How to Keep Your Shoulders Back

A rounding or hunching of the shoulders indicates poor posture. Poor posture is a condition which affects many people; when left untreated, it can cause extreme discomfort in both the upper and lower body, and lead to injuries. One way to address postural issues is to focus on keeping your shoulders back by increasing mobility and strength in your upper back. This can be done by performing certain exercises regularly, and remembering certain cues and instructions which you can implement daily to help keep your shoulders back, improve posture and relieve pain.

Things You'll Need

• Cable pulley machine

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Instructions

• 1

  Dedicate five minutes per day to upper back mobility exercises like the scapula wall slide. Stand with your heels, glutes and upper back against a wall. Bring your elbows up so they are in line with your shoulders and touching the wall. The backs of your hands should also be against the wall above your head. Without arching your back or leaning forward, move your hands as far up the wall as you can. When you get to this point, pause for a second before lowering them again. Do three sets of 12 controlled repetitions every day.

• 2

  Perform face pulls in your gym workout. Face pulls are excellent for strengthening the upper back muscles, and help to draw your shoulders back. Set a cable pulley machine at shoulder height, and attach a rope handle to it. Hold each end of the rope handle with your arms fully extended. Bring the handle back toward your face by drawing your shoulder blades back and squeezing them together while flexing your arms. When your arms are in line with your ears, slowly straighten your arms to the start position. Aim to do four sets of eight reps twice per week.

• 3

  Stand up and walk around whenever you can. Sitting for long periods of time, especially in front of a computer screen, can lead to a rounding of the shoulders. Try to take a break at least every half hour. Stand up, take a few deep breaths and walk around for a minute while keeping your shoulders drawn back.

• 4

  Decide on cues to use to help you remember to keep your shoulders drawn back and enforce good posture. For example, you may use the color red as your cue. Every time you see something red, think about keeping your shoulders back and standing up straight.