Exercises for posture at home.

Stooping (the medical term is “increased kyphosis”) is the most common postural disorder. Paradoxically, the problem is even more pressing among bodybuilders than among ordinary untrained citizens. Many athletes focus on the volume of the pectoral muscles to the detriment of the harmonious development of the chest, shoulders and back. In addition, many exercises for a straight back (overhead presses, bent-over rows) are often regarded as “inconvenient” and “unloved.” As a result, the shoulders are constantly pulled forward against the background of hypertonicity of the chest muscles.

The good news is that even advanced age is not an obstacle to solving the problem. The following complex, for example, can be done after the main training instead of a cool-down. It is also recommended to perform these posture exercises at home. They need to be done slowly, holding the maximum effort for 15-20 seconds. The number of repetitions is secondary; it is more important to fatigue the target muscles.

1. Who can ㅡ adds wide grip pull-ups at the beginning of the complex.
2. Efficient and work with rubber shock absorber. Grasping the tourniquet, slowly stretch it using the force of your shoulder blades.
3. Lying on your stomach, raise your arms apart. Make sure that your shoulder blades are brought together. You can add weights. It is most convenient to perform on a bench or on the floor, placing a pillow or towel under your head.
4. Bend over, spread your arms until they are parallel to the floor (preferably with dumbbells). The rear deltoids should work.

All these actions are aimed at developing lagging muscles. If you train a lot and it is undesirable to reduce the load on the pectoral muscles, it is extremely important to provide them with at least adequate stretching. At the same time, you should not completely erase such an exercise as push-ups from your life. It has a good effect on all the core muscles responsible for posture. So, stretching:

1. If you are practicing at home, stand in the middle of the doorway and lean on the doorframe with the entire length of your forearm. Rotate your body so that you feel a stretch in the target area (chest).
2. Alternately make a “lock” with your hands behind your back 8-10 times.
3. Clasp your arms straight behind your back and try to push your sternum forward as much as possible. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat ten times.

1. a) bending the neck while lying down (with a harness or a barbell disc attached to the forehead);
2. b) bent barbell rows, shrugs and wide grip pull-ups;
3. c) horizontal block row, dumbbell row lying on the stomach;
4. d) lateral twists;
5. e) leg curls on the machine. At the same time, you need to strengthen the hamstrings and hamstrings, and reduce the overall load on the quadriceps to a minimum.

It will be enough to select at least one exercise from each item, or allocate one day of the split program for all of them together. As an alternative (for example, if it is not possible to go to the gym), the now popular exercise “horizontal plank” deserves attention: its meaning is to maintain a straight position for as long as possible, leaning only on the elbows and toes of the feet.

Important note: for pain, severe spinal deformities, scoliosis, these recommendations do not work. Any load (as well as inaction) outside the framework of a special technique and medical supervision only aggravates such situations.

Another difficulty is related to the fact that any exercises for posture at home or with exercise equipment do not in any way affect the habit of keeping your back straight. Changing the motor stereotype can only be achieved through self-control. It's a good idea to enlist the support of family and colleagues who could tactfully reprimand you every time you slouch. What else can be done for this purpose:

A simple and old method that is still practiced to straighten staff: sitting and walking with a small load (a book) on the head. Thus, you can do sedentary work or watch a movie for a long time with a straight back.

Yoga is a controversial method from a scientific point of view, but for kyphosis it works in the same way as walking with a book. Many asanas are physically impossible to perform while slouching.

Wear a posture corrector that pulls your shoulders back. Despite the fact that the corrector itself does not yet set the ideal pose, it still helps to maintain it for a long time and not get tired.

It doesn’t hurt to periodically lean against the wall and check whether your heels, buttocks, back of your head and shoulder blades are in the same line. To the list of useful things you can also add an office chair (the back angle is slightly more than straight), an elastic and hard (moderately) mattress and pillow.

So, the conditions for success in correcting posture are: strength training with an emphasis on lagging muscle groups (at the gym or at home, with free weights); stretching; consciously maintaining correct posture throughout the day. If you don’t mess around, changes in your figure and gait will become noticeable after just a month of training.