5 CORE Exercises to Strengthen & Improve Your Posture

How often do you do reverse crunches and Russian twists, in comparison to farmer carries or pallof presses? Many people think about training their core for aesthetics, but forget to strengthen their core for more functional purposes.

Why improve your strength in posture?

Strengthening your deep core and posture muscles involves exercises that allow you to improve common postural struggles such as rib flare or low back pain.

The difference between the two types of core exercises is that the first group (crunches and twists) trains the core for spinal flexion and rotation, while the second group (carries and pallof press) trains your core to resist any movement around the spine. This includes anti-rotation, anti-flexion, and bracing work.

Often people will train their core for a six pack, but they won’t train it for more of the fundamental core strength and skills. A fundamentally strong core often means better posture and reduced risk of injury in the future.

With our sedentary world, we’re more likely now than ever to see more people struggling with rib flare, asymmetries in their core, and overall weakness. The following exercises are examples of exercises that can help to strengthen some of those areas.

THE 5 CORE EXERCISES FOR BETTER POSTURE

#1 Deadbugs

This can help individuals struggling with rib flare, in maintaining a connection from their ribs to their pelvis.

#2 Farmer Carries

This challenges your core to maintain your upright spinal alignment as you walk, with easy opportunity for progressive overload.

#3 Side Planks with Dips

This is a great unilateral exercise for individuals who have a difference in strength from side to side in their core. This exercise can help to address those asymmetries.

#4 Cable Pallof Press

This helps you to strengthen your core and posture while you resist rotation through bracing and control.

#5 Weighted Planks

This is a more advanced core exercise, but one worth mentioning. Many people can do a plank, but weighted planks allow for progressive overload. Make sure that you’re maintaining a neutral spine and excellent form before progressing, if posture vs. ego-lifting is your goal!

progressing & Maintaining your results

If there is any corrective work you need to do within the core for your posture, then you will likely start with deadbugs or regressions of deadbugs, like heel taps. As your core gets stronger with the basic exercises, you can start to progress your exercises for fun, but also to keep your body strong and healthy over time.

You’ll also want to make sure to focus on breath work as a priority for control, and for connecting more deeply with your core during these exercises.

Final Notes

Practicing some of these exercises, and those similar to these, can help to maintain a strong core and potentially better posture over time. Much more goes into your posture than just your core, and the exercises that will work best for you depends on where you strong and weak points are, but many of these exercises can be universal for improving or building a stronger core for posture.

These types of skills also help you to lift heavy loads without injury. If you’ve ever heard of someone hurting their lower back when lifting something off the ground, this can often be one of the weak links that lead to the injury. Not always, but a weak core can be a factor!