Exercises for Better Posture You Can Do at Your Desk

Life has changed dramatically over the last century or so. Improvements in technology and numerous cultural changes mean that most people spend much of their work and leisure time seated or otherwise sedentary.

Sure, there are exceptions to this, such as manual laborers and professional dog walkers. However, the rest of us spend more time sitting than standing or moving. For many, prolonged sitting is just a part of life.

Unfortunately, too much sitting is bad for your health and is a leading cause of many disorders and diseases, including (1):

• Abnormal cholesterol levels
• Cancer
• Coronary heart disease
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• Increased blood pressure
• Metabolic syndrome
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis
• Stroke

The good news is that exercise is one of the most powerful antidotes to prolonged sitting, and even short workouts provide protection against the risks of sedentarism (2).

However, sitting all day does more than hurt your health; it can also wreck your posture. Poor posture, such as a pronounced slouch, can impair physical performance, make certain exercises and movements difficult or impossible, and will affect your appearance. It’s also a leading cause of lower back pain (3).

Related: Calories Burned Sitting vs. Standing

As a veteran personal trainer, I’m well aware that prolonged sitting can undo many of the benefits of exercise. Consequently, I often include posture-strengthening exercises in my client’s workouts.

In addition, I give many of my clients “homework,” prescribing exercises to do in their free time. Some of these exercises can be done as they work at their desk.

In this article, I reveal seven of my favorite “deskercises” for better posture.

Best Desk Exercises for Better Posture

Break up long periods of sitting with these tried-and-tested exercises for better posture. You can do them all at your desk, so there is no excuse for skipping them. Sitting and standing with better posture can help alleviate and prevent lower back pain, and also make you look slimmer, younger, and more confident.

In addition, these exercises also get you moving, which is a proven solution to many of the health risks of prolonged sitting (4).

Try and do each exercise at least a couple of times a day to strengthen your posture.

1. Seated Chest Opener

Hunching over your keyboard can lead to tight chest and shoulder muscles. As these muscles shorten, they pull your shoulders forward into a protected or rounded position, which is a classic trait seen in many desk warriors.

A tight chest and rounded shoulders are a leading cause of shoulder pain. Shoulder pain can be very debilitating as the shoulder joints are involved in many everyday movements and exercises.

The seated chest opener stretches your chest and shoulder muscles while gently strengthening your upper back.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor and your legs bent to 90 degrees.
2. Sit up tall and place your hands on your temples.
3. Press your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders.
4. Hold for 10-15 seconds, relax, and repeat 3-5 times.
5. You can also do this exercise while standing if preferred.

Related: The 11 Best Chest Stretches for More Flexible Pecs and Healthier Shoulders

2. Bruegger’s Relief

Sitting places your upper-body joints and muscles in a flexed position. Maintain this position long enough and you’ll start to look like you are sitting down even when you’re standing up!

Bruegger’s relief, named after Swiss physiotherapist Dr. Alois Bruegger, opens your chest and shoulders while extending many of the muscles that are typically flexed when you are sitting. It also helps relieve tension and can ease lower and upper back pain.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Rest your hands on your thighs.
3. Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly. Squeeze your shoulder blades down and back.
4. Rotate your arms outwards so that your palms face forward.
5. Lift your chin slightly and tuck it inwards towards your chest.
6. Inhale deeply to expand your lungs and chest.
7. As you exhale, relax your shoulders and lower your arms to your sides.
8. Repeat this sequence 3-5 times.

3. Band Pull-Aparts

Many exercises will be familiar with the band pull-apart. After all, it’s an excellent upper back/rear deltoid exercise and a gym staple. But, have you ever considered doing it to help break up long periods of sitting?

In addition to being a personal trainer, I’m also a freelance writer and spend a lot of time at my computer. It would be no exaggeration to say that I do this exercise at least five times a day and consider it to be a vital shoulder and posture saver.

So, keep a light resistance band in your desk drawer and pump out some reps whenever you have a free minute or two. Your shoulders and upper back will thank you.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Hold your resistance band with your palms facing the floor, arms extended at shoulder level and elbows slightly bent.
3. Open your arms and stretch the band out across your chest.
4. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

4. Seated Lateral Trunk Stretch

In anatomical terms, the word lateral refers to the side of your body. As such, this stretch is good for several important muscles, including your lower back, oblique or waste muscles, latissimus dorsi, and also your triceps.

Many people sit slightly unevenly, with more weight on one side than the other. This can cause tension on the weight-bearing side. Use this exercise to identify and fix left-to-right muscle tension imbalances.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Sit up straight and place one hand on your hip. Raise your opposite arm above your head.
3. Without twisting your shoulders, gently lean over to stretch your waist, lats, etc.
4. Hold for 15-30 seconds and then switch sides.

5. Seated Trunk Twist

Sitting at a desk locks you into a rigid position that can cause stiffness and immobility, especially in your spine. Because of this, many desk warriors find it hard to twist and turn their spines, e.g., when trying to look behind when reversing a car.

This seated trunk twist exercise will help free your spine and restore natural movement. In addition, it can also provide welcome relief from tension-related lower back pain.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Turn to the left, reach across your body with your right arm, and ease your left arm behind your lower back.
3. Grip your chair’s armrest and backrest and gently pull yourself into a deeper stretch.
4. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
5. Relax, switch sides, and repeat.

6. Seated Hamstring Stretch

Most posture articles focus on the upper body. This makes a certain amount of sense as when people talk about posture, they’re usually referring to their upper backs, necks, shoulders, etc.

However, the hamstrings are also a critical postural muscle, and tight hammies can affect your lower back, leading to an exaggerated posterior pelvic tilt, or flattened lumbar spine. Lower back pain is often the result of this kind of postural deviation.

The good news is that the hamstrings are very easy to stretch, even when you’re sitting at your desk. This exercise also provides your lower back with a welcome additional stretch.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Extend one leg out in front of you so your knee is straight and your toes are pointing up toward the ceiling.
3. Hinging from the hips, lean forward and slide your hands down your outstretched leg. Stop when you feel tension in the back of your extended leg.
4. Hold for 15-30 seconds and then slowly sit back up.
5. Switch legs and repeat.

Related: The 7 Best Hamstring Stretches for a Healthier Lower Back and Knees

7. Seated Lower Back Stretch

Prolonged sitting can cause acute back pain. Getting up and moving around is often enough to alleviate any discomfort but that’s not always possible. This exercise helps to stretch your back and mobilize your spine, releasing the tension that builds up when you are forced to sit for long periods.

Do this exercise whenever your back starts to feel tight or every hour or so to prevent tightness from developing in the first place.

Steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Slowly bend forward and reach your hands down toward the floor.
3. Place your hands on the floor outside of your feet and rest your chest on your thighs.
4. Lower your head down toward the floor to stretch your neck.
5. Hold for 15-30 seconds and then slowly sit back up.

Closing Thoughts

Despite being unavoidable for most people, you don’t have to become a victim of prolonged sitting. In fact, there are lots of things you can do to avoid the damaging effects of working at a desk. Effective strategies include:

• Standing up for phone calls.
• Regular trips to the water cooler.
• Walking to see colleagues instead of calling or emailing them.
• Take the stairs and not the elevator whenever possible.

In addition, you’ll feel a whole lot better if you incorporate the exercises presented in this article into your working day. Set an alarm to sound every 30-45 minutes and do one or two of the movements described above. Work your way down the list until you’ve done them all, and then start back at the top.

For example:

• 09.00 am – Seated Chest Opener
• 90.45 am – Seated Lateral Trunk Stretch
• 10.30 am – Bruegger’s Relief
• 11.15 am – Band Pull-Aparts
• 12.00 pm – Seated Lower Back Stretch & Seated Trunk Twist
• 12.45 pm – Seated Hamstring Stretch

Repeat the sequence in the afternoon

Combined with a balanced workout routine that includes core and postural training, these exercises will help you sit and stand more upright, improving your appearance and functionality.

Related: Exercises to Fix Your Nerd Neck and Desk Slouch

References:

1. Wilmot EG, Edwardson CL, Achana FA, Davies MJ, Gorely T, Gray LJ, Khunti K, Yates T, Biddle SJ. Sedentary time in adults and the association with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and death: systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia. 2012 Nov;55(11):2895-905. doi: 10.1007/s00125-012-2677-z. Epub 2012 Aug 14. Erratum in: Diabetologia. 2013 Apr;56(4):942-3. PMID: 22890825.
2. Andersen LL, Skovlund SV, Vinstrup J, Geisle N, Sørensen SI, Thorsen SV, Sundstrup E. Potential of micro-exercise to prevent long-term sickness absence in the general working population: a prospective cohort study with register follow-up. Sci Rep. 2022 Feb 10;12(1):2280. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-06283-8. PMID: 35145176; PMCID: PMC8831624.
3. Bontrup C, Taylor WR, Fliesser M, Visscher R, Green T, Wippert PM, Zemp R. Low back pain and its relationship with sitting behavior among sedentary office workers. Appl Ergon. 2019 Nov;81:102894. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102894. Epub 2019 Jul 15. PMID: 31422243.
4. Koemel NA, Ahmadi MN, Biswas RK, Koster A, Atkin AJ, Sabag A, Stamatakis E. Can incidental physical activity offset the deleterious associations of sedentary behavior with major adverse cardiovascular events? Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2024 Sep 26:zwae316. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwae316. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39325719.

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