Posture and a strong back: online training

The body gets used to the position where it spends most of the time. Eight hours at the laptop give quite clear changes:

• the shoulders go forward and the chest muscles get short;
• the head moves forward and the neck gets too much load;
• the upper back stops moving well;
• the hip flexors get short and the glutes "switch off";
• the back and core muscles get weak, and it is tiring to stay straight.

This is why "just sit straight" doesn't work. After five minutes the body goes back to the usual position. You need to change the balance of the muscles: make some stronger and stretch others.

The phone also plays a role. When you look down at it, the neck gets much more load, and in one day these minutes become hours. And often people simply move too little. When the body sits all day and lies in the evening, it gets no signal to keep the back strong. So in the plan there are not only exercises, but also movement during the day.

• Back and shoulder blade muscles, so the shoulders stay in place without effort.
• Core: the deep belly and back muscles, your natural "corset".
• Glutes: support for the pelvis and the lower back.
• Upper back: turning and bending back, so the neck and lower back don't do this job. More on the Joint mobility page.
• Stretching for the chest, shoulders, hip flexors and the back of the legs.

How much strength and how much stretching you need, I decide after the check in the first session.

Some exercises we often start with:

1. Band row to the chest: bring the shoulder blades together, shoulders down. 3 sets of 12–15.
2. Wall angels: arms slide up and down the wall, the lower back stays pressed to it. 2 sets of 10.
3. Bird dog: opposite arm and leg go long, the body doesn't move. 8 on each side.
4. Glute bridge: hold 2 seconds at the top. 3 sets of 12.
5. Chest stretch in a doorway: 30–40 seconds on each side.

This is the base. Later the exercises get harder: more resistance, longer under load, versions standing and with weights.

If you train regularly (2 sessions a week and short daily routines), usually clients notice:

• after 2–4 weeks: the neck and shoulders are less stiff in the evening;
• after 1–2 months: it is easier to keep the back straight, and you move with more confidence;
• after 3 months: you see the difference on photos from the side, and the back and core are stronger.

Everybody is different, and a lot depends on your daily life and how regularly you train. To see the progress, we take photos from the side and the front against a wall at the start and once a month, and repeat the tests for the shoulders and upper back. The goal is not a "perfect" posture from a picture. The goal is a straight back without effort and less tiredness in the evening.

Two sessions a week can't win against eight hours in one position if nothing changes between them. So together with the exercises I give you simple habits:

• every 45–60 minutes: stand up and walk for 1–2 minutes;
• every 2 hours: 3 exercises for 30 seconds next to your desk: chest stretch in a doorway, bring the shoulder blades together, tilt the head to the sides;
• workplace: the top of the screen at eye level, feet on the floor, elbows at about 90°;
• phone: lift it to your eyes, don't drop your head to it.

These breaks take 5–10 minutes a day, but they keep the result of the training.

We choose a time for your time zone. Often it is a lunch break or the evening after work.

If you have back pain, numbness in the arms or legs, an injury or a recent surgery, ask your doctor first if you can train. Posture training is fitness, it doesn’t find the reason of pain. If something hurts during a session, we stop the exercise and I give you another one.

• Personal training for a month: €180 for 4 sessions, and I update the plan every week. This is the best format for posture.
• One "Stretching & joint mobility" session: €50 for 50 minutes.

If you are getting back in shape after childbirth, posture work is already a part of that program.