Everyone's Talking About “Adult Tummy Time”–Here's Why It's Actually Beneficial

Call it a necessary occupational hazard, but logging hours on my laptop and phone (yes, scrolling TikTok for the latest wellness trends is part of the job description) hasn’t done my posture and tech neck any favors. And I’m in good company—nearly 65 percent of people who work from home have neck or back pain, with laptops and cell phones as top culprits. 

I’ve yet to try the posture-correcting “Power Bra” made famous by Taylor Swift (not convinced enough to shell out $178 for it), and I can’t be bothered to do the neck, shoulder, and back exercises promising to lessen the strain diligently enough to notice a difference. But lying on my stomach while watching Étoile (Gilmore Girls fans, rejoice), brain dumping all my mind chatter, or sussing out TikTok for the sake of research? That I can do. And if the social media platform has anything to say about it, the so-called “adult tummy time” practice is one of the best (free) ways to improve posture and treat tech neck. And all you need is 10 minutes. But is adult tummy time all that it’s cracked up to be? Experts laid out the facts.  

Experts Consulted

At The Everygirl, we believe that wellness advice should be grounded in accurate, science-backed information to ensure our readers can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. That’s why we prioritize consulting trusted, credible experts—so every piece of content is both reliable and empowering.

 

ROBYN GAILLARD

Robyn Gaillard is a wellness educator and clinician specializing in holistic healing through the nervous system, circadian biology, and cellular health. With certifications in HeartMath, Reiki, and Applied Quantum Biology, she guides clients in reconnecting with the body’s innate ability to heal.

What Is “Adult Tummy Time”?

Taking a cue from the baby activity “tummy time” that helps develop neck, shoulder, and core strength, the adult version is “lying on your stomach [while resting on your forearms] to gently reintroduce spinal extension and reawaken the postural muscles that tend to shut down from long periods of sitting,” explained Kristina Rudzinskaya, a certified Pilates and yoga instructor and founder of Etalon, a posture wellness brand. “It can be a surprisingly powerful way to reset the spine, recalibrate breath, and restore postural balance.”

Since going viral (thanks to TikTok creator @chsnwhn, who claimed “tummy time solves tech neck”), thousands of people have been trying adult tummy time for themselves. While Jenn Ashley, a posture and fitness coach, watches TikTok during her tummy time, Sam Rus, a yoga teacher, habit stacks hers with working on her laptop or reading for 10 minutes a day. While some might casually assume the face-down position to multitask, others might choose to partake in it in the form of a yoga or Pilates pose, such as sphinx, cobra, swan, and swimming.

What Are Its Benefits?

The body was never meant or built to hold hours of forward flexion (AKA sitting at a desk or looking at a phone), which shortens the front body and weakens the back. “Our tech habits have us engaged in forward head posture, which creates a curvature at the cervical spine,” described Robyn Gaillard, a mind-body connection wellness educator and clinician. To offset the hours we spend hunched over in the tech neck position, adult tummy time does the opposite, extending and strengthening the neck, back, and core. “Tummy time invites the spine to extend (instead of round), a welcome counter to sitting for prolonged periods,” Gaillard said. And because the body gets used to the postures we’re in the most, regular tummy time can help improve the range of motion in your spine.

In physical therapy, extension exercises and prone positioning have long been trusty approaches to improve posture and alleviate pain. According to Rudzinskaya, adult tummy time not only opens the chest and encourages a more neutral spinal curve, but it also activates deep postural muscles, like the deep core muscle transverse abdominis, often targeted in Pilates for spinal support and stability. In addition to strengthening your upper body, lying on your stomach increases body awareness, helping you perform better, reduce your risk of injury, and regulate your nervous system (read: maintaining a balance between the “fight-or-flight” and “rest-and-digest” modes).

How to Try It

As simple as it is, there is a right and wrong way to do adult tummy time. Whether you do it on your bed, your couch, or the floor, and whether you choose to do it alone or with your habit stack of choice, set yourself up correctly for the practice with Rudzinskaya’s tips:

• Find neutral spine in prone: Lie on your stomach with legs extended and pubic bone gently pressing into the mat. Imagine lengthening the crown of your head away from your toes (this alignment reduces compression in the low back).
• Create a 90-degree angle with your forearms in front of you, elbows slightly ahead of your shoulders, and shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.
• Engage your deep core: Exhale fully and gently draw your belly away from the floor (this subtle engagement of the transverse abdominis helps stabilize your spine).
• Quality over quantity: Precision matters more than repetition. Even three to five minutes of mindful tummy time can be powerful if you stay present and breathe intentionally.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katherine Chang, Wellness Staff Writer

Katherine Chang is The Everygirl’s Wellness Staff Writer with over five years of experience in the health and wellness space. She navigates the latest wellness topics and trends through expert interviews and studies, and she’s always first in line to try them firsthand.

Feature graphic images credited to: Mathilde Langevin | Pexels, Cora Pursley | Dupe, Cora Pursley | Dupe, Achira22 | Adobe Stock.