Whether at a desk, in the car or on the sofa, we spend far too much time sitting down. Our back suffers the most from this: it bends into a hump and causes us pain. With the following exercises you can correct your hunchback and prevent permanent postural damage.
Anyone who spends a lot of time at the desk , behind the wheel or on the couch will sooner or later fall into a rounded back posture, as the muscles tire over time and our upper body can no longer keep it straight. In the short term, this is not a problem, but if we sit hunched over for hours, we end up with a typical hunchback or rounded back. Even well-trained people fall into a slouched posture after a while because our bodies are not designed for such one-sided loads. He longs for movement. You should regularly integrate the following exercises into your everyday office life and strength training to prevent a hunched back or correct your crooked posture.
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3 exercises against a hunchback
With these exercises, you can get out of the hunched, relieving posture, straighten your rounded back and, above all, strengthen the middle and upper back muscles. With every exercise, make sure you keep your stomach consistently under tension so as not to fall into a hollow back.
1. The Upsilon
This exercise is the perfect counter-movement to the slouched posture we adopt at a desk. It activates and trains the upper back muscles and improves your sense of upright posture. That’s how it works:
- Stand up straight and actively contract your stomach.
- Now stretch your arms up so that your body forms a Y.
- However, keep your shoulders down and don’t pull them up. The head remains straight and in line with the spine.
- Now try to pull your shoulder blades together behind you to bring your arms back at the top.
- Hold the Y for 30 seconds and gradually pull your arms backwards. Do three sets with short breaks in between.
2. Reverse-Butterfly
In the classic butterfly, weights are pressed together in front of the chest. The reverse butterfly reverses the movement so that the shoulder blades are pinched behind. This specifically trains the upper back muscles (trapezius muscle, also known as the hood muscle ) and the shoulder muscles. That’s how it works:
- Stand up straight and tense your stomach to avoid slouching
- Spread your arms out at a 90° angle
- Don’t pull your shoulders up, keep them low
- Variant 1 – bent: Arms are bent at the elbows. Squeeze the shoulder blades together firmly at the back and immediately relax them again. If you can do this alternately for 30 seconds without a break, you can continue with variant 2.
- Variant 2 – stretched: arms are stretched, palms point to the ceiling! Squeeze the shoulder blades tightly together and let them relax in flowing alternation. After 30 seconds, pause briefly, shake out your arms, and then repeat the exercise two more times for 30 seconds each.
3. The Scapula Press
This exercise permanently improves your posture. It prevents a rounded back and strengthens your entire back muscles. Because you only need a wall to lean against, you can do the scapula press almost anywhere, anytime, such as in the office, while watching TV, or in the waiting room. That’s how it works:
- Stand with your back to the wall. Your feet are positioned hip-width apart and a little less than a foot’s length from the wall.
- Lean your torso against the wall. The main point of contact is the shoulder blades. Stretch your head straight up as if a thread at the back of your head is pulling it toward the ceiling.
- Your arms are bent at 90° at the elbows, and your forearms point forward in a V-shape. Now squeeze the shoulder blades together as hard as you can and hold for 10 seconds.
- After contracting for 10 seconds, relax for 5 seconds. Then tighten again. Repeat this process three to five times in a row. Tension your entire body and squeeze your buttocks each time .
Also helpful: 5 tips to prevent back pain in the home office >>
