Tired of having poor posture and a hunchback? Here are 7 easy exercises to fix your posture for good.

Resistance Bands I Use: https://amzn.to/3lKDeL5​
Foam Roller: https://amzn.to/2Qn3ukp

0:00 Intro
0:39 Countertop Thoracic Extension Stretch
1:47 Wall Angels add resistance
2:52 Thoracic Mobility Drills (seated ext, chair/ball)
3:57 Foam Roll Thoracic Spine
5:00 Cat Cow
5:50 Prone Press Up
7:13 3 Way Diagonals

#1: The first exercise for better posture is the countertop thoracic extension stretch. I put this exercise first because it’s really easy to do almost anywhere without any equipment

There are two ways I like to perform this exercise. The first way is to place your elbows on the countertop and to allow your mid back to flatten as you rock back slightly. You’ll feel a stretch along the lats and mid back as you work back and forth or hold for 1520 seconds.

#2 is a Wall Angel. To perform the exercise, place your back against the wall and flatten your low back to avoid arching. With both arms, reach up like you’re trying to place your thumbs against the back wall. Now slide your arms up the wall while trying to maintain a flat spine and stable neck position. You can make this exercise even more effective for strengthening the scapular stabilizers by holding a resistance band as you slide your arms up and down 15 to 20 times.

#3 is what I call Thoracic Mobility Drills. You can perform this in a variety of positions, but my go to is against a chair using a towel or a ball to create a hinge point. Position the towel along the top of the chair and align your mid back against the towel. Cross both arms and extend into the towel, then back to your neutral starting position. Repeat this movement 20 times and you may feel a gradual increase in movement and even a couple of pops in the thoracic spine. This is a great movement to provide some pretty instant relief and also longer term mobility of the thoracic spine.

The 4th exercise is an even more aggressive way to achieve increased thoracic mobility, which is very important if you’re trying to fix poor posture and upper back pain. The exercise uses a foam roller to promote extension through prolonged holds of 20 to 30 seconds or even repeated extension 20 times.

Exercise #5 is a Cat Cow exercise and it’s best performed on your hands and knees, but you can also perform with your arms on the counter top and feet on the ground if you need to modify. The idea with this movement is to actively flex and extend the thoracic spine to engage the upper paraspinals and scapulothoracic musculature. By strengthening this group of muscles, we can work to overcome the rounded back posture that is so common. Aim to perform 15 to 20 movements before working into the next exercise.

#6 is the prone press up and it’s challenging exercise because it can be difficult to perform correctly. The goal is to avoid hinging entirely through your lumbar spine. So to perform this movement correctly, begin with a slow extension of the upper spine as you think about rolling your body off the ground, pressing up with your forearms then gradually progressing to both hands. This is a challenging position to hold for most people, so work into it gradually, holding it for 10 to 20 seconds at a time, repeating it 5 to 10 times to start.

Exercises #7 is called a 3 Way Diagonal Band. The 3 way band pull is a great because it strengthens the rotator cuff, encourages thoracic extension, and targets the supporting muscles of the mid back like the middle and lower trapezius. Perform the movement by stretching the band diagonally. I always focus on leading with the thumb up and try to keep my neck relaxed as I repeat the movement on the other side. The third movement is to stretch the bands horizontally, which targets even more muscles of the shoulder that are important for improving your posture. Try to perform 10 rounds of this, which will add up to 30 movements when you perform the 3 exercises in a sequence.