Most people think bad posture is just about “sitting up straight.” It’s not. And that’s exactly why so many people struggle to fix it.

Bad posture is a muscle problem. Some muscles become tight and overactive. Others become weak and essentially forget how to do their job. Your body adapts to whatever position you spend most of your time in. Sit hunched over a laptop for 8 hours a day, and your body starts treating that as normal.

The good news? Your body can adapt the other way too. With the right exercises and a few habit changes, you can fix bad posture. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had poor posture for years. I’ve seen people in their 60s make significant improvements in just a few weeks.

Here’s everything you need to know to actually fix your posture.

Why You Have Bad Posture in the First Place

Let’s start with what’s actually happening in your body.

When you sit or stand with poor posture, certain muscles work overtime to hold you in that position. Your upper traps (the muscles between your neck and shoulders) become tight and overactive. Your chest muscles shorten. Meanwhile, the muscles that should be supporting your spine—your deep neck flexors, lower traps, and core—get weak from underuse.

This creates what physiotherapists call “upper crossed syndrome” or “lower crossed syndrome,” depending on where the imbalance is. It’s essentially a pattern of tight muscles on one side and weak muscles on the other, pulling your body out of alignment.

The main culprits:

Prolonged sitting. Your hip flexors shorten, your glutes stop firing properly, and your spine loses its natural curve. The average office worker sits for 10+ hours a day. That’s a lot of time training your body into a bad position.

Phone and screen use. Every inch your head moves forward adds roughly 10 pounds of pressure on your neck. Look down at your phone for a few hours, and your neck muscles are working like they’re supporting a 40-pound weight. This is what we call tech neck, and it’s becoming increasingly common.

Weak core muscles. Your core isn’t just your abs—it’s the entire cylinder of muscles around your midsection that stabilizes your spine. When these muscles are weak, your body compensates by relying on passive structures like ligaments and joints. That’s when you start to slouch. Learn more about core exercises for posture.

Muscle imbalances from repetitive movements. If you always carry a bag on the same shoulder, sleep on the same side, or do exercises that only work certain muscles, you create imbalances that affect your posture.

How to Tell If You Have Poor Posture

Before you can fix something, you need to know what’s wrong. Here’s a simple self-assessment you can do at home. For a more detailed guide, check out our posture self-assessment article.

The wall test:

Stand with your back against a wall. Your heels, buttocks, shoulder blades, and the back of your head should all touch the wall comfortably. Now check:

If your head doesn’t touch the wall without effort, you likely have forward head posture. If there’s a huge gap at your lower back, you might have excessive lumbar lordosis. If your shoulders don’t touch, you probably have rounded shoulders.

The mirror check:

Stand sideways in front of a mirror in your normal, relaxed posture. Don’t try to stand up straight—just stand how you normally would. Look for:

Take a photo for reference. You’ll want to compare it to your posture in a few weeks.

The Exercises That Actually Fix Posture

Here’s where most people go wrong: they focus only on stretching tight muscles or only on strengthening weak ones. You need to do both. And you need to do them consistently.

These exercises target the most common posture problems. Do them daily for best results—they take about 10-15 minutes. For a quick daily routine, try our 10-minute posture workout.

Chin Tucks

This is the single best exercise for forward head posture. It strengthens your deep neck flexors, which are almost always weak in people with poor posture.

How to do it:

  1. Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed
  2. Without tilting your head up or down, pull your chin straight back (like you’re making a double chin)
  3. Hold for 5 seconds
  4. Release and repeat

You should feel a gentle stretch at the base of your skull and a slight activation in the front of your neck. If you feel pain, you’re pushing too hard.

Do: 10-15 reps, 3 times throughout the day

Wall Angels

Think of this as a snow angel against a wall. It’s excellent for shoulder mobility and strengthening your lower traps.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with your back flat against a wall, feet about 6 inches away from the base
  2. Press your lower back, upper back, and head against the wall
  3. Raise your arms to a “goalpost” position (elbows at 90 degrees, upper arms parallel to the floor)
  4. Try to keep your entire arm against the wall as you slowly slide your arms up overhead
  5. Slide back down to the starting position

Most people can’t keep their arms against the wall the whole time at first. That’s fine—just go as far as you can while maintaining contact.

Do: 10-15 reps, 2 sets

Thoracic Extensions

Your thoracic spine (upper and mid-back) is meant to extend and rotate. When you sit hunched over all day, it gets stuck in flexion. This exercise helps restore that extension. It’s especially important for upper back posture.

How to do it:

  1. Sit in a chair with a firm back, or use a foam roller placed horizontally under your upper back
  2. Place your hands behind your head to support your neck
  3. Gently lean back over the chair or roller, extending through your upper back
  4. Don’t arch your lower back—the movement should come from your mid-back
  5. Hold for 2-3 seconds, then return to neutral

Do: 10-15 reps, focusing on different segments of your upper back

Chest Doorway Stretch

Tight chest muscles pull your shoulders forward. This stretch opens them back up.

How to do it:

  1. Stand in a doorway with your forearm against the door frame, elbow at 90 degrees
  2. Step through the doorway with one foot until you feel a stretch across your chest
  3. Keep your core engaged so you don’t arch your lower back
  4. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides

For a more complete stretch, do this at three different arm angles: low (elbow below shoulder), middle (elbow at shoulder height), and high (elbow above shoulder).

Do: 30-second holds at each angle, both sides

Cat-Cow Stretch

This mobilizes your entire spine and helps break up the stiffness from sitting.

How to do it:

  1. Start on your hands and knees, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips
  2. For cat: Round your back toward the ceiling, tucking your chin and tailbone
  3. For cow: Arch your back, lifting your head and tailbone toward the ceiling
  4. Move slowly and smoothly between positions

Do: 10-15 cycles, breathing deeply throughout

Dead Bug

This builds core stability without putting strain on your lower back. It teaches your core to stabilize your spine while your limbs move—exactly what it needs to do for good posture.

How to do it:

  1. Lie on your back with your arms reaching toward the ceiling and knees bent at 90 degrees (tabletop position)
  2. Press your lower back flat against the floor—this is crucial
  3. Slowly lower your right arm overhead while extending your left leg, keeping your back flat
  4. Return to start and repeat on the other side

If your lower back arches off the floor, you’ve gone too far. Reduce the range of motion until you can keep your back flat throughout.

Do: 10 reps each side, 2 sets

Bird Dog

Similar to dead bug, but done on all fours. This challenges your core stability and strengthens your posterior chain.

How to do it:

  1. Start on hands and knees, spine neutral (not arched or rounded)
  2. Extend your right arm forward and left leg back simultaneously
  3. Keep your hips level—don’t let them rotate
  4. Hold for 2-3 seconds, return to start, then switch sides

Do: 10 reps each side, 2 sets

How Long Does It Take to Fix Bad Posture?

This is the question everyone asks, and honestly, it depends. Factors include how severe your posture issues are, how consistently you do the exercises, and how much you can modify your daily habits. We’ve written a detailed article on how long it takes to fix posture.

That said, here’s a realistic timeline:

Weeks 1-2: You’ll become more aware of your posture throughout the day. You might catch yourself slouching and correct it. The exercises will feel challenging.

Weeks 3-4: The exercises get easier. You’ll notice you can maintain good posture for longer periods without thinking about it. Some people start feeling less neck and back tension.

Weeks 5-8: Visible changes in your posture. If you took a photo at the start, compare it now. Your default resting posture should be noticeably better.

Weeks 8-12: Good posture starts to feel natural. The muscles that support proper alignment are stronger, and the tight muscles have loosened. You’re not “trying” to have good posture—it’s just how you hold yourself.

The catch? If you stop doing the exercises entirely, you’ll slowly regress. Posture is something you maintain, not something you fix once and forget about. The good news is that once you’ve built the foundation, maintaining it takes much less effort than building it did.

Daily Habits That Make a Difference

Exercises are important, but they’re only part of the equation. You can’t out-exercise 8 hours of sitting in a bad position. Here’s how to set up your environment and habits to support better posture.

Set up your workspace properly

Your screen should be at eye level—you shouldn’t have to look down or up at it. Your elbows should be at about 90 degrees when typing. Your feet should be flat on the floor (or on a footrest). Your chair should support the natural curve of your lower back.

If you work on a laptop, this is almost impossible without external equipment. Get a separate keyboard and mouse, and prop your laptop up to eye level. It makes a huge difference. For more tips, read our guide on desk posture for office workers.

Considering a standing desk? Make sure you understand proper standing desk posture first—standing with bad posture isn’t better than sitting.

Take movement breaks

Set a timer to remind yourself to move every 30-45 minutes. Stand up, walk around, do a few stretches. Even 60 seconds of movement helps reset your posture and gives your muscles a break.

Be mindful of phone posture

Bring your phone up to eye level instead of looking down at it. Yes, it looks a bit odd. Your neck will thank you. When you’re texting or scrolling for extended periods, the strain on your neck is significant. This is how tech neck develops.

Check your sleeping position

Sleep on your back or side, not your stomach. Stomach sleeping forces your neck to rotate for hours, which doesn’t help your posture. If you sleep on your side, put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned. Learn more about sleeping positions for better posture.

Strengthen your glutes

Weak glutes contribute to poor posture more than most people realize. When your glutes don’t fire properly, your hip flexors and lower back take over, which pulls your pelvis into an anterior tilt. Simple exercises like glute bridges and squats help. Tight hip flexors? Check out our hip flexor stretches.

What About Posture Correctors?

Those straps and braces that pull your shoulders back? They’re not a long-term solution. They might remind you to sit up straight, but they don’t strengthen the muscles that actually hold you in good posture. In fact, relying on them can make those muscles even weaker because they’re doing the work for you.

We’ve written a detailed article on whether posture correctors actually work.

If you want to use one occasionally as a reminder, that’s fine. But don’t depend on it. The real fix comes from building strength and mobility in your own body.

When to See a Professional

Most posture issues can be improved with consistent exercise and habit changes. But some situations warrant professional help:

A physiotherapist can assess your specific imbalances and create a targeted program. Sometimes what feels like a posture problem is actually something else that needs different treatment.

Start Today, Not Monday

Here’s the thing about fixing posture: it’s not complicated, but it does require consistency. The exercises I’ve outlined take 10-15 minutes. That’s less time than you spend scrolling social media.

Start with the basics: chin tucks, wall angels, and the doorway stretch. Do them every day for two weeks. Add in the core exercises when you’re ready. Adjust your workspace. Take movement breaks.

You’ll feel the difference before you see it. Less tension in your neck and shoulders. Less fatigue at the end of the day. More energy. And eventually, you’ll look in the mirror and realize you’re standing taller without even trying.

Your body adapted to poor posture over years. It can adapt to good posture too. You just have to show it what you want.

For a quick stretching routine you can do at your desk or anywhere, try these Posture Reset Stretches designed to loosen shoulders, neck, and upper back.

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Want guided posture workouts you can do anywhere? The Posture Workout app gives you daily exercises, progress tracking, and reminders to keep you consistent. Download it free →