“Straighten Up”: Effective Gym and Home Tips to Correct Rounded Shoulders

Do you want to correct your rounded shoulders? At its basic level, rounded shoulders are caused by certain muscles in your body being overactive (causing them to become too tight) and certain muscles being underactive (or too relaxed). By stretching and loosening the tight muscles and strengthening the underactive muscles, you can start to improve your posture and ultimately fix your rounded shoulders. Here are some tips for both in the gym, and at home, that you can use.

AT THE GYM:

Until the end of my days, I will always recommend getting a personal trainer (such as myself!) to help easily guide you through workouts that target the muscles causing your rounded shoulders. However, if you want to try it on your own, here are some muscles that you need to focus on in your workouts:

1) WHICH MUSCLES TO STRETCH–When your shoulders are rounded, the following muscles are overactive (or too tight) which then pull your shoulders forward creating the rounded look. These muscles need to be stretched daily through either static stretching or foam rolling.

• Levator scapulae
• Upper trapezius
• Pectoralis major
• Pectoralis minor
• Latissimus dorsi

I recommend holding your static stretches for at least 30 seconds. Keep in mind, if you decide to use a foam roller on your back muscles (such as the latissimus dorsi), be careful due to processes on your spine. I would also recommend deep tissue massages in order to help loosen these muscles.

2) WHICH MUSCLES TO STRENGTHEN–When your shoulders are rounded the following muscles are underactive (or too loose) and are unable to counteract the increased pull from the overactive muscles.

• Middle trapezius
• Lower trapezius
• Rhomboids
• Shoulder extensor rotators

Exercises such as the reverse fly and cable external rotations can help to strengthen these muscles.

WHEN NOT AT GYM:

You spend a majority of your time outside of the gym. Therefore, it’s important to add “out of gym habits” to your routine in order to maintain your progress from your workouts. Here are some tips to help fix your rounded shoulders at home.

1) BUY A STAND UP DESK–Our muscles get sore from constantly looking down at our computers, phones, etc. In order to prevent this, purchase a standing desk that allows your computer to be eye-level. If a standing desk is out of the question, you can also try adjusting your chair so that your computer is eye-level when sitting at your desk.

2) LOOK INTO SUPINE READING GLASS–Even though rounded shoulders tend to be blamed on cell phones and computers, reading can also contribute to them due to looking downward at your books. If you find it difficult to hold your book at eye level for long periods of time, I recommend purchasing supine reading glasses (also known as recumbent reading glasses or prism glasses) that allow you to read while laying on your back. From personal experience, I can tell you they feel weird at first and take some adjustment time to get used to, but are well worth it. Here is a link to buy them here.*

3) BE MINDFUL OF YOUR HAIRSTYLE–Wearing ponytails when resting your head can cause you to have a forward neck which can then lead to rounded shoulders. Even though it seems like such a small detail, pay attention to how your neck and shoulders feel when trying a new hairstyle.

4) USE YOUR CAR HEADREST–When in the car, make sure to have the back of your head resting on your headrest. This can also help your underactive muscles improve their muscular endurance in order to keep yourself in this position. If you have a newer car, your headrest may be tilted forward. If this is the case, take it off and reverse it so that you have proper alignment for your neck.

Like all things in fitness, fixing your rounded shoulders will take time and progress may not be as obvious due to the gradual changing of your posture. In order to see progress, you can take before/after photos. I would recommend taking front view, side view and back view photos if you choose to do this (and make sure you are wearing similar fitting clothes for your after photos).

If you are interested in training with me, I offer both virtual and at home personal training. Please feel free to email me at LEANByJes@gmail.com or call/text me at 717-553-2299.

*I am an Amazon Affiliate.