A couple weeks back, we discussed a few key points to good posture.  In today’s white collar world, many have found themselves somewhat permanently hunched over.  I say somewhat because with the tips we reviewed, anyone can achieve perfect spinal alignment.  Today, we’ll examine some of the best exercises and mobility drills for those looking to achieve ideal posture.

Shoulder dislocations are one of the best exercises when you want to start fixing your posture. Grab a broomstick, a smallish piece of PVC or an elastic band in both hands, starting with a wider than shoulder-width grip. Keeping your hands on the implement, rotate your arms overhead and behind you. As this gets easier and you do more sets, move your hands in closer.

Band pullaparts are another great exercise, and a good reason to choose a jumpstretch band as your next investment rather than a piece of PVC. Pipes and broomsticks are great, but you can’t pull them apart like you can with these durable elastic bands. Start holding the band just as you were during the dislocations. Bring your arms up, parallel to the ground, and while keeping the elbows straight, pull the arms back until your body makes a ‘t’. You can also pull the band apart overhead. Rotate your arms to point at the ceiling and pull the band apart. With these, try both straight arms, and also perform them like a pulldown or pullup, where you allow your arms to bend. With both overhead pullaparts, focus on keeping your shoulders pulled back and together (retracted).

I do this next exercise every morning shortly after waking.  I got it from a Steve Maxwell DVD, and it's super easy and effective.  Just reach your hands up high overhead.  I like to shrug a little bit to wake my traps up, and then you can let the shoulders come to a more 'relaxed' position with hands overhead.  Rotate your arms as though you were scrubbing the ceiling.  Try 10 rotations one way, then reverse and do 10 more.  Steve recommends that you do as many reps as your age, and judging by his incredible mobility, I bet he's onto something.

My favourite new exercise for shoulder mobility is the ‘no money’. Stand with your arms at your sides, then curl the forearms up as if you were holding a tray in front of you. With your palms facing up and your upper arms staying close to your sides, rotate backwards so that your hands swing around following your thumbs. You can add a band to this to increase resistance. I like to do them up against the corner of a wall or power rack, as the presence of the corner between my shoulder blades adds to my ability to ‘feel’ the movement.

Last but not least (for today, anyway) are ‘scorpions’. Lie on your face with arms outstretched (like a ‘t’, but on the ground). Swing your foot across the other side of your body and reach for the opposite hand. One swing of both feet/legs counts as one rep. You can vary your arm position (make a ‘Y’ or point down in a kind of ‘A’), and you’ll feel the stretch differently. This one’s great for opening up your chest, and I do it before every squat workout.

Start doing these mobility exercises every day for a while. You can do one or two of them when you get up from your desk each hour, and you’ll be amazed by the improvement in your posture. Stick with INNERLEVEL.net and watch your body transform!

5 Killer Exercises for Shoulder Mobility5.051