Try These 3 Shoulder Exercises For A Better Posture

If your job requires sitting on a chair all day long, you’re compromising your posture and without even noticing you sag your shoulders. If you’re not being careful, your brain will get the signals that that's your correct form and you will start using the same wrong posture even when you walk. That’s why it’s crucial to build strength in your upper back and shoulder muscles.

These 3 exercises target your upper back and shoulder muscles. It helps you to improve the mobility in your joints and builds strength in your upper back and shoulders.

If you have any questions or need some assistance, feel free to submit a comment or send us a message here.

3 Shoulder Exercises for Stability and Strength

1 – Rear Delt Flyes w/ Supinated Rotations

The added supinated rotation will target the rear deltoids more and will encourage thoracic rotation for your posture.

– Lie face down on an inclined bench with a dumbbell in each hand

– Keep your arms straight and raise them simultaneously to the sides (thumbs up, not your pinkies)

– Engage your rear deltoids and squeeze them at the top

– Keep your elbows slightly bend to prevent injuries

– Hold this position for about two seconds, then slowly lower your arms to the starting position

– Repeat the exercises (based on your goals and fitness level)

Bottom Line

With these 3 exercises you’ll develop a stronger and stable upper back and shoulders - which improves your posture.

A correct posture alleviates pain and discomfort and also improves breathing, increasing the flow of oxygen to the brain, which makes you feel more energized during the day.

Maintaining a good posture it’s important while you’re sitting at work, but influences your everyday life too. It boosts up your confidence by making you appear more upright and assertive.

2. Cuban Press on Bench

A well-rounded exercise for the shoulders and the rotator cuffs of the shoulders. Works on all 3 heads of the shoulder and helps to improve healthy mobility of the joint. This can be done on either a bench or in a bent-over position (standing on your feet).

• Lie face down on an inclined bench with a dumbbell in each hand with your palms towards the bench;

• Lift your elbows at 90° shoulder level squeezing your shoulder blades together;

• Bring your forearms in front of you (keeping your head between the forearms);

• Press the dumbbells in front of you straightening your arms;

• Bring the dumbbells back towards your body until your elbows forms a 90° angle;

• Rotate your forearms towards the floor and lower your arms to the starting position;

• Repeat the exercises (based on your goals and fitness level);

3 - Face Pulls

Activates muscles in your lower back and upper back, targeting the rear deltoids, upper back of the rhomboids, trapezius and other muscles surrounding the scapula. Improves scapular stability and strength. This exercise can be done either on the floor, standing up or seated as well.

• Sit on the floor in front of a cable pulley and grab one handle in each hand;

• Pull towards your chest, bending your elbows as you pull until you reach your shoulders. Make sure to squeeze the shoulder blades together when you pull;

• Slowly bring your arms back to the starting position;

• Repeat the exercises (based on your goals and fitness level).

For beginners

If you’re a beginner, you can start these exercises just with your bodyweight or using the assistance of a machine, until you learn to feel confident with the moves. Once you’ve mastered the moves, you can start using free weights (dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells etc.). Start with small weights (1kg) and slowly increase it, without compromising your form.

You can perform these shoulder exercises either in the gym or at home.

How to perform these exercises at home without gym equipment

If you haven’t got dumbbells at home, for the first two exercises (Rear Delt Flyes w/ Supinated Rotations and Cuban Press), you can replace them with a bottle of water or any other weights.

For the Cuban Press, you can replace the bench with a chair or perform the exercise standing.

For the Face Pull exercise, instead of the cable pulley machine, you can hook a resistance band to the door frame or a pole.