If your desk is turning you into a shrimp, these four TRX moves are the perfect antidote to straighten your spine and help you run better.
- Sitting all day and office life tend to pull your posture forward, weakening your back.
- TRX (Total Resistance Exercise) uses gravity to safely and progressively train your posterior chain.
- The Low Row is foundational: it strengthens your lats and teaches your shoulder blades to work together.
- The Y-Fly targets the upper back and helps correct that hunched-over posture.
- The Face Pull is key for shoulder health, reversing the internal rotation from constant mouse and keyboard use.
- All it takes is 10 minutes to “reset” your posture after eight hours in a chair.
Posture Slumping Forward? Use Gravity to Open It Up
There’s an invisible force working against you every day from 9 to 5. It’s not your boss or that looming deadline — it’s gravity, teamed up with your “ergonomic” chair that, let’s face it, often only has the word printed on the invoice.
If you spend your day sitting, your body slowly morphs into the shape of a cashew: rounded shoulders, head forward, curved spine.
For runners, this is a double whammy. We end up taking that stiffness onto the road, looking like T-Rexes — strong legs but tight, underactive upper bodies. The fix doesn’t require fancy machines or a spaceship gym. Just two yellow-and-black straps and your own bodyweight. TRX, or suspension training, isn’t just about sweating — it’s about remembering how to stand tall.
Why TRX Is the Perfect Antidote to Desk Life
The principle is simple and powerful: you use gravity to your advantage. If your chair pulls you inward, the TRX pulls you open. Working in suspension activates what we call the posterior chain.
Think of it as a series of elastic bands running from your heels up through your calves, hamstrings, glutes, and all the way to your neck. When you sit, those elastics go slack. TRX brings them back to life.
Another bonus? Suspension training is democratic. Too hard? Step back to reduce the angle. Too easy? Step forward. You control the intensity — no weight plates needed.
4 Exercises for a Stronger Back and Open Shoulders
This routine is a postural reset. You’re not trying to crush your muscles — just wake them up. Move with control. Ditch the rush.
TRX Low Row (The Foundation)
This is your bread and butter. Grab the handles, feet on the floor, body stiff like a plank (yep, engage that core or your lower back will sag).
Lean back by extending your arms, then pull yourself up by bringing your elbows close to your sides.
The secret isn’t pulling with your arms — it’s imagining you’re trying to crush a walnut between your shoulder blades at the top. That’s where the magic should happen.
TRX Y-Fly (Upper Back Hero)
This one’s sneaky — and harder than it looks — so reduce your angle (stand more upright).
Start with your arms extended forward and upward, forming a “Y” with your body. Keep arms straight as you lean back, then return to the Y position.
You’ll feel it in your rear delts and between your shoulder blades. Neck feeling tense? You’re doing it wrong — lower your shoulders and keep them away from your ears.
TRX Face Pull (Shoulder Saver)
Every desk worker should be legally required to do this. Grab the handles, palms facing down or in. Pull the handles toward your forehead, elbows flaring out, and rotate your hands back at the end of the move (like you’re flexing your biceps in a bodybuilder pose — but elbows up).
This move “unscrews” the shoulders from that internally rotated, mouse-clicking position, and strengthens your rotator cuff.
Bonus: Suspended Chest Stretch
Done working? Here’s your reward. Face away from the anchor point, arms wide with handles in hand (forming a big T or Y), and take a small step forward to let your bodyweight gently stretch your pecs.
No force here — just surrender. Let your chest open up. Breathe. You’ll feel instant relief in the front of your shoulders — the exact area that tightens from desk posture.
Just 10 Minutes to Stand Tall All Day
You don’t need an hour. Just 10 minutes, maybe three times a week, to counteract 40 hours of desk work. A strong, mobile back doesn’t just make you look taller or more confident — it makes you run better. Proper posture helps you breathe more freely and move more efficiently.
And let’s be honest — not looking like a shrimp is a win in itself. As we’ve seen in our piece on posture and mental well-being, how you hold yourself physically can shift your mood, too.