This is a close relative to the cat hissing posture, but looks more like a body builder flexing their upper body.  Instead of just the shoulders, the arms are held up and curled forward for extended lengths of time.  I could see a boxer or martial artist with their hands up, ready for a fight.  They can be leaning forward or up on their toes, too.

In nature, this looks like the defensive posturing of an animal protecting it’s turf, which is exactly what is happening subconsciously for us, too. 

This can also like be a puffer fish, which instantly expands to look bigger than they are to scare predators away from attacking. 

I see people whose faces are forward as another way to keep people back, even if it seems this person is happy and outgoing.  It’s like the overwhelm of their big personality keeps people out of their personal space.

I also see people trying to stick their chest out and pulling their shoulders back, especially when they are tired.  This makes for very tight armpits, somewhere that people never realize that they are carrying stress.  They just feel tension in the neck and shoulders, or maybe in between the shoulder blades.

A quick way to feel relief in the neck and shoulders is to let the arms fall to the sides and slide the shoulder blades down the back and flex in between the shoulder blades.   

Another great remedy for tight shoulders is to really push your head back into a car headrest, then rolling you chest forward, but chin back.  I like to drop the shoulders back to the car seat then pulling on the steering wheel.

Pulling up your shoulder blades really high and rubbing them against the base of the skull is another way to break up tension. 

With you arms hanging down to your sides, roll your thumbs outward and look up, letting your chest arch up with a deep breath all the way from your lap to your chin.  This is so good for the heart and mental balance!

This is the opposite of the bulldog posture.  Opposite muscles should be worked for stability and posture.  So if you are in one posture often, the opposite posture needs to be used to counter-act it. 

Here’s food for thought:  Let down your guard once in a while bulldog!  You need it.