Muscle Exercises for Posture

You've heard since elementary school that good posture is important. And while your grade school teachers might have stressed the importance of self-esteem and not looking sloppy, the long-term effects of bad posture can be more serious than that, including back and neck pain. If you are concerned about your posture, the solution is to strengthen your supporting back muscles.

Shrugs

• The shrug targets muscles in the shoulder, neck and between the shoulder blades. Strengthening these muscles allows them to help you keep your head up and shoulders back. To do a shrug, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Then slowly raise and lower your shoulders.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

• This is another exercise that helps to straighten the muscles between the shoulder blades. To do this exercise, sit on a stool or a chair with no arms. Then slowly draw the shoulder blades together. Hold for 5 seconds and relax before repeating.

Rhomboid

• To work the rhomboid muscles, try this weight-lifting exercise that targets that specific muscle group. Lie on your stomach, gripping a small hand weight in your right hand. Let that hand rest on your lower back, palm upward. Then push the weight up. Return your hand to your low back and repeat.