After years of training - now realizing its all about posture..

[je2037]

Hopefully this will help someone out..please contribute if you have any info/advice

I didn't even see myself as having bad posture, I thought that was just the way I was built, I just thought I was stocky - not overweight really, but just stocky. I later found out that I wasn't stocky at all, my bad posture gave off that impression. The thing is, so many people have bad posture in the U.S., that people with rounded shoulders and improper gait really don't really stand out. Its normal.

So I started reading about posture correction and realized that ALL postural problems, if you are otherwise healthy, comes from muscle weakeness, and the resulting imbalances. When you have bad posture for years, your muscles sort of "set" in that position, and certain muscles tighten (for me, chest, calves and hamstrings) to compensate. But you can reverse it..

Look around at people walking around on the street, most people (at least in NY) walk with their head leaning forward and their feet pointing outwards. This is because their neck and back muscles are weak from slumping at the desk so it hurts to keep their head up. They can't keep their legs straight because the abductor/aductor muscles, glutes and hamstrings are weak and unused. If they were to try and walk with correct posture, it would be a stenuous workout.

One area that is almost always overlooked in fitness is foot strength and toe flexibility. Most people in the U.S. have horribly deformed feet from wearing shoes that dont allow the toes to stretch out and get worked. I've just realized now how neccessary strong toes are for not only correct posture, but strong and flexible legs. Another reason people walk with their feet pointed outwards is because their three smallest toes are weak and deformed. They basically walk on their heel and big toe. This is horribly wrong.

Walk barefoot in your house and observe your toes, are the smaller toes even being used? Do they buckle when you try and balance on them? The truth is, your toes are supposed to be spread out, and function independantly, like fingers and be able to support your lean from any angle. Every toe is supposed to help you balance and keep you from falling forward. Now picture for a second if your toes were all comparably strong. Imagine if they were all in contact with the ground, and you pushed off every toe with each step. They wouldn't act as stubs that help you balance, they would be what you balance on. A person with strong toes will walk completely differently and all those leg muscles that never get worked all of a sudden must be used to walk.

Truth is the experience of having correct posture is something few know in the U.S. and its a whole new world, you have all this energy, you can feel your blood circulating, you just realize how having bad posture is way worse than you thought.

Contributions? comments?

[xtremetris]

If you have correct posture it makes you look bigger (if you have muscle of course, pushing your shoulders back makes you look bigger than rolling them foward).

[JMike]

There's quite a few articles on crossfit about how proper posture when lifting can improve your workouts. They use words like scapula. ;P

Seriously though, one of the biggest things I've noticed is the shoulder slouch that happens to pretty much everyone during their first year of weights. Because they work their chest far more than their back their shoulders are pulled forward giving a narrowed appearence.

Mike

[je2037]

I've found the best exercises ive found to correct posture are deadlifts, squats, pull/chin ups and dips....and if you remember to keep your head straight up while doing any of those, it gives your neck a great workout.

For my toes, i bought tendon stretchers and walk around at home with them whenever possible, and bought a couple of these sort of gel bars that rest under your toes, put your socks and shoes over em. It forces you to use all of your toes when walking. I've noticed a huge difference in a few weeks, and it translates to the rest of your body pretty quickly.

And of course just in your everyday travels, make sure to use every toe when you walk, point your feet forward and try to move up on your toes at the end of the stride. Keep your head up and your shoulders back but not too much. Eventually this will be normal and easy once the unused muscles get back to normal.