Upper-back extension over the chair

Upper back & chest · Seated · about 30 seconds · Updated 25 September 2026

The upper-back extension over the chair: with your hands supporting your head, you lean your upper back gently over the top of the backrest, then come back up. It moves the part of the spine that stiffens most with sitting, with the backrest as support. Skip it if you have osteoporosis.

The Posture figure doing the upper-back extension over the chair — The upper-back extension over the chair as the Posture figure demonstrates it. The pink glow shows the area it works.

How to do the upper-back extension over the chair

Sit back in a sturdy, non-reclining chair.
Hands behind your head, elbows forward.
Lean back gently over the backrest, hold, return.

What it works

Upper back mobility

How long and how often

In a Posture break it's 4 slow reps, holding each for 4 seconds, about 35 seconds in total. It's meant to be repeated through the day in short breaks rather than done once; doing it regularly matters more than the exact timing.

Tips

Move from your upper back
Breathe out as you extend
Stable chair only

Who should skip it

Osteoporosis or a vertebral fracture

Move gently, in a comfortable range. Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness, tingling or dizziness.

Try it with the guided 3D figure →