat surface that you can comfortably rest your elbows on. Place your arms out in front of you placing the hands together palm to palm and rest the elbows on the edge of the surface with your arms outstretched.. You are then going to lower the torso, maintaining a straight back, past the surface so the head goes through the arms. Keep breathing and hold this position for 5 seconds, then slowly release and repeat.
Chest Stretch
Raise your arms either side of the body and make an “L” shape with arms so the elbows are in line with the shoulders and the hands are pointing to the sky. From here (much like the Prone “L” raise) you are going to squeeze between the shoulder blades and move the forearms and elbows back to feel a stretch across your chest.
Perform each of these exercises for 10 repetitions for 3 sets, these can be performed whenever you feel you need them and you can perform as many of the exercises you want to.
