Posture training
Also called: postural exercises, spinal posture correction
What it means
Posture training is a set of exercises and habits that strengthen back muscles and improve spinal alignment to reduce slouching and protect the spine.
Good posture habits may help support spine alignment and reduce strain on vertebrae, which matters more as bone density changes with age.
Posture training refers to exercises and movement habits that strengthen the muscles supporting your spine, especially the back extensors between your shoulder blades and along your lower back. It also includes learning how to sit, stand, lift, and bend in ways that keep your spine in a safer, more neutral position instead of rounding forward.
As we age, muscles can weaken and the spine can settle into a more stooped or rounded shape, sometimes called kyphosis. This isn't just cosmetic – a forward-leaning posture shifts load onto the front of the vertebrae, which may matter more if bone density is already low. Posture training aims to counter that pattern through targeted strengthening and awareness.
Common elements include back extensor strengthening exercises, shoulder blade squeezes, gentle chest-opening stretches, and cues for lifting objects using your hips and knees rather than rounding your spine. For people with osteoporosis or vertebral compression fractures, many physical therapists also teach spinal flexion avoidance – limiting deep forward bending – since this can increase pressure on the front of the vertebrae. A physical therapist or doctor can help tailor a safe, personalized program.
Good posture habits may support spine alignment and ease strain on vertebrae as bone density changes.
Where this leads
WordWondering what exercises actually build better posture? These target the muscles along your spine that support it.
Related words
Kyphosis is an excessive forward curve of the upper back, often called a dowager's hump, which in bone-health terms…
Back extensor strengthening is exercise that targets the muscles along your spine to improve posture and support the…
Spinal flexion avoidance means limiting forward bending from the spine, especially with twisting or lifting, to…
A vertebral compression fracture is when a bone in the spine collapses or flattens, often because the bone is…
Balance training is practice that improves your stability and coordination so you're less likely to fall — and falls…
Core stability training strengthens the deep muscles around your spine, abdomen, and pelvis so they can support and…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
