Great Exercises That Fix a Crappy Posture

You’re probably suffering from ‘desk bod’ and ‘text neck.’ Here’s how to fight back

Sitting at desks all day was already ruining our bodies—and then we became attached to our smartphones, too. Now experts say we have to worry about "text neck," a plethora of problems that result from being hunched over your phone all day. “Your neck is forward, your shoulders are slouching, there's more rounding of the upper back, and you're closing up your body,” says Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., owner and founder of TS Fitness, a strength and conditioning studio in New York City.

Not only does that give you the posture of Quasimodo, it can also lead to neck pain, wrist mobility issues, and muscular imbalances. And if you jump into a workout in that hunched-over position, you could be asking for an injury.

“If you bust out bench presses, you're tightening pecs that are already tight,” Tamir says. Plus, if your shoulders are rounded forward, it can make it harder to press overhead, and if you force it, that can lead to bone spurs, tendinitis, or torn tendons.

In addition to the risk of injury, all these tight muscles can inhibit your strength gains. “Adequate range of motion around the joints is imperative to perform loaded movement patterns safely and effectively,” says Jessica Matthews, master trainer for the American Council on Exercise and author of Stretching to Stay Young.

And if you try to bang out reps anyway, other muscles may step up to compensate for tighter, weaker ones, causing you to build muscle where you don't want it. “You might build up your traps and get big muscles in your shoulder, rather than targeting your rhomboids and other muscles in your back,” Tamir says.

Taking a few minutes at the gym and throughout your day can make a big difference in helping you feel better, avoid injuries, and hit your fitness goals.

HOW TO FIX BAD POSTURE AT WORK

The best thing you can do to alleviate the muscular woes of working at a desk all day is to move more. Take a break every 30 minutes and walk around for about a minute, recommends physical therapist and strength coach Eric Oetter. “Your tissue is like a rubber band. Sitting applies constant tension, and the rubber band stretches out some,” he says. “Standing up hits reset to help counteract some of the negative effects of sitting.”

Then stretch out a few common tight spots: Nod your head up and down and stretch your neck side to side, then do a few shoulder rolls forward and backward as far as you can, Tamir recommends.

Next stretch out your wrists: Interlace your fingers and flip your palms to face away from your body. Raise your arms to shoulder height and extend your elbows, while simultaneously pushing your palms away from your body.

And for your upper back, use this stretch from Oetter: While seated, place both hands on your desk. Straighten your arms and round your back. Gently press your hands into your desk as you try to expand your upper back with your inhales. Exhale and repeat up to five times.

If it helps, set an alarm to remind you to get up and do these exercises every 30 minutes. The more you can do it, the better.

HOW TO FIX BAD POSTURE AT HOME

Incorporating regular static stretches into your everyday life will help stretch and lengthen muscles that can become tight as a result of excessive cell phone use, Matthews says. So consider adding these stretches to your morning routine after your shower, when your muscles are warmed up.

Reverse Tabletop

Sit with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and palms directly behind body with your fingertips pointing toward your butt. Inhale, gently pressing into your hands and feet to lift your butt off the floor, extending your hips toward the ceiling. Exhale and draw your shoulder blades toward each other to open your chest while carefully lowering your head back and tilting your chin up. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat until you've stretched for a total of 60 seconds.

Cat/Cow

Get on all fours with your wrists aligned below your shoulders and your knees aligned below your hips. Keep your toes tucked under. Inhale, relaxing your belly so it moves toward the floor, and gently arching your back, tilting your tailbone and chin toward the ceiling. Exhale, gently rounding your spine, drawing your chin to your chest, and untucking your toes. Repeat this movement back and forth for 6 to 10 reps.

Bird Dog

From the same all fours position, tuck your right toes under and extend your right leg behind you. Slowly lift your leg off the floor no higher than hip height. Bracing your core, slowly reach your left arm forward no higher than shoulder height and turn your palm inward so your thumb points toward the ceiling. Hold for no more than 7 to 8 seconds, keeping your hips and shoulders level. Return to starting position and repeat on the opposite side. Continue alternating for 6 to 10 reps on each side.

T-Spine Mobility in Child's Pose

From all fours, sit back onto your heels as in child's pose. Place one hand behind your head with your elbow pointing toward the floor. Rotate your chest until your elbow points to the ceiling. Lower back to the starting position. Do 6 to 10 reps, then switch sides.