Satisfying name aside, this exercise is perfect for undoing the strain of a day spent hunched over at a desk or laptop.

“This exercise helps to prevent rounded shoulders and a bent upper back,” Sessions explains. “The shoulder blade draws the shoulders back and expands the chest for better posture.”

How to do it

Sit or stand straight with your arms at your sides
Squeeze your shoulder blades gently to pull them together and towards your spine
Hold for 5-10 seconds with your chest elevated
Repeat 10 times

My experience

After a day spent working from a sofa in a coffee shop (not the ideal set-up for maintaining good posture), this exercise feels like pure bliss. While it’s tempting to try to pull my shoulder blades back as far as they’ll go to try and ease the slight ache in my back, doing the movement gently ends up being a lot more soothing.

My upper back feels a lot looser after doing this just a couple of times, and I feel a little bit lighter when I stand up straight. You don’t realise quite how hunched over you are until you do an exercise like this, so it’s great for bringing awareness back to your body and how it feels, too.

Back pain stretches: “I tried 3 ways to improve my posture and this was the most effective”