Probably the most common posture issue in or out of lockdown is having rounded shoulders, and it’s the kind of thing that you only become aware of in a PT session or gym class when you’re being directly asked to retract your shoulders for a deadlift or goblet squat.

The NHS has a good test to see if you’ve got a rounded shoulder problem. While standing in front of a mirror and letting your arms hang naturally by your side check to see if your knuckles are facing forward. If so, you might have a tight chest and weak upper back – which can cause rounded shoulders.

Another test is to take a breath in and then drop the shoulders to become as relaxed as possible. If you can feel them drop an inch, the chances are that they’ve been hunched around your ears for a while. Can you clasp your hands behind your back? If not, again, shoulder mobility may be restricted.

Solution: You might not necessarily have rounded shoulders just from poor posture, they could also be from too much anterior training and not enough back-based movement. To help, you need to strengthen your upper back, chest and core together and that means doing exercises such as planks, press-ups, bridges, and dumbbell rows.

It’s important to clarify that poor posture isn’t necessarily just a bad habit. We can find ourselves slouching forwards for a number of reasons, including inflexible muscles (ie overly-tight hips) and muscular imbalances. If you’ve got weak core muscles in your back, bum and stomach, you won’t have a strong foundation for keeping balanced. The good news is that you can easily work on improving your posture with these simple exercises.

5 posture mistakes you’re probably making, and expert tips on how to fix them at home