Most of us have jobs that require us to sit in front of our desks, tapping away in our keyboards. You might think that this is an easy job because you’re simply sitting down but you might be surprised that prolonged sitting can wreak havoc in your health not to mention your posture. What’s worse is that hours of sitting can make our spine become misaligned which reduces your power when lifting weights in the gym.
The good news is that there are ways that can help strengthen your upper back so you can correct your posture and eventually, improve the muscles as well. These exercises will bring back the strength to your upper back in no time.
- Shoulder blade squeeze. Start this exercise by either sitting down or standing up. Make sure that your back is straight and that your chin is tucked slightly in. Your shoulders should be thrown back a bit. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as far and as hard as you can manage as long as there is no pain. Hold this pose for 5 seconds before releasing. Do this 10 times.
- Darts. Start this workout by lying down on the floor on your stomach. Your arms should be at your side. Bring shoulder blades together and squeeze them to lift arms as well as chest off the floor. See to it that your neck remains straight. Hold this pose for 2 seconds at the top then go back to first position. Do 3 sets of 10 reps as long as there is no pain involved.
- Resistance band pull backs. Loop your resistance band around a sturdy post. Hold both ends with your hands. You can either stand or kneel as long as you keep your back straight. Pull arms backwards while squeezing shoulder blades together. Hold this pose for 2 seconds before releasing to first position. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions or as long as there is no pain in any part of your body.
- Opposite arm and leg raises. In this exercise, you need to lie down on the floor on your belly with arms above the head. Your knees and elbows should remain straight. Raise your right arm and left leg to engage your bottom and back muscles. Hold this pose for 2 seconds before going back to your first position. Raise your left arm and right leg and again, hold it for 2 seconds. You should do 10 reps for this workout on each arm and leg or until you can manage without experiencing pain.
- Resistance band pull down. This exercise can be done either in a kneeling or standing position. The resistance band should be looped around a sturdy post or pole with ends held by your hands. Keep your elbows and your back straight as you pull the band down to your hips. Hold for a few seconds before releasing to first position. You should do 3 sets of 10 repetitions to really work the upper body and arm muscles.
