Pinch the blades, fix the posture, no weight needed.
Move from the shoulder blades, not a shrug. Think back and down, not up toward your ears.
Pulling your shoulder blades back and slightly down trains the muscles at the back of your shoulders that spend all day being stretched forward by desks and phones. There is no load, just a deliberate squeeze and hold, which makes it repeatable anywhere and as often as you like. It is posture maintenance you can actually stick to.
It strengthens and wakes up the muscles that pull your shoulders back, which directly counters the rounded-forward position most of us live in. It will not fix posture on its own, but done regularly it makes sitting and standing tall feel easier.
Little and often beats one big set. Try 10 to 15 squeezes with a two-second hold, a few times through the day, especially during long desk stretches. Consistency is the entire trick.
You are shrugging instead of retracting. Think back and slightly down, like tucking your shoulder blades into your back pockets, and keep your neck long. If your ears and shoulders get closer, reset and go again.
