Without even looking at you, I'm pretty sure you have a posture problem. That's because almost everyone I see has a posture problem. After years of evaluating clients at my fitness center in Indianapolis, I've learned to spot an anatomical abnormality from the way a guy walks through the mall, sits on a park bench, or stands at a bar.
The trouble isn't just that slumped shoulders make you resemble a Neanderthal. Over time, your poor posture takes a tremendous toll on your spine, shoulders, hips, and knees. In fact, it can cause a cascade of structural flaws that result in acute problems, such as joint pain throughout your body, reduced flexibility, and compromised muscles, all of which can limit your ability to burn fat and build strength.
But don't worry—all these problems can be corrected. Are you ready to straighten yourself out? Use this head-to-toe guide to make sure your posture is picture-perfect.
Tip: Want to look great in the mirror—and to women? Build the 10 muscles ladies love most.
Analyze your alignment
Strip down to a pair of shorts and ask a friend to take two full-body photos, one from the front and one from the side. Keep your muscles relaxed but stand as tall as you can, with your feet hip-width apart. Now compare your photos with the illustrations at right to diagnose your posture problems. Then see the repair plans below.
Forward head
Where pain strikes: your neck
Problem: Stiff muscles in the back of your neck.
The fix: Stretch with head nods daily. Moving only your head, drop your chin down and in toward your neck while stretching the back of your neck. Hold for a five count; do this 10 times.
Problem: Weak front neck muscles.
The fix: Do this neck "crunch" every day. Lying faceup on the floor, lift your head so it just clears the floor. Raise your head, and hold for five seconds; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Elevated shoulder
Where pain strikes: neck and shoulders
Problem: Your trapezius (the muscle that starts at the back of your neck and runs across your upper back) is shortened.
The fix: Perform an upper-trap stretch. With your higher-side arm behind your back, tilt your head away from your elevated side until you feel the stretch in your upper trapezius. Apply slight pressure with your free hand on your stretched muscle. Hold for 30 seconds; repeat three times.
Problem: A weak serratus anterior, the muscle just under your pecs running from your upper ribs to your shoulder blades.
The fix: Try chair shrugs. Sit upright in a chair with your hands next to your hips, palms down on the seat, and keep your arms straight. Without moving your arms, push down on the chair until your hips lift off the seat and your torso rises. Hold for five seconds. That's one rep; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Tip: Improve your results instantly! Avoid these eight common weight-training mistakes.
Rounded shoulders
Where pain strikes: neck, shoulder, or back
Problem: tight pectoral muscles.
The fix: Try a simple doorway stretch: Place your arm against a doorjamb in the high-five position (that is, forming an L), your elbow bent 90 degrees. Step through the doorway until you feel the stretch in your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. That's one set; do a total of four daily.
Problem: Weakness in the middle and lower parts of your trapezius.
The fix: Use the floor L raise. Lying facedown on the floor, place each arm at a 90-degree angle in the high-five position. Without changing your elbow angle, raise both arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 5 seconds; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Hunched back
Where pain strikes: neck, shoulder, back
Problem: Poor upper-back mobility.
The fix: Lie faceup on a foam roller placed about midback, perpendicular to your spine. Place your hands behind your head and arch your upper back over the roller five times. Adjust the roller and repeat for each segment of your upper back.
Problem: Weak muscles in your back.
The fix: Perform the prone cobra. Lie facedown with your arms at your sides, palms down. Lift your chest and hands slightly off the floor, and squeeze your shoulder blades together while keeping your chin down. Hold for five seconds; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Tip: Use insider secrets to strengthen every muscle. Sign up for the Men's Health Exercise of the Week newsletter today.
Anterior pelvic tilt
Where pain strikes: Lower back (because of the more pronounced arch in your lumbar spine). The tilt also shifts your posture so that your stomach pushes outward, even if you don't have an ounce of belly fat.
Problem: Your hip flexors, which allow you to move your thighs up to your abdomen, are tight.
The fix: Kneel on one knee and perform a front hip stretch. Tighten your gluteal (butt) muscles on your kneeling side until you feel the front of your hip stretching comfortably. Reach upward with the arm that's on your kneeling side, and stretch in the opposite direction. Hold this position for a count of 30 seconds, and repeat three times.
Problem: Weak glutes.
The fix: The glute bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent about 90 degrees. Squeeze your glutes together and push your hips upward until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. Hold for five seconds; complete two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Pigeon toes
Where pain strikes: knee, hip, or lower back
Problem: Tightness in the outer portion of your thigh (your tensor fasciae latae).
The fix: Stand up, cross your affected leg behind the other, and lean away from the affected side until you feel your hip stretching comfortably. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.
Problem: Weak gluteus maximus and medius muscles.
The fix: Use an exercise called the side-lying clamshell. Lie on one side with your knees bent 90 degrees and your heels together. Keeping your hips still, raise your top knee upward, separating your knees like a clamshell. Pause for 5 seconds; lower your knee to the starting position. Perform two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Tip: Don't feel like working out today? We've all been there.
Duck feet
Where pain strikes: hip or lower back
Problem: You lack flexibility in all the muscles in your hips.
The fix: Drop to your hands and knees and place one foot behind the opposite knee. Making sure you keep your spine naturally arched, shift your weight backward and allow your hips to bend until you feel the stretch. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat three times, then switch sides.
Problem: Weakness in your oblique muscles and hip flexors.
The fix: Try the Swiss-ball jackknife. Assume the top of a pushup position but rest your feet on a Swiss ball. Without rounding your lower back, tuck your knees under your torso by rolling the ball with your feet toward your body. Roll the ball back to the starting position. Do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
The trouble isn't just that slumped shoulders make you resemble a Neanderthal. Over time, your poor posture takes a tremendous toll on your spine, shoulders, hips, and knees. In fact, it can cause a cascade of structural flaws that result in acute problems, such as joint pain throughout your body, reduced flexibility, and compromised muscles, all of which can limit your ability to burn fat and build strength.
But don't worry—all these problems can be corrected. Are you ready to straighten yourself out? Use this head-to-toe guide to make sure your posture is picture-perfect.
Tip: Want to look great in the mirror—and to women? Build the 10 muscles ladies love most.
Analyze your alignment
Strip down to a pair of shorts and ask a friend to take two full-body photos, one from the front and one from the side. Keep your muscles relaxed but stand as tall as you can, with your feet hip-width apart. Now compare your photos with the illustrations at right to diagnose your posture problems. Then see the repair plans below.
Forward head
Where pain strikes: your neck
Problem: Stiff muscles in the back of your neck.
The fix: Stretch with head nods daily. Moving only your head, drop your chin down and in toward your neck while stretching the back of your neck. Hold for a five count; do this 10 times.
Problem: Weak front neck muscles.
The fix: Do this neck "crunch" every day. Lying faceup on the floor, lift your head so it just clears the floor. Raise your head, and hold for five seconds; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Elevated shoulder
Where pain strikes: neck and shoulders
Problem: Your trapezius (the muscle that starts at the back of your neck and runs across your upper back) is shortened.
The fix: Perform an upper-trap stretch. With your higher-side arm behind your back, tilt your head away from your elevated side until you feel the stretch in your upper trapezius. Apply slight pressure with your free hand on your stretched muscle. Hold for 30 seconds; repeat three times.
Problem: A weak serratus anterior, the muscle just under your pecs running from your upper ribs to your shoulder blades.
The fix: Try chair shrugs. Sit upright in a chair with your hands next to your hips, palms down on the seat, and keep your arms straight. Without moving your arms, push down on the chair until your hips lift off the seat and your torso rises. Hold for five seconds. That's one rep; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Tip: Improve your results instantly! Avoid these eight common weight-training mistakes.
Rounded shoulders
Where pain strikes: neck, shoulder, or back
Problem: tight pectoral muscles.
The fix: Try a simple doorway stretch: Place your arm against a doorjamb in the high-five position (that is, forming an L), your elbow bent 90 degrees. Step through the doorway until you feel the stretch in your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. That's one set; do a total of four daily.
Problem: Weakness in the middle and lower parts of your trapezius.
The fix: Use the floor L raise. Lying facedown on the floor, place each arm at a 90-degree angle in the high-five position. Without changing your elbow angle, raise both arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 5 seconds; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Hunched back
Where pain strikes: neck, shoulder, back
Problem: Poor upper-back mobility.
The fix: Lie faceup on a foam roller placed about midback, perpendicular to your spine. Place your hands behind your head and arch your upper back over the roller five times. Adjust the roller and repeat for each segment of your upper back.
Problem: Weak muscles in your back.
The fix: Perform the prone cobra. Lie facedown with your arms at your sides, palms down. Lift your chest and hands slightly off the floor, and squeeze your shoulder blades together while keeping your chin down. Hold for five seconds; do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Tip: Use insider secrets to strengthen every muscle. Sign up for the Men's Health Exercise of the Week newsletter today.
Anterior pelvic tilt
Where pain strikes: Lower back (because of the more pronounced arch in your lumbar spine). The tilt also shifts your posture so that your stomach pushes outward, even if you don't have an ounce of belly fat.
Problem: Your hip flexors, which allow you to move your thighs up to your abdomen, are tight.
The fix: Kneel on one knee and perform a front hip stretch. Tighten your gluteal (butt) muscles on your kneeling side until you feel the front of your hip stretching comfortably. Reach upward with the arm that's on your kneeling side, and stretch in the opposite direction. Hold this position for a count of 30 seconds, and repeat three times.
Problem: Weak glutes.
The fix: The glute bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent about 90 degrees. Squeeze your glutes together and push your hips upward until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. Hold for five seconds; complete two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Pigeon toes
Where pain strikes: knee, hip, or lower back
Problem: Tightness in the outer portion of your thigh (your tensor fasciae latae).
The fix: Stand up, cross your affected leg behind the other, and lean away from the affected side until you feel your hip stretching comfortably. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.
Problem: Weak gluteus maximus and medius muscles.
The fix: Use an exercise called the side-lying clamshell. Lie on one side with your knees bent 90 degrees and your heels together. Keeping your hips still, raise your top knee upward, separating your knees like a clamshell. Pause for 5 seconds; lower your knee to the starting position. Perform two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
Tip: Don't feel like working out today? We've all been there.
Duck feet
Where pain strikes: hip or lower back
Problem: You lack flexibility in all the muscles in your hips.
The fix: Drop to your hands and knees and place one foot behind the opposite knee. Making sure you keep your spine naturally arched, shift your weight backward and allow your hips to bend until you feel the stretch. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat three times, then switch sides.
Problem: Weakness in your oblique muscles and hip flexors.
The fix: Try the Swiss-ball jackknife. Assume the top of a pushup position but rest your feet on a Swiss ball. Without rounding your lower back, tuck your knees under your torso by rolling the ball with your feet toward your body. Roll the ball back to the starting position. Do two or three sets of 12 reps daily.
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