The 5 Best Weight-Lifting Exercises for Better Posture

Poor posture can be caused by excessive tech use, inappropriate footwear, lack of physical activity, and more.

“Your body becomes the position you spend the most time in,” says Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist in New York City and founder of Movement Vault. “You will not ‘become’ this posture overnight, or even in a week, month, or year, but eventually these poor postures will catch up to you.”

Incorporating weight training into your routine strengthens the muscles that improve posture, which include the mid and lower back muscles (rhomboids and trapezius), shoulder external rotators, neck extensors, glutes and core, says Jonathan Jordan, CPT, in San Francisco.

These exercises use equipment you can find at most gyms.

If you’re just getting started and wondering how much weight you should lift, the answer depends on your fitness level. But the good news is that your postural muscles are fairly easily trained if you're consistent, especially for beginners.

“You don’t have to lift heavy if you’re new to strength training,” says Rick Richey, CSCS, a trainer in New York City. “You just have to lift more than you usually do and then build from there.”

With that in mind, here are five of the best weight-lifting exercises for better posture:

1. Farmer's Carry

“This exercise is my go-to for folks working too many hours at a desk,” says Jordan. This postural strengthening exercise works it all, including the core, glutes, arms and back.

1. Hold the weights down by your sides.
2. Make sure you're gripping the weights with all your fingers, including your pinky finger.
3. Walk smoothly and evenly, without stomping your feet, as you keep your shoulders back.

Try three sets of 30 seconds. To maintain proper form during your farmer's carry, pretend like you're balancing a book on your head as you walk.

2. Seated Cable Row

These can be done as cable rows at the gym or with a resistance band tied to something like a door knob. Seated rows target the muscles that help keep your shoulders back and spine erect.

1. Sit on the ground with shoulders back and hold onto the cable attachment or band.
2. Pull the handle or band back towards your midsection, as you squeeze your shoulder blades together.
3. Keep your back straight and abdominal muscles tight, as you straighten your arms back in the starting position.

Try three sets of 12 repetitions (reps) to get started. If you do not have access to a band or cable rows, you can complete this exercise as a bent-over row using a barbell or dumbbells.

3. Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is an excellent exercise to correct and prevent the rounded-back and slouched-over posture. Instead of a weight machine, you can also use a resistance band anchored above your head to perform the same exercise at home.

1. Sitting at the lat pulldown machine, grab onto the bar with hands slightly wider than your shoulders and palms facing away from you.
2. Sit up straight and pull the bar down until it stops between your chin and your chest, as you squeeze your shoulder blades together, trying your best to avoid shrugging your shoulders at the top of the movement.
3. Return to the starting position with control.

Try three sets of 12 reps.

4. Weighted Glute Bridge

If your glutes are weak, it means that there's not enough muscular support to stabilize your knees. This bridge with weights is great for strengthening the gluteus maximus.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and pointing to the ceiling and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Place one weight in each hand and rest them on top of your hip. You can also use one dumbbell or a barbell across both your hips.
3. Lift your hips off of the ground as you squeeze your glutes and pause at the top.
4. Lower back down to the starting position with control.

Try three sets of 12 reps.

5. Reverse Snow Angels

Joey Thurman, CPT, a trainer in Chicago, says this exercise is great for strengthening your postural muscles.

“Lying prone [or face down] on the floor takes away any momentum,” he says. That means you can only rely on muscular strength, which makes this exercise challenging. Because of that, it’s recommended that you start without weight and introduce dumbbells gradually.

1. Lie on your stomach with light weights in each hand.
2. Start with your arms straight out to the side, thumbs facing up.
3. Lift your chest and arms and move your arms down to your sides.
4. Return back to the starting position with arms out to the side.

Start with 12 reps total, adding more as you get stronger.

The Takeaway

• Weight-lifting strengthens key muscles (back, shoulders, neck, glutes, core) to correct poor posture.
• Consistent training is more important than heavy weights, especially for beginners.
• Exercises like farmer's carry, seated cable row, lat pulldown, glute bridge, and reverse snow angels effectively improve posture.