Last updated on August 17th, 2023 at 03:48 pm
If your lifestyle involves many hours of sitting, you’re probably going to need this one week workout plan for better posture and strength! These are some of my favorite workouts to tone the core, the back, the lower body, everything! You don’t need a subscription – all the workouts for this exercise plan are available for free on Youtube, feel free to change workouts as you like!
Why Better Posture and Strength
So why this workout plan for better posture and strength? Because apparently, I’m self-absorbed, mkay? I need to seriously do something about the hunchback, about my neck and lower back pain. Call it selfishness, call it self-care, I don’t care, I’m tired of being in pain. I can’t even joke about the hunchback without shedding a tear anymore.
So, painful hunchback. How am I going to survive? Well, after the panic attack, I realized something. I know for a fact that all my pain comes from sitting long hours and from having weak core muscles.
So the focus for this exercise plan will be to strengthen the core muscles and also, to open up the muscles on the front of the body – the hips, the chest, the belly – everything. Of course, the body isn’t just core or the front of the body. Everything is connected and working together.
So we’ll be incorporating strengthening back and lower body workouts as well to help build muscle. Long-term a regular exercise routine is super important for preserving bone health and keeping your spine healthy.
Lifestyle Changes
As you’ll see below this workout plan for better posture and strength won’t require you to be in the gym for hours every day. 15-20 minutes a day can be enough to strengthen those postural muscles. However, though a 30-minute workout every day is a great start, if that’s all you do, it won’t help much. It’s how you spend the rest of your time that makes a bigger difference.
For example, when it comes to weight loss, it’s the energy you spend outside the gym is more important than what you do in the gym. I read a very interesting study where they compared the lifestyles of obese and lean “couch potatoes”. Turns out, the obese participants were seated for 164 more minutes a day than the ones who were lean. Note, we’re not even talking about moving, we’re just talking about standing. The authors further estimated that the obese participants could burn an additional 350 kcal a day if they didn’t spend those 164 minutes sitting. That’s a weight loss of 15 kg per year, if the energy intake remained the same. You can read more here.
Same with posture. Sit hunched over a phone for 8 hours and exercise for 1 – you’ll still look like Quasimodo on a good day. So, the three habits besides the workouts that I’m committing to will be 1) taking more breaks from my sitting marathons, 2) walking at least 7,000 steps every day and 3) being more mindful of my posture overall. To always engage the core and to allow myself to take up space whatever I do, wherever I go.
How To Create Your Own Workout Plan
To create a workout plan you need 3 things:
This week’s goal will be to increase my overall strength, but especially core strength, so I can improve my posture and reduce pain. The workout split will look like this:
- Monday: Full Body Barre
- Tuesday: Back And Core Strength
- Wednesday: Lower Body
- Thursday: Yoga Stretch
- Friday: Arms and Shoulders
- Saturday: Pilates Powerhouse
- Sunday: Yoga stretch
Equipment
This workout plan calls for two things: dumbbells and a workout or yoga mat. Whatever you do, go at your own pace and use the weights for your level of fitness.
One Week Workout Plan For Better Posture And Strength
So, I went on Youtube, looked through some of my favorite workouts and created this 7-Day workout plan for better posture and strength! I’m super excited about it.
Day 1: Full Body Barre
I love this barre workout by POPSUGAR Fitness, it is one of my favorites. It’s quick, it will make you sweat, it will stretch you, it will make you feel amazing. I always feel so much more open in my shoulders. The perfect workout for posture! Here you don’t need any equipment.
Day 2: Back & Core
I love Caroline’s workouts, they’re super challenging, but the time seems to fly, because she switches things up! So, to improve your posture – do this 15-minute workout. I thought I’d crumble and cry with my weak back and core, but it was great!
Day 3: Lower Body Workout
In order to improve your posture and gain strength, it’s best to work on the whole body. We’ve done upper body, now it’s time to even things out and work the lower body. I’ve done this workout several times and I love it! It’s 20 minutes and you need a set of dumbbells, but I’ve also used a kettlebell for this one. I cannot quite walk without tears in my eyes the next day, but it’s good. I found Heather about a year ago after I bought a kettlebell and didn’t know what to do with it, so I did one of her workouts. She’s awesome, make sure to check out her Youtube channel, for other challenging workouts as well!
Day 4: Yoga Stretch
This is, obviously, a favorite part of my week. Whenever I get to do this yoga routine by YOGATX I feel like a brand new person. It’s relaxing and opening and stretches everything – the perfect workout for posture! I highly recommend doing this on your off days, you’ll really appreciate it after the first three days.
Day 5: Arms and Shoulders
My arms almost fell off doing this one and I couldn’t see anything from sweat. This workout by Heather Robertson targets the biceps, triceps and shoulders. It’s 30 minutes and you need dumbbells, a stability ball and an exercise mat. If you don’t have a stability ball, you can do the exercises on the floor.
Day 6: Pilates Powerhouse
Strengthen your core with this Pilates workout for better posture. This routine by efit30 is amazing! In 30 minutes you’ll strengthen the entire powerhouse, which is the center of your body and includes your abdominal, lower back and glute muscles. Strengthening the powerhouse is really important when it comes to your spine health and posture.
Day 7: Yoga Stretch
We’re ending the week with a beautiful full-body yoga stretch by YOGATX. It’s 30 minutes and you only need a yoga mat.
More Health And Fitness Plans
I hope you love this workout plan for better posture and strength! I hope it helps you hold your head up high, walk taller and feel more confident and strong in your body! Please note that this is a workout plan that is challenging for my fitness level (which is intermediate) and I strongly suggest modifying to your own fitness level and preferences. Also, it’s generally strongly recommended to speak to a medical professional before starting a new workout regimen.
If you’re interested in other health and fitness plans, including meal plans, check out the links below:
