How to Sit Better

Tompfeiffer
Aug 14, 2025
6 min read

Updated: Jan 4

Posture is how you hold your body against gravity. Better posture balances bones, while worse posture uses muscles and ligaments to hold you up. Try this: Place one hand on your low back and the other at the back of your neck and then round forward. You’ll feel these muscles activate. Now, lean back until you feel these muscles relax. Repeat this to feel how active your muscles are when your bones are not balanced.

This article is going to help anyone dealing with back pain related to sitting. I share why people sit poorly, how to sit better, options to sit less, and my personal experience with back pain related to excess sitting.

Why People Sit Poorly

Today most seats are designed to make you slouch and most people slouch. If most of your family and friends sit with poor posture, that becomes normal to you. If this habit is left unchecked, it can cause long term back pain like it did for me.

Illustration of a person and skeleton slouching on chairs, highlighting spine issues. Images of various seats in blue and tan shades.

It took me a long time to discover the cause of my pain (sitting) because most people sit poorly, so I was normal. Although almost everyone sits with poor posture in unforgiving seats, only some people experience pain as a result of this. Since most doctors see the world from the view of structural (you're broken) instead of function (your habits are broken) you're unlikely to get help with this from anyone in the western medicine.

It's really quite simple: if you have pain after sitting or if you sit 10+ hours per day and have back pain, how you're sitting is a likely contributor. Below I explain how to improve this and overcome back pain from sitting.

How to Sit Better in 2 Steps

Most people think good posture is perfectly straight and requires effort and discipline, but that’s not true. Better posture requires the least amount of force to maintain. Good posture is balance, not force. Think of balancing your bones as you'd balance stones on top of one another.

Spine and skeleton on white, flanking stacked black stones on water. Background is blurred green, conveying balance and anatomy theme.

Step 1: Neutral Spine

Neutral is a range, not one destination. When sitting or standing, find the position that requires the least amount of muscular effort to hold you up.

Man showing three postures: rounded, neutral, arched. Red and green dotted lines highlight spine curves. Brick wall background, text labels.

With a neutral spine, you won’t feel spine bumps as when rounding, or a deep spinal groove as when arching.

Diagram showing spinal grooves: rounded (red X), neutral (green check), arched (red X). Blue background, labeled with text indicating each type.

To find a neutral neck position, keep your nose below your ears.

Man showing head posture against brick wall. Left: incorrect with red arrows, "Tight neck." Right: correct with green check, "Nose below ears."

The key to maintaining a neutral spine when sitting is to roll the hips forward so your base is your sit bones, not your tailbone.

Man sitting in three postures: rounded, neutral, arched. Neutral is checked as correct with a green check mark. Text labels each posture.

Two illustrations of seated posture: left shows slouched pelvis; right shows upright posture. Text explains pelvic balance over ischia.

Illustration of pelvic bones labeled: sacrum, sitting bones, coccyx, sacral-iliac joint, pelvis, hip joint. Set on a light background.

Find a seat that places your hips slightly above your knees to make it easier to roll your hips forward. Sit on a wedge or tuck one or both legs under so that your knees are slightly below your hips and you’re able to easily roll your hips forward to maintain a neutral spine. If your seat is too high, place something under your feet.

Man in a tank top and shorts sits upright on a chair with a blue wedge cushion. Text reads "Sit on a wedge at the back of your seat." Dark patterned wall.

Man sits upright on a white chair, tucking legs. Wears beige tank top, brown shorts, and black shoes. Text: "Tuck your legs back or under."

Person in jeans and white shoes uses a laptop on a desk, sitting on a gray chair with feet on a footrest. Modern, ergonomic setting.

Sit like a happy dog wagging their tail - don’t sit on your tail! This applies to all sitting positions.

A cartoon yellow dog with a wagging tail stands on a teal background, tongue out and happy, casting a shadow on the ground.

Illustration of a yellow dog standing on a gray shadow with a light blue background. The dog has a cheerful expression.

Avoid crossing your legs, or if you must only cross your ankles to avoid uneven stress. Let your legs naturally open and spread your butt cheeks to widen your base of support and take stress off the low back. The seated goodmorning is a good exercise to teach correct hip position.

Man sitting cross-legged on a purple bench, red X over him. Text reads "Cross-legged sitting." Brick wall and windows in the background.

Man sitting on a chair in two poses: legs together with a red X, legs open with a green check. Text labels actions. Patterned wall background.

Man on a white chair demonstrates core exercise. He shifts weight side to side. Text: "Widen your base of support" with instructions.

A lumbar support can alleviate the discomfort of sitting, but it doesn’t train you to maintain good posture without it and can cause excessive low back arching. This is why I recommend the stretchsit cushion over using a lumbar support.

Man in car demonstrating posture with stretchsit cushion vs. lumbar support. Text highlights benefits of stretchsit for spinal alignment.

Two figures in blue demonstrate correct and incorrect seated postures. Both hold steering wheels; one shows a slouched back, the other upright.

In order to maintain a neutral spine when standing, our foundation must be strong and our hips, knees, and ankles must be stacked. Modern shoes squeeze our toes and force our weight to the inner parts of our feet, which causes dysfunction. Instead, wear wide barefoot shoes and place your weight in the outer part of your feet and toe pads. Slightly externally rotate your legs as if you’re trying to wrap your legs around you as this aligns your joints and makes it easier to position your hips well and maintain a neutral spine. The Sole Steps are a tool that teaches how to habitually shift the weight to the outer parts of the feet. Better posture is tall, but it’s not vertical - place your fingers where the legs meet the hips and gently push back to place your hips slightly behind you. Standing desks can help with posture, but you can still slouch while standing, so keep your feet wide and change positions often to avoid slouching.

Two diagrams compare foot shapes: one barefoot with straight toes, the other in a modern shoe showing curved toes. Labels: "BAREFOOT" and "MODERN SHOE".

Foot Contact Guide showing two skeletal feet: Left in red with incorrect contact, right in green with correct contact. Text labels actions.

Man in a white tank and black shorts stands sideways against a brick wall with "Hips soft" text above, in a sunlit room.

Man in patterned shirt at kitchen counter, demonstrating three laptop standing postures: slouching, wide feet, and split stance with labels.

Step 2: Be Tall

Once you've found a neutral position, attempt to lengthen your spine as if you’re trying to get as much space between your hips and the top of your head. Don’t lose your neutral spine and make sure you keep your nose below the ears when lengthening.

Two stacks of geometric shapes; left tilting and unstable, right upright and pulled by a hook. Arrows indicate force directions. Black and white.

Modern posture and sedentary lifestyle has changed the shape of the spine. Current medical illustrations depict good posture as having a tucked pelvis with big spinal curves (left), but modern sedentary lifestyle is the cause for these accentuated curves. Just a short while ago (1911) a straighter spine (right) was more common. The spine is designed to be straighter.

Two spine diagrams compare modern vs. 1911 anatomy. Modern spine: deep curves, long lumbar. 1911 spine: short lumbar. Text highlights differences.

Our habitual postures are the primary contributor to muscle and joint tightness, so analyze your posture with this resource and work to improve how you sit, how you stand, and how you lie down and consider getting these posture books to learn more about posture and your body.

The most common posture mistakes are overcorrections. For example, most people have become terrified of “anterior pelvic tilt” so they push their hips forward and squeeze their butts, but this actually worsens their pain. Instead, the hips should be soft and slightly behind us. Other people believe that keeping their “chest up” is needed for good posture, but they overarch their low backs and worsen their pain. Instead, find a neutral position and focus on balance.

If you can get the hips and spine balanced and positioned well everything else tends to also balance. However, some people also benefit from thinking about externally rotating the shoulders. Reach back with one arm at a time like you’re trying to reach for something in the backseat of a car and then ‘anti-shrug’ your shoulders down to set your shoulder blades onto your rib cage. If you just can’t seem to improve your posture, consider scheduling a fitness consultation to work with me directly.

Specific Sitting Situations

On an Airplane

Read this airplane back pain survival kit. Place a cushion towards the back of your seat to get your knees above your hips and assist with rolling your pelvis forward. Use a stretchsit cushion or sweatshirt to support your mid back and assist with maintaining a long neutral spine. Take regular breaks to stretch your legs when you can.

At the Computer

Set your screen to eye-level if you can to avoid slouching.

Stick figures demonstrate laptop ergonomics; left shows eye level at 10°, right shows an angle over 20°. Desks and laptops in both.

Keep the shoulders back and down and only rotate your palms down to type.

Man in a floral shirt seated at a table with a laptop. Left: Slouched with text "Avoid slouching" and red X. Right: Straight posture with "Keep spine long" and green check.

A computer posture alternative is the half-kneeling position where you place a cushion under your knee and switch legs regularly to maintain a stretch in the hips and a long spine.

Man in palm-print shirt half-kneeling on cushion at table, using laptop. Background includes microwave, checkmark, and "Half-kneeling" text.

On a Bicycle

Sit with a long spine while riding a bicycle. Ground your pelvis, straighten your back, and relax your shoulders away from your ears.

Man on Citi Bike shows incorrect rounded and correct neutral postures side by side; text captions highlight posture differences.

On the Toilet

Spread your legs and roll your hips forward to maintain a straight spine to avoid straining your back. Tuck your legs under if the seat is too low. Good posture will also make your bowel movements easier.

Man in a palm tree shirt sits on a toilet. Left: slouching with a red X, right: neutral spine with a green check. Beige curtain background.

How to Sit Less

The best posture is variety. If you must sit for extended periods, find multiple postures you can hold so you provide variety to your tissues. Sit on the floor to improve circulation and strengthen your hip, ankle, and knee joints. A nice rug or cushioned floor will incentivize you to sit/lie on the ground instead of on the couch. Here are some sitting postures you can use to add variety. Many of these can be used while working at your computer. Play around to find postures you like best.

Man demonstrating two prone positions on a blue towel, labeled "Position 1" and "Position 2," against a patio background.

Man in black workout attire kneels on a mat in a brick-walled studio. Text reads "Heel sitting." Calm and focused mood.

Man doing 90 90 stretch on a blue striped mat indoors. Text reads "90 90 stretch." Neutral expression, tan walls, window with curtain.

Man in a black outfit performs a frog stretch on a mat, against a brick wall. Text reads "Frog Stretch." Calm setting.

Man performing pigeon stretch on blue mat, indoors, beside window. Text "Pigeon Stretch" in top right. Relaxed setting with plants.

My Experience

My back first started hurting when I was 10 years old and the worst part was nobody knew the cause. Each doctor I visited had a different structural explanation for the cause of my pain: scoliosis, bulging discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease. The problem was doctors were relying on scans but many of the abnormalities they point out cause zero pain in most people [Source].

Sagittal MRI of the lumbar spine showing vertebrae and discs. White text details scan parameters on a black background. — MRI 2009, 16 years old

The only way I was able to identify the cause of my pain was through personal study. I discovered that my long torso and legs made most seats poorly suited for my body, and my poor posture put stress on my spine and tightened my hip flexors creating unending pain. A primary component of becoming pain-free was learning to sit better and sit less. After working with hundreds of clients, I’ve discovered that most back pain is caused by how we use our bodies, not a mark on a scan.

X-ray image showing a side view of a spine and abdomen on a computer screen. A small key shape is visible near the lower spine. — X-ray 2015, 21 years old

Conclusion

This article helped to explain how to improve your sitting to overcome chronic back pain. If you want help learning about your body and creating a custom plan for you, schedule a consultation to work with me directly.

I hope this helps! If you have questions, leave a comment or send me a message!

Man in green shirt smiles with arms crossed. Background has blue graphic of back pain. Text reads "TP FIT." Fitness theme.