Lets talk posture good and bad!
A number of things can attribute to bad posture, mostly it can be due the fact that as a society we spend a lot more time seated. Other common factors could also be, being overweight, muscle imbalances or muscle weakness, injuries, incorrect footwear and poor sleeping positions. Luckily these can be helped and improved by exercsie
A lot of my clients that I train come to me with back issues or injuries, and its becoming more and more common. Therefore its important to try to get to the root of the problem and not just try to avoid or cover it up or just deal with it as you always have!
What does good posture mean to you?
If we look at the 3 postures below, Imagine you have some string leading from the top of your head, middle of the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and all the way down to your midfoot. This is netural alignment. When we talk of netural alignment, this is the way the body is in the most efficient and least injury prone.
Do you recognise your posture in the below?
Our body has two types of muscle fibres – Type I or slow twitch, and Type II or fast twitch.
The deeper muscles help us maintain posture without too much effort and are usually slow twitch. They send messages to the brain to make adjustments and help us maintain neutral posture.
Poor posture causes muscle fatigue and imbalances as it pushes the Type II fibres to act to maintain position, instead of using the Type 1 as its suppose too.
Our deeper, slower twitch supporting muscles become weaker over time and shorten from lack of use or improper use. When these muscles containing mostly Type II fibres take over the work, it affects the slower twitch muscle’s ability to send special information to the brain.
The incomplete messages are sent and the brain interprets that further adjustment is needed, therefore prompting more muscle contraction, worsening posture and increasing the discomfort and pain felt by the person…..No Bene!
Exercises to help with posture
Some areas to address to begin with……..
Shoulders - common issues here is rounded shoulders, and forward head position. These can cause neck strain, headaches and over time hunch back.
The focus - middle- upper back exercises like pulling and rowing variations, plus any shoulder mobility drills that focus on full range of movement.
Hips- Often I see clients with anterior pelvic tilt (ATP), which can cause excessive lumbar curvature. This is not so good as can lead to pain in the neck, upper/lower back in the hips. Not fun! See my pictures below for neutral and ATP
The focus - hip flexors - Exercises like the split squats are good as they lengthen and stretch the hip flexors, bridge and Hip thrusts also as this works the glutes.
ATP Neutral
Look at your posture, how do you sit? How do you stand?Could you get up and move little more often during the day? Could you do a couple of stretches at the desk? Shoulder rolls?, rolling the head from side to side, taking the chin to the chest… just a few ideas!
Make some small changes over the weeks and see how it can improve your posture. Strengthening the core and glutes will also help as well as stretching the hip flexors and lower back.
Posture is so so important for leading a better pain free everyday life, making small adjustments and being more mindful during the day could make a real difference to improving muscle imbalances and pain.
Feel free to contact me for further help and assistance with your training and or any questions on the above.
F xx