For those of you that have never stepped into a gym, people who are bodybuilding typically have a day of the week for each muscle group (i.e. – day 1 is legs, day 2 is chest, day 3 is biceps and shoulders, day 4 is a rest day, etc.).  Well the posture day at the gym is pretty much the same as the back day.  This is why people who are bodybuilders generally have great posture – if you are exercising your back regularly, you are working on the muscles that maintain your posture.

The back isn’t made up of one large muscle, it is made up of several smaller muscles that all work in different ways.  However, an easy rule of thumb to remember is if an exercise involves pulling with your arms, then it is a back workout.  Likewise, if you are pushing with your arms then you are using your chest muscles.  Also generally speaking, back exercises tend to use biceps as a secondary muscle, and chest exercises tend to use triceps as a secondary muscle.  In order to have a good, solid back workout you need to make sure to do both upper back exercises and lower back exercises.  There are A LOT of varying back exercises, but if you want to make sure to hit all areas of your back, a good solid routine should include some version of all these exercises:  the lat pull down or pull up, the seated row, shoulder shrugs, and the back extension.  If you do some version of those four workouts once per week, your posture should start to improve automatically, and if you are suffering from regular back pain caused by poor posture, these exercises will certainly help with that.  Please look at the posts on this website that describe each exercise listed in greater detail.  If it is your first time going to the gym or performing these exercises, it would also be wise to bring a friend who knows what he is doing or have a personal trainer show you proper technique and teach you some bodybuilding tips.

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I like seated rows a lot.  Like the lat pull-downs / pull-ups, it is a crucial exercise to include in your repertoire of posture exercises.  You are mainly hitting your upper back muscles (the latissimus dorsi), but in a different way than when you do pull-ups / lat pull-downs.

1.    Sit down, grab the v-bar, and push back until your legs are bent slightly, and keep your back straight and slightly leaning back, while arms are fully extended.  Start pulling back, but ONLY MOVING YOUR ARMS.  The rest of your body should be stiff.  Pull the bar back while you keep your arms close to your body (so your elbows are always right by your side).  While pulling in, you should be breathing out.  There are three main things to keep in mind:

i.    Your posture must remain correct and fixed throughout the entire exercise.

ii.    Your shoulder blades should squeeze together in the back when the bar reaches your torso.  This will help you focus on maintaining correct posture throughout the entire exercise.

iii.    Your shoulder blades should not be elevated at any point during the exercise.

2.    Flex your arms back to the original position.  Remember to do this slowly; don’t just loosen your muscles (that could definitely lead to injury).  During this part of the exercise you should be breathing in.

Step 1:

Step 2:

The v-bar:

•    Side note:  Like the lat pull-downs, a variety of grips can be used on a number of different bars.  I recommend the v-bar because it is a close-grip pulling exercise, and we already do a wide grip pulling exercise when doing the lat pull-downs / pull-ups.  It also feels the most natural for this exercise.  Always remember that each exercise should feel like a natural motion for the body.  If you feel like you are straining your muscle in some strange and unnatural motion, you should stop immediately and ask someone knowledgeable if you are doing the exercise correctly.  This will help you avoid injury, or just wasting your time (exercises not done properly are much less effective at building muscle).

•    Side note:  This exercise also works the biceps as a secondary muscle.  Sounds good to me!

•    Side note:  Some people like to bend their lower back while doing the seated row exercise.  I personally don’t like to do this.  It can be dangerous if done incorrectly, and there are other exercises that focus exclusively on the lower back anyway.

•    Side note:  This exercise is also known as the seated pulley row, the seated lat row, and the seated back row.

Please be sure to read the other articles for more posture exercises!

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To perform back extensions, you will need to find a back extension machine at the gym (also called a Roman chair or back extension bench).  There is a picture of me performing this exercise lower on the page to help you understand how to perform it better.

This is definitely my favorite workout of all the posture exercises on the website.  You feel your posture improve IMMEDIATELY after your first set.  This is a lower back exercise (technically, the erector spinae), which is critical to maintaining correct posture.

1.    Adjust the machine so that the cushion is up against your upper thigh.  Make sure to keep your back perfectly straight throughout the entire exercise.

2.    Lower yourself down while keeping your back straight.  Some people suggest rounding your lower back when you are lowering your body, but this could lead to injury, so I don’t usually recommend it unless you are someone who really knows what they are doing.  Your body should look like two straight lines pivoting at one point (which is your hips).  While lowering the top part of your body you should be breathing in.

3.    Come back up to your original position.  While coming up you should be exhaling.  Remember to do this exercise at a slow and controlled pace, no need to rush.  This rule is true for all exercises, but I stress it for this exercise in particular because it is a fairly easy exercise, and so it can be tempting to do it quickly.

Step 1:

Step 2:

•    Side note:  Since the back extension exercise is a little easier than most, some of you may pass well beyond 15 reps on your first run through.  Remember, ideally you want to hit 12-15 repetitions as your target.  If you find that you did three sets of 15 easily, next time you are at the gym, hold a circular weight to your chest to make it harder (can be 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 25 lbs, etc.).  Cross your arms over the weight to keep it secure in place.

•    Side note:  This exercise also works out your hamstrings and buttocks.  Nothing wrong with that!

•    Side note:  Hyperextensions also exist, where instead of coming back straight at your original position, you raise your torso and back past the point at which it forms a straight line.  This is unnecessary, as it puts pressure on your spinal disks, with no real benefit to your body.  In fact, it could even lead to injury.  So remember:  don’t do hyperextensions!

*   Side note:  I am not certain how effective or safe this exercise is for older people.  Please check out over 40 bodybuilding for tips on that.

That’s all there is to back extension exercises!  I realize that this exercise can make you feel a bit insecure since you are doubling over your stomach, so if that’s you, you can look over some diet plans here.  Be sure to check out the other articles on the site for more posture exercises.

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