Hi, Can anyone tell me or direct me to some posture improving exercises. I've always had rounded shoulders but working at a desk all day is making things even worse. After visiting with alot of seniors recently I realized I don't want to end up with the hunched back of many of them, but I can forsee that in my future if I don't take care of it now
It would be a great investment to grab a copy of Bill Hartman and Mike Robertson's Inside Out as many of the exercises are excellent for posture correction.
Meanwhile, you might want to take a couple of pictures and post them here, so you can get specific exercise suggestions
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Hey Bill, thanks for the link! IT for my firm has blocked T-nation.com for 2 years now (I just can't understand why ). You're link with t-muscle.com works.
To the OP... Great advice in both posts. For me, the biggest key for shoulder health has been getting mobility in my thoracic spine area. Inside / Out has some great stuff to help with that. It makes all the difference in the world. Being able to bench at age 48 without doing the shoulder rub after each set is well worth the investment in the DVD as well as the time doing the movement prep.
__________________ 'I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ' ~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,
smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
That being said, no amount of exercise or mobility work is going to help you if you continue with the bad posture for the rest of the time that you're not exercising or mobilizing.
Do your work and be VERY vigilant of how you maintain your alignment. Sit up straight- stand up straight. Always.
With time and compliance with the advice from those linked above you will find that it comes naturally (maintaining good posture).
also - work that posterior chain. If your anterior side is stronger, it will pull you forward/shoulders forward. Focus on Scapula Depression and Retraction when lifting weights. Keep your shoulders down and back.
You didn't listen when mom said, "sit up straight."
Good suggestions so far, but practice good posture whenever you can.
When standing in place, such as in a line, I have often adopted a military rest stance with hands behind my waist and legs slightly spread. When sitting, especially in a hard back chair, I often sit a little forward and up straight without using the back rest. When driving, I adjust my rearview mirror just a tad higher to force me to sit up straight to see what's behind. As has been said, once you start to correct your posture, you have to follow through and practice it.
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No I didn't listen to mom, I was a tall, self consious child so I think I slouched to hide myself. Now I'm average height and still slouching at my desk job and much much older -lol. I have been working on sitting up straighter and it's helping. A trick for the car is to have your head touching the head rest when driving that has kept my neck in much better alignment. Thanks for the article suggestions and the "inside out" suggestion - is that a book dvd can I get it on amazon. I'll read these when I get home from work.
How would I tell if my posterior is weaker than anterior? I do a lot of kayaking (spelled correctly here and not in my user name) and have been told I had well developed shoulder and upper back. I used to be quite thin on top (pair shaped) but have evened out alot since I started paddling, (more hourglassy).
You can get both the DVD and the manual, there is a printed version or an e-version to just print out the exercises you need. They are here: http://www.inside-out-warm-up.com/
Watch your head when you are walking. I know that when I walk my dogs, my head tends to jut forward and tilt down because I'm scanning the ground ahead for something they might get into/quickly scarf down. This carries over to all walking having a constant head downish, chin forward posture for me rather than a more erect/military head-up carriage.
I have had the same problem from being a sloucher in my chairs during school and swimming competitively in college didn't help either. I have asked the athletic trainers on how to improve my posture and they have said to try and improve it whenever you can. I mostly try to improve mine when I'm at my desk. i even built a shelf to put my laptop up higher so I wasn't looking down so much and bought a cheap keyboard so that I would be in a comfortable upright position while typing.
Although you can start with the Neanderthal No More series first.
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Suggestions for Posture Improving Exercises
). You're link with t-muscle.com works. 
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