Preventing a Rounded Upper Back

It's common knowledge now that sitting all day isn't great for your health - hours spent in one position not moving....

But there's an additional problem with sitting for so long in a car or looking at a screen - your POSTURE.

When you're craning your head forward your upper back slumps forward, stretching and weakening your upper back muscles. Eventually those muscles become weak enough that they can't hold you up. 

To keep looking forward with weak upper back muscles you'll likely need to compensate by overusing your low back muscles. That's low back pain waiting to happen!

This exercise will help you strengthen those upper back muscles and restore mobility to your thoracic spine (upper back). In addition, doing this exercise with your hips back as far as possible will flatten your low back so those overused muscles can't contribute.

Keep in mind that this exercise isn't a big "strength" exercise where you need to add more resistance by piling weights onto your head (I really don't recommend that!).

Add the exercise to your warm up, get your brain to learn how to fire up those upper back muscles, and then they'll be easier to connect to during the rest of your workout, when you're at the desk, or in the car.

Think about how strong you'll look and feel with good posture and a tall spine.


Doug Barsanti
ReInvention Fitness

P.S. Your posture is often the result of habits - make them good ones.