Exercises for rounded shoulders

A large percentage of the population has poor posture. Rounded shoulders can be caused by sitting at a desk or leaning forward for long periods of time. Getting up and walking around, or shifting to a different position, can help. Pressing the head forward, leads to an excessive curve in the neck and can cause dowager’s hump.

Sitting at home is no different than sitting at work. Anyone who sits for long periods with their arms out in front of them, including truck drivers, are prone to hunched shoulders.

I found, when doing a lot of bicycle racing, the following exercises helped open my chest and raise my sternum. Collapsing the chest diminishes the lung capacity. Bicycle racing requires high aerobic capacity, and lung restriction is detrimental.

When the shoulders begin to slump, the muscles of the chest begin to shorten, the small muscles between the shoulder blades begin to weaken and the muscles of the back begin to lengthen, increasing the tendency to slump. Slumping collapses the chest and restricts breathing capacity. The following exercises can help counteract problem(s). I have taught the following in health classes with a high rate of success for people with collapsed chest and/or hunched shoulders.

Remember, the amount of repetitions shown here are only guidelines and you need to listen to your body and only do what feels appropriate to you.

The first two exercises were shown to me by USMC and USN doctors when I was in a rehab program.

While standing with feet shoulder width and knees moderately bent, bend the arms and raise the elbows as if they were wings. I use light hand weights to reinforce the workout, but do what works for you. Make fists and touch the thumb side of the fists to the chest. Next, while keeping the elbows level and at shoulder level, push the elbows horizontally back as far as possible. Do not jerk the elbows, just push them back smoothly and evenly. Hold them back as far as possible for a count of five, then slowly bring the elbows back to the starting position.

Also try the following: standing with feet shoulder width and knees moderately bent, straighten the arms, horizontally and level with the floor, out to the sides and level with the shoulders. Turn the arms so that the palms are faced to the rear and push the arms back as far as possible and hold for a count of five. To increase the difficulty, find a wall and, standing as above, lean back against the wall and then push yourself forward. You can also use hand weights and bend and straighten the legs to increase the difficulty. Start with five or so repetitions and work up slowly.

I’ve taught what I call “rubber band workouts” and this is an exercise that helps strengthen, and shorten the muscle of the upper back. Place your bands, I use surgical tubing, in the hands and behind your upper back, at shoulder height and arms straight. Push the arms back as far as possible and then forward until the bands touch the upper back, keeping the arms horizontal and parallel with the floor. To increase the difficulty, bend the knees and stand static, or bend and straighten the knees in sequence with moving the arms.

No one, for thousands of years, has invented an exercise, only exercise equipment. You can find other versions of the above exercises by searching on the Internet.