question about posture

Carmen829

Carmen829

Cathlete
Hi everyone - I hope you can shed some insight. I work out 5 to 6 times per week alternating cardio with weight work. I like to work as heavy as I can alternating one week pyramids, next week S&H, & next week 4DS. I have noticed when I stand sideways my shoulders and upper back seem to round forward a bit. In your opinion do you think I need to work my upper back and back part of shoulders more to straighten my posture? I was thinking of adding pull ups or lat pull downs into my back work to see if that help strengthen and add more muscle to the back.

I'll be 50 years old next month and dont like to think that I'm actually losing some bone mass and starting to hunch over like my mom.

I'd be interested in your thoughts. Thanks.

Carmen.
 
Hi I'm no expert but I took ballet a lot when I was younger (hmmm day dreaming of those younger days, . . . gosh I feel old) and my teacher always told me that good posture starts with a strong core. I'm not sure how true that is but in ballet you had to stand with good posture.
 
It means your chest muscles are too tight. You need to stretch your chest out and conscienciously stand upright throughout the day. When you build your chest, the muscles get tight and pull you inward. Take some extra time and really stretch those mucles out when you are finished with your routine.
 
Stretching...hm? I'm pretty good at stretching after I exercise. Perhaps I will add in a stretchmax session somewhere. Any suggestions for a good chest stretch besides hands clenched behind you or on stability ball with arms falling open to the side?
 
Carmen829 said:
Stretching...hm? I'm pretty good at stretching after I exercise. Perhaps I will add in a stretchmax session somewhere. Any suggestions for a good chest stretch besides hands clenched behind you or on stability ball with arms falling open to the side?
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A good one for chest is sit down on a mat with your knees bent in front of you, feet flat on the floor. Put your hands behind out, fingers facing out behind you. Move your butt in close to your feet and just pull your shoulders back and look up. This stretches the chest and biceps really good.

Yoga is a good option, too, this will bring the body into balance more.

Edited: Also, stretching after a workout is the best time to do it, but you need more then a few minutes to loosen up muscles, especially if you lift heavy. The chest needs extra stretching time to really make a difference in posture. This is one thing bodybuilders do as they prepare for competition. It's easy to slouch when the chest muscles are tight.
 
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I noticed a marked improvement in my posture when I started doing heavy standard deadlifts on a regular basis. When done correctly, there's a whole lotta muscular engagement going on in the abs and back.
 
As much as you probably don't want to hear the word genetic here, it could be just that. My FIL is 86 and has a pretty good hunch right at the base of the neck, top of the back. It is much worse today than it was years ago. Bad thing, my DH is 49 and has it coming on. He's been showing early hunch syndrome (don't know what else to call it) but it's there. I know what he's going to look like in his 80s. I think it's just the shape of the spine and don't know of anything that could be done to stop it. I think he even talked to a chiropractor about it once and didn't get an answer like "come on in and we'll take care of it" but if you hear of something I'd love to know.
Tracy
 
Hi Carmen

I'm wondering if it could be a form issue. I know Cathe gives form reminders and tips, but it is so easy to get a little slack in certain areas especially as the weight load goes up.

So you might want to do a form check to make sure your shoulders are rolled back and down, with scapular retracted and lats engaged - at all times - as well as with dead lifts, rows, rear deltoid lifts, bicep curls, lunges, squats etc...

One other tip that helps with my posture is to keep my rib cage lifted up and abs tucked in, so that the rib cage isn't collapsing into the abdominal cavity.

:D
 
Janis said:
Hi Carmen

I'm wondering if it could be a form issue. I know Cathe gives form reminders and tips, but it is so easy to get a little slack in certain areas especially as the weight load goes up.

So you might want to do a form check to make sure your shoulders are rolled back and down, with scapular retracted and lats engaged - at all times - as well as with dead lifts, rows, rear deltoid lifts, bicep curls, lunges, squats etc...

One other tip that helps with my posture is to keep my rib cage lifted up and abs tucked in, so that the rib cage isn't collapsing into the abdominal cavity.

:D
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Janis thank you for the great information. I try to keep form in the forefront when ever I work out especially with heavy weights. I will make an extra effort to watch my shoulders, back, and core. I work out at home in front of a mirror, but sometimes I think it would be nice to have someone watch me and tell me if my form is suffering. Anyone except my husband that is....I usually get a little attitude when he tries to correct my form :p

Thanks Carmen.
 
Classical Stretch has helped me correct some of my slouching, it really stretches the bodyin the opposite direction. I dvr it off my public tv channel - it's a little hokey but the exercises are simple and they feel VERY uncomfortable to me, becuase my muscles are so unused to being stretched that way, so I know that I'm doing myself some good with it.

I think many instructors overwork the chest with endless pushups, chest flyes, etc. and that makes the chest muscles shorter and tighter. I also sit slumped at a computer all day. A massage therapist once told me that, every time I go through a door, to stretch my arms out straight and at a diagonal upwards angle, then use the door frame to stretch my chest. It probably would have helped if I'd remembered to do it...
 
PILATES.... my posture improved greatly once I started doing Pilates on a regular basis. The exercises are designed to create awareness of your body in space and improve spinal flexability as well as overall strength and core conditioning. I practice 3 times a week, sometimes with apparatus but mostly the mat series with small props. I have been complimented on my posture by people who have no idea I am an avid exerciser. In particular I have noticed that I am much more comfortable when standing or sitting with good posture as opposed to slouching in chairs, etc.

Brenda in Indiana

PS (not to assume anyone really slouches LOL )
 
Because of the tendency we have to use our anterior muscles (chest and front delts) more than our posterior muscles (especially upper back and posterior delts) in everyday life, and to sit at desks and in cars, many people have anteorior muscles that are too tight and posterior muscles that are less strong. It's important to avoid overworking the chest and anterior shoulder during workouts. In fact, if you already have a visible imbalance (chest/shoulder and possibly abs too tight, rear muscles too loose), I'd recommend doing more back work than chest until things balance out.

Many workout DVD's seem to overwork the 'mirror' muscles (anterior) to the detriment of the muscles in the posterior chain. Even Cathe's earlier workouts do this (not necessarily in number of exercises, but sometimes in weight choice, like when Cathe does bench presses with 25# dumbbells, and rows with 15#).

I'd recommend making sure to do 1-2 sets more for back than for chest, choosing similar weights for both, and doing exercises for the rhomboids and upper/inner back (like horizontal rows, rear shoulder flyes, etc.). And make sure to stretch the chest and anterior delts regularly. Also, IMO, anterior delt raises are not necessary, as the anterior delt gets well worked during chest presses and push-ups. My posture--which was already pretty good--improved when I stopped doing most isolated anterior delt work and made sure do to rear shoulder flyes.

Balancing out the muscles around the shoulder (chest vs. back, anterior delts vs rear delts) is important for more than just esthetics: unbalances muscles around the shoulder girdle can lead to rotator cuff problems.
 
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Sorry if this is an obvious question, but I'm interested in improvement in this area also, but I'm not sure how an anterior delt raise is different than a rear delt fly. Can anyone clarify this for me?
 
Hermia said:
Sorry if this is an obvious question, but I'm interested in improvement in this area also, but I'm not sure how an anterior delt raise is different than a rear delt fly. Can anyone clarify this for me?
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They work opposing muscle groups.

Shoulder muscles have three 'heads": anterior/front, lateral/side and posterior/rear.

For anterior ('front') delt raises, you stand or sit and lift the weight straight in front of you, with either palms down (pronated) or palms facing each other (neutral grip). This works the front of the shoulders.

For rear delt flyes, you bend over and raise you hands out to the side and front (kind of like the reverse of a chest flye, but with arms a bit more forward). This move works the posterior (rear) shoulder muscles.
 
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