Posture + Shoulders Rolling Forward

Hey guys I wasn't sure where to post this so I ended up here.

I've noticed that my shoulders seem to naturally roll forwards a little bit, even though I try to keep them retracted a little bit everytime I remember. Would I be correct in thinking that strengthening my trapezius muscles would make my shoulders more naturally retracted?

I honestly don't know whether or not this would affect me strength-wise, it's just something I would be interested in doing (as I am inclined to believe it would help correct my posture).

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated

I had terrible posture all throughout high school. I just didn't understand why despite all the strengthening exercises I would do, I would have minimal improvement.

After reading Peter Egoscue's book, Egoscue method of health through motion, I had my first fitness related epiphany about just how amazing integrated my body is.

All I did was hollow my lower back a little bit so that I'm not overly extended, then after a second like magic, my body started shifting backwards, the weight of was being pushed on my heels, my shoulder went backwards and my neck was nice and packed.

I'd be willing to bet that your shoulder issue is actually due to your pelvis being anteriorly rotated. If you want real results on your posture, you have to start taking an integrated look at your body. Researching this is very fun!

hmmm, thanks for the reply it sounds interesting - however I do actively try to correct my posture often enough with the hope that eventually it will happen without having to think about it (including rotating the hips)

^this hasn't worked out great so far :?

I was mainly just wondering if anyone has had an experience where strengthening some part of the body (as I said before probably the traps) has allowed their shoulders to naturally retract??

You're missing the big picture. The body is an integrated system. Any changes you make will contribute to an adjustment to your posture. You have to find what is tight, what is short, and what is weak. Look up Janda's Crossed Syndrome and you'll get a good idea what those are for the majority of the population.

I recommend you try Egoscue's two position arm circles, and gravity drops. Let me know if you get an epiphany from doing those simple exercises.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

I'll try to look into that when I get a bit more time off.