Learn how to tell if you have round shoulders and learn the best exercises to help you get rid of slouching at home. One of the most common posture disorders is round shoulders. However, this problem can be easily eliminated with the help of special exercises. Once your muscles are stronger, it will be much easier to maintain a beautiful posture.
Recall that round shoulders represent a postural disorder when the shoulder joints are pushed forward. In the high-risk area there are people constantly working on the computer, lifting weights, as well as drivers. Today we are going to show you how to fix round shoulders.
If the shoulder joints are lowered and pushed forward, then due to constant tension, some muscles shorten, while others, on the contrary, stretch. At the same time, they are also weakened. This negatively affects not only your appearance, but also your health. We recommend not delaying to fix this shortcoming.
How to tell if you have round shoulders?
Physiotherapists carry out several tests to solve this problem. First of all, the position of the body at rest is assessed. A person with round shoulders has a slouch, and the doctor invites the patient to stand up straight. If there are no problems, then the hands are located near the body, and the thumbs are directed forward. You can also lie on the ground and relax. If the shoulder joints do not touch the ground, then you have a poor posture.
Although there are a number of tests, the ones described above are quite effective and easy. You can easily do them at home. However, if you want to be sure of the presence or absence of posture problems, then you should visit a specialist. At the same time, it is important that he is engaged precisely in correcting bad posture.
How to fix round shoulders: the best set of exercises
As we said above, this lack of posture can be corrected and quite easily. However, you should not delay with this. We will now introduce you to simple exercises that will take you 20 to 30 minutes a day to complete. Moreover, you can perform them a couple of times a week, but the more often you work on your posture, the faster you will correct the situation.
- Handshake exercise. This exercise allows you to stretch your muscles and can be done every day. Stand up straight with your arms to your body. Then lower them down, connecting them behind the back into a lock. Start pulling your arms while pulling your shoulder joints back. Care must be taken to keep the neck motionless. When the shoulder joints are pulled back, the ribcage will open and you will feel a strong tension in the muscles of the back. Hold this position for half a minute.
- Stretching the chest muscles in the doorway. To correct posture, it is necessary to stretch the chest muscles as well. At home, this is easiest to do in the doorway. Stand in front of the door frame with your hands on it just above head level. Start slowly moving forward, stretching your shoulders and chest. At the moment of maximum muscle tension, hold the position for 30 seconds.
- Reduction of the shoulder blades. This exercise will remind your body what correct posture is. In addition, you will be able to strengthen the muscles. Get into a sitting position and straighten up. Begin to move your shoulder blades as if you were holding a tennis ball between them. At this time, the shoulder joints should be raised to the level of the ears. As soon as this happens, start performing circular movements with your shoulders. The exercise is performed for ten seconds 10 times a day.
- T-shaped stretch. It is advisable to perform this exercise immediately after waking up or before going to bed. Lie on your back, bending your knees and rest your feet on the ground. Stretch your arms to the side with your palms facing up. At this point, you should feel a slight stretch in the muscles in your back and shoulder girdle. You can put a rolled towel under your back. We recommend doing the exercise daily for ten minutes.
- Stretching against the wall. This is an extremely effective posture correction exercise. Press your tailbone against the wall, while touching it with your back, hands and head. Legs must be placed at a short distance from the wall. This position must be held for 30 seconds.
- Exercise for the shoulder joints against the wall. Lean your back against the wall, touching it with your hands. Legs should be slightly forward. In the initial position, the arms should form the letter W. Start lifting them up, keeping the shoulder joints in a lowered position. Then return to the starting position. The exercise must be performed in 10 repetitions.
How to fix round shoulders: other helpful exercises
- Rolling out on a massage ball. The shoulder joints are held in the wrong position by stiff muscles and overgrown fascia layers. To correct posture, this situation must be corrected. Pre-purchase a massage ball from a sporting goods store. To carry out rolling, place it under the required area of the body, leaning on all its mass. It is necessary to roll out all areas of the body where you feel stiffness. If you feel pain, you are doing everything right. This posture correction method can be used on the muscles of the chest, shoulder girdle, serratus anterior and the area between the shoulder blades.
- Exercise 1. Get into a prone position. To prevent the spinal column from bending in the lumbar region, a dense pillow should be placed under the stomach. The forehead is on the palms and the cervical spine should not bend. Raise your straightened left leg a couple of centimeters above the ground, while unbending your foot. Pull your heel back to stretch the muscles on the back of your leg. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement with the other leg.
- Exercise 2. The starting position is the same as the previous movement. Raise your left arm and right leg at the same time. As you do this, bend your foot so that your toes point towards you. Exhaling air, stretch the spinal column along this line. Then return to the starting position and move in the opposite direction. The exercise is performed in six repetitions.
- Exercise 3. The starting position is similar to the previous exercise, but the arms are spread apart. Bring your legs together, squeezing your buttocks tightly. Make sure that the lumbar spine does not bend. Raise your shoulders, arms, and head by bringing your shoulder blades together. Begin to perform springy movements with your hands in a vertical plane. The exercise is performed in 10 repetitions.
- Exercise 4. The starting position corresponds to exercise # 1. Raise your feet a couple of centimeters off the ground as you inhale. Spreading your legs to the sides and exhaling at this moment, lower them to the ground. Return to starting position. The exercise is performed in 10 repetitions.
- Exercise 5. Lie on your stomach with a firm pillow underneath. Stretch your arms forward, and close your legs tightly. Begin to move your hands across the sides to your feet, placing your palms on your buttocks. In this case, the spinal column should be extended only in the thoracic region, but not in the lumbar. Return to starting position. Do 10 repetitions of the exercise.
- Exercise 6. Take a prone position with your legs joined and your joined arms extended forward. Raise your arms, legs, and head at the same time. At this time, you should feel the spinal column stretch. Try to lift your shoulder joints as high as possible. And the legs are only a couple of centimeters from the ground. In this position, it is necessary to maintain a pause of three minutes.
- Exercise 7. Take a prone position with your legs together and resting your hands on the ground near your shoulder joints. Straightening your arms, push up from the ground, resting on your knee joints. Lowering the pelvis, sit on your shins, while your arms remain in place and straighten. You should feel the stretch in your lumbar spine. Return to starting position. The movement is performed six times.
- Exercise 8. Lie on your stomach, squeezing your buttocks tightly and rest your hands on the ground near your shoulder joints. As you exhale, straighten your arms forward. Exhaling, spread your arms out to the sides, raising your head and upper body. The back remains in the same position, and the arms move back and press against the body. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement several times without pause. Return to starting position. This movement resembles breaststroke swimming.
- Exercise 9. Take a knee-wrist position. As you exhale, raise your straightened left hand forward and up. As you exhale, return to the starting position. Repeat the movement with your other hand. After that, raise your arms alternately to the sides. The exercise is performed for two minutes without pauses.
- Exercise 10. The starting position is the same as the previous movement. The palm of the left hand slides forward, while the head is lowered. Feel the stretching of the spinal column. Return to the starting position and do the exercise on the other side. In total, you need to do six repetitions.
- Exercise 11. Take a prone position with your legs tightly joined and your arms extended forward. Lift your shoulder girdle and at the same time spread your arms to the sides. In this position, you need to stay for 1-3 minutes.
- Exercise 12. Take a knee-wrist position. The straightened left arm rises vertically upward over the side. Turn your head in the same direction and look at the hand at the end point of the trajectory. Return to starting position. The movement must be performed in 10 repetitions.
- Exercise 13. The starting position is the same as the previous movement. Bending the knee joint of one leg, pull it towards the stomach. In this case, the head should not tilt, but the gaze should be directed forward. Then straighten your working leg back. Return to starting position. Repeat the exercise 8 to 10 times.
- Exercise 14. Take a supine position with your knees bent. The legs are placed side by side, and the arms are spread apart. Raise your legs up and tilt them left-right-left. Return to starting position and repeat the exercise. In total, you need to do six repetitions.
- Exercise 15. Get into a supine position with your legs together and your feet flat on the ground. The arms are extended along the body. Raise your legs up and begin to perform movements that simulate cycling with them. Work until the abdominal muscles are completely tired.
- Exercise 16. Take a supine position with your arms bent at the elbows, wrists pointing up. The legs should be bent at the knee joints, and the feet should rest on the ground. Resting your elbows on the ground, straighten your back in the chest and hold this position for ten counts. The exercise is repeated three times.
For more information on how to fix slouching and rounded shoulders, see the video below:
