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Program Goals:

This program is meant for anyone wanting to improve their posture. It is a perfect add-on to an existing workout program, and it’s also a great starting program for those who are just beginning a workout routine.

Note: This program is delivered to you via an app. Once you sign-up, an email will be sent to you to create your account and you will have access to the first part of the program. Each workout details exactly what you need to do and provides videos for each exercise.

Program Introduction:

I have been a trainer for 5 years now and one of the biggest goals my clients come to me with is improving their posture. This is such a prevalent issue in our society that I wanted to create a program specifically addressing the various components that make up our posture and how to go about improving them.

The first step in assessing and correcting posture is to define what proper posture actually means. Our spine has naturally occurring curves so rather than talking about a ‘flat’ spine, which is incorrect, I use the term neutral spine. A neutral spine looks different for everyone given their bone structure, but the same principles can be applied. Most of us will have natural curves inward (lordosis) at our low back and in our neck, and a naturally occurring curve outward (kyphosis) in our mid to upper back. Here’s what this looks like starting from the ground up: we stand with equal weight on each foot, our pelvis is neutral (think of it like a bowl and don’t let it tip forward or backward), our ribcage is stacked on top of our pelvis, shoulders are back and down, arms are neutral (palms facing in rather than back), our ears are over our shoulders, and our chin is gently tucked. Over time, what we find is that the natural curves in our low back, upper back, and neck become accentuated as the spine starts to collapse. So while gentle curves are good and the safest position for our spine, exaggerated curves become detrimental.

A quick way that I like to asses a person’s posture, and something I encourage you to do now before you start, is to stand with your back against a wall. The ideal posture would have your heels against the baseboards, butt and shoulder blades against the wall, arms down at your sides with the back of your hands flat against the wall, and the back of your head touching the wall with your chin tucked. Be sure to keep your ribs from flaring and your pelvis neutral. How close can you get? What parts are the toughest? Where do you feel your body stretching to get into position? We will work on all of these different components over the course of the next 12 weeks and I encourage you to re-asses yourself using this method at the end of each phase. I think you’ll be amazed at the difference!

As you’re going through this program, I want to encourage you to be patient. If you’ve spent many years or even decades of your life sitting at a desk or otherwise developing bad posture habits, we are now working to unwind and correct this pattern. This is not a quick fix and it will take time as well as a change in behavior. At the end of the 12 weeks, your posture won’t magically be perfect forever - this requires constant attention to position and relatively consistent work to stretch and strengthen the correct muscles.

This 12 week program has 3 phases. Phase 1 is Mobilization and Behavior Change, Phase 2 is Activation, and Phase 3 is Strengthen. While each phase is programmed for 1 month, there is nothing wrong with spending more time in a certain phase. For example, if you are extremely tight, you may need to spend more time in Phase 1 before moving on.

FAQ

Can anyone complete this program?

Depending on your individual abilities, you may or may not be able to complete all of the exercises, and that is okay! For example, if you have a torn rotator cuff, the overhead shoulder flexion exercises may feel too uncomfortable for you. If there’s sharp pain, please take that as a sign your body isn’t ready for it. This program is designed for folks who can get down and up from the floor. It is absolutely possible to still work on posture if that isn’t accessible for you, but I recommend booking an individual session with me to address those needs.

What if I don’t know what these exercises are?

I got you! In the app, each exercise has a corresponding video demonstrating how to do the exercise properly.

Can I do this program simultaneously with my current workout routine?

Yes! The first two phases of this program can absolutely be done alongside your current workout routine without worry of overtraining any muscle group. The last phase contains compound, weighted lifts so you’ll want to be careful if you’re already lifting weights to not do too much at once.

What equipment do I need?

I tried to make this program as equipment-free as possible, but there are a few things that we need:

• Light resistance band (long)

• Heavy resistance band or TRX

• Full Foam Roller (long, not the super short ones)

• A pair of dumbbells (weight is going to be dependent on strength, but somewhere in the 10#-20# range is good)

• Stretching/Yoga strap (or a belt if you don't have one)

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