Fitness Yoga

This 20-Minute Chest-Opening Sequence Is an Easy Way To Improve Your Posture

Erin Bunch

March 23, 2021

Long hours at the computer, followed by long commutes or, in the pandemic age, just long hours in front of the TV, are not exactly doing wonders for your posture. Your natural state may very well just be somewhat slumped at this point, which likely means your chest and back muscles are weaker than you want them to be. Chest-opening moves can counteract some of this bodily distortion. In the latest episode of Good Moves, Nike master trainer Traci Copeland demonstrates a 20-minute sequence chock full of them.

Experts In This Article

Traci Copeland, Nike Master Trainer, yoga instructor, and fitness model

"Today we're doing a chest-opening flow," says Copeland. "A lot of the time we're spending at our laptops and computers, we're hunched over, so you want to do something that's going to open up your body so you feel good. It's also good for your posture."

Chest-openers aren't just beneficial for the mostly sedentary, either. "[This routine is also] great for runners," she says. "It's actually great to do after one of those three to five mile runs."

In fact, she says, this routine is good for "anybody," and can not just help strengthen those aforementioned weakened muscles but prevent dreaded chronic lower back pain, too. Plus, some people call these types of exercises "heart-openers" because it's believed they help to release negative emotions. For reasons we can hopefully cease to mention soon, this might be the greatest benefit of all to moving through this routine in 2021. They are purported to open up your lungs, too, which enables deeper and more satisfying breath.

Bet you didn't know there were so many reasons to engage in seemingly simple chest-opening exercises, did you? Press play to experience them all in Copeland's latest 20-minute chest-opening sequence.

And before you get started, snag a yoga mat:

Shop now: Amazon Basics 1/2-Inch Extra Thick Exercise Yoga Mat, $21

Shop now: Amazon Basics 1/2-Inch Extra Thick Exercise Yoga Mat, $21

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