3

I would like to use one of these exercises to help strengthen my back, in conjunction with stretches in my chest and shoulders to help correct my rolled forward shoulders ('computer posture'). Of these two, which is more appropriate for that purpose?

Ken - Enough about Monica
  • 521
  • 3
  • 14

1 Answers1

4

Horizontal rows are generally better for correcting posture in deskbound workers.

You should be looking to strengthen your rear-shoulder muscle-groups: Trapezius, scapular deltoid, rhomboids, scapular retractors.

Any sort of horizontal row where you keep your elbows high will do the trick. In addition, try any of the following:

  • Face-pulls
  • Reverse-fly
  • Rear-deltoid raise

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/posture-cure

john3103
  • 817
  • 4
  • 8
  • 2
    Hmm....interesting that the *core* wasn't mentioned at all. I would have presumed that a lot of people with posture problems have weak core. – Kneel-Before-ZOD Sep 14 '15 at 18:49
  • 1
    @Kneel-Before-ZOD What about the back isn't the core? – Dave Liepmann Sep 14 '15 at 19:25
  • It is; however, it seemed that *the upper back and shoulders were the focus of the discussion.* Being a dr in the field, I'd defer to him; however, I was simply surprised the stabilizing muscles weren't mentioned. – Kneel-Before-ZOD Sep 14 '15 at 19:36
  • @Kneel-Before-ZOD - Most upper body posture problems are caused/exacerbated by the front deltoids being more powerful than the rear deltoids, and pulling them into the "hunched" position. That's why rows, that work the rear delts are the better of these two exercises. Ideally you want to work all of the upper back muscles to counteract the "trophy" work that many gym people do on the front side. – JohnP Sep 14 '15 at 19:36
  • 2
    @Kneel-Before-ZOD - How would strengthening the obliques, abdominals or erector spinae (All the common "core" muscles) help the shoulders and upper back area? – JohnP Sep 14 '15 at 19:38
  • 1
    @JohnP Hmm....interesting. My perception was that weak lower back allows people to hunch forward in order to use a desk or a stable position for support. That, and the muscular imbalance of overdeveloped frontal region. – Kneel-Before-ZOD Sep 14 '15 at 20:02
  • @Kneel-Before-ZOD - Ah,I see what you are saying. Weak back (erector) are one of the most common causes of lower back pain, but the general hunch over starts in the mid thoracic vertebrae (ish). The lower back is lumbar, and that doesn't really affect upper posture. – JohnP Sep 14 '15 at 21:47
  • @JohnP Thanks for that.....a new nugget learned :) – Kneel-Before-ZOD Sep 15 '15 at 00:23
  • In the ideal case EVERY muscle-group is both strong and balanced with regard to the rest of the body. Erector spinae and the rest of your core certainly has a place in this discussion, but the original-poster was asking about a specific this-or-that question. – john3103 Sep 15 '15 at 19:56
  • @JohnP, I agree that the hunch has shoulder and pectoral components, as well as weakened, lengthened upper back muscles, but with any postural fault the whole body needs to be considered. For some, poor sitting posture starts with "sitting on the sacrum" instead of the ischial tuberosities, sometimes caused by tight hamstrings. Abdominals in this case are shortened and weakened. The effect of different standing and sitting postures on trunk muscle activity includes lumbopelvic muscle activity in slumped sitting incl. obliques, multifidi – BackInShapeBuddy Sep 16 '15 at 10:30
  • @BackInShapeBuddy - see john3103's comment. Agreed that they can be contributors, but if you fix the sitting posture, abs and es, that won't fix the upper body problems, and vice versa. – JohnP Sep 16 '15 at 13:33
  • @JohnP, yes I get that the question was this or that, but I don't think posture can fully be corrected by working on only on piece of the puzzle. I have found Tom Myer's work in Anatomy Trains to be very useful in thinking of the body in 3D, connected terms. Re: this question, although helpful, neither exercise alone will necessarily give the desired results imo. This tnation article gives some nice additional exercises and includes a look at the hips in relationship to slumped shoulders. – BackInShapeBuddy Sep 16 '15 at 15:29
  • @BackInShapeBuddy - That would make an excellent answer if you wrote it up. Not only what the OP is asking, but why it's not sufficient. :) – JohnP Sep 16 '15 at 15:47