Most women think a sagging neck or drooping jawline is just a normal part of aging — something we can only fix with fillers or surgery. But here’s the truth: one of the biggest culprits behind a soft jawline and crepey chest isn’t age — it’s posture.

The way you sit, stand, and move through the world shapes your face and neckline far more than you realize. When your shoulders roll forward and your head drops down toward your phone or laptop (hello, tech neck), your chest muscles tighten and your upper back weakens. Over time, that tension pulls everything forward — your neck, your jawline, even your facial structure.

But when you train your posture — when you expand, strengthen, and balance the muscles that hold you upright — you create lift from the inside out. That lift doesn’t just change how you feel in your body. It changes how you look.

Here are three exercises to do in the gym that work together to expand the chest, improve posture, and firm the neck and jawline.

🧘‍♀️ Camel Pose: The Expander

Camel Pose (Ustrasana in yoga) is one of the most powerful heart-opening postures for women in midlife. It stretches the entire front of the body — including the chest (the pectoralis major and minor), shoulders, and those long neck muscles called the sternocleidomastoids — which tend to tighten and pull downward with age, causing turkey neck, jowls, and chest wrinkles. When these muscles are released, the jawline and neck appear smoother and more lifted.

When you move into Camel Pose, you’re reversing the daily posture that comes from driving, computer work, and phone scrolling. You’re literally teaching your body to open up again. This gentle backbend improves flexibility through the spine, lengthens the front of the neck, and releases tension in the jaw and throat area.

To do this yoga pose correctly: start on your knees, with your knees about 8 inches apart. Begin by placing the palms of your hands on your lower back area, and start to tilt your head back, pushing your hips forward, so that you are doing a backbend. The goal of the pose is two-fold: to always have your hips pushing forward, and to always have your chest facing UP to the ceiling as much as possible. Over time, as you get advanced with this pose, you can reach back to grab your heels, as I'm demonstrating in the picture, above. Once you get into position, try to hold this pose for a minimum of 20 seconds, and work your way up to 1 minute. 

Think of it as a daily “un-hunching” — a simple but powerful reminder to lead with your heart, lift your chest, and create space from collarbone to chin.

🏋️‍♀️ Bench Press: The Strengthener

The bench press often gets dismissed as a “gym bro” move, but when performed with good form, it’s one of the best posture-correcting exercises you can do. It strengthens your pectoral muscles (the ones across your chest) and stabilizes your shoulders — both key for maintaining an upright, confident posture.

When you bench press, you're engaging the Pectoralis major, the large, fan-shaped muscle across the chest that's responsible for pushing your arms forward and inward. Strengthening it builds fullness and tone across the upper chest — which supports and slightly “lifts” the décolletage and improves posture by balancing tight, under-worked areas in midlife women.

You're also working your Anterior Deltoids, which help round out shoulder definition and stabilize the shoulder joint, and triceps, which not only sculpt the arms but also help keep your shoulders and chest balanced. And you're indirectly working upper and mid back muscles and your core, all which help you to: 

• Stand taller with your shoulders open and down

• Support the neck and collarbone area

• Create gentle, natural lift across the upper chest (a “postural bra effect”) and

• Reduce tension in the traps and front-neck muscles that contribute to sagging and jowls.

This is an exercise that's a favorite of mine: not only are you building strong upper body strength that will strengthen bones as you age, not only are you revving up your metabolism, but a strong upper chest area gives subtle lift and firmness to your jowls, neckline and décolletage — one of the first areas to lose tone as estrogen declines.

To do this correctly: lay back on the bench, feet firmly on the ground. Lift the bar off the rack and hold it at the center of your chest. Slowly bring it down to within 1 inch of your chest, elbows down (not out to the side). Push back up, slowly. Repeat for a count of 8, for 3 sets. Add weight to challenge yourself, once the naked bar feels easy enough. 

💪 Lat Pulldown: The Balancer

If Camel Pose expands and the bench press strengthens, the lat pulldown balances.

The lat pulldown is one of the most powerful posture-sculpting & jawline-fixing exercises you can do — especially for women in midlife. It primarily strengthens the latissimus dorsi, those wide, wing-shaped muscles that sweep down the sides of your back. When strong, they pull the shoulders down and back, opening the chest, elongating the neck, and creating that elegant lifted posture that instantly makes you look taller and more confident. The teres major works alongside the lats to stabilize the shoulder joint, while the rhomboids and lower and middle trapezius draw the shoulder blades together and down. This coordinated activation helps reverse years of forward rounding caused by sitting, scrolling, and desk work — relieving upper back tension and realigning your natural posture.

Supporting muscles like the posterior deltoids (rear shoulders) and biceps assist with each pull, toning the arms while maintaining shoulder stability. Meanwhile, the core stays engaged to prevent arching the lower back, keeping your spine supported and your movement fluid. Over time, this combination of strength and awareness improves not just how your back looks, but how it feels — more open, grounded, and powerful.

From a beauty and longevity perspective, lat pulldowns are transformative. They sculpt the back and underarm area, smooth out the “bra bulge” zone, and create the illusion of a more lifted chest and neck. Because this move strengthens the posterior chain (the back side of your body), it naturally helps counterbalance tight chest muscles that can pull the shoulders forward — one of the main contributors to a sagging neckline and jowls. When practiced consistently, this single movement helps you stand taller, breathe deeper, and move through life with strength, grace, and symmetry — your natural facelift, powered by muscle.

To do this exercise: Sit on the seat, with your knees held in place by the knee pad. Grab the bar overhead and slowly pull down the bar to your chest area. Slowly drive back up, all the while keeping elbows at your side and engaging your pecs. Repeat for a count of 8, 3 sets. Add weight to challenge yourself, once this move feels natural.

✨ Posture: The Unsung Beauty Routine

If you want a firmer, tighter, more graceful neckline — don’t just focus on creams or serums. Train your posture.

The combination of Camel Pose, bench press, and lat pulldowns creates lift where it matters most — from within. You’re retraining your muscles to hold you upright, to expand your chest, and to release the chronic tension that literally pulls your features down.

Posture is the foundation of beauty. It shapes how you carry yourself, how you breathe, and how others perceive your vitality. And the best part? It’s completely within your control.

So stand tall. Strengthen your back. Open your chest. Because how you hold yourself might just be the most powerful anti-aging secret of all.

✨ Let’s age well, naturally. Together.

x
Juliana

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