Thread: Posture

IMO...it's all core work...ABBS and low back, I find running gives me a better core too + it really helps my low back.

In most cases, a bad posture is caused by too weak back muscles. Training the complete back and the abs will probably help to improve your posture.
Furthermore, I have experienced that sometimes the problem of a bad posture is not your body, but your mind. Especially since I am training, I want to show everybody what I have. So I don't walk along the street slouching.

I think if you are training for a year and more, the problem of a bad posture will be either your mind or inhere.

Greetings

Actually my back is strong, I have to stop slouching ....

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Actually my back is strong, I have to stop slouching ....

Sit up straight....and keep your elbows off the table.

work your lower traps will help to depress the scapula and pull your shoulder down. Working on your middle traps and rhomboids (basically your upper back) will help to pull your shoulders back. For the rhomboids focus on low rows like close grip cable rows. For the lower traps try doing YTA's:

T,Y, A's- These get their name from the way you look as you perfrom the exercise. Lying face down on the ground, to perform a "T", your arms are out at your side (at shoulder level), with palms facing down you are going to pinch your shoulder blades together, lifting your arms up off the floor. An "A" is perfromed in the same manner, face down on the floor, but this time arms are down at your sides, palms facing the ceiling this time, and you again are going to squeeze your shoulder blads together, raising your arms up and tunr your thumbs to the ceiling like you are hitch hiking (externally rotating the shoulder). Lastly, "Y"'s are done with your arms up in a "y" shape above your head (lying face down on the floor). This time thumbs are facing up at the ceiling. Squeeze the shoulder blades again, raising arms up off the floor. You can combine each movement. Usually I have people lie face down and start with a Y and pick thier arms up off the floor (squeezing the shoulder blades together). Hold for a sec then keeping the arms up (they never touch the ground again) move into a T. Pause and hold for a sec and then move to an A from there, making sure to squeex the shoulder blades, thumbs to the ceiling and trying to pull you hands and scapula "into your back pocket". For more advanced moves try doing them on a stability ball (I like them like this for mylself).


Also, if you really want to get your posture upright, try doing a 2:1 ratio off pull to push. So if you do 8 working sets of push exercises do 16 working sets of pull exercises. Do that for a few weeks and things should improve.

If you sit at a desk all day then try to start by sitting up straight. It can be very hard and tiring, especially if you are at a computer all the time. So, start by taking short breaks for example every 30min. sit up straight and tall for 15sec. rest for 15sec and repeat. Do about 3 or 4 sets of those every 30min. Then, the next week, try holding for 30sec. sets. Eventually you will start to see yourself sitting upright without even trying.

Thanks.
People are so used to seeing me slouch that when I stand straight they think I am showing off my chest.

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Thanks.
People are so used to seeing me slouch that when I stand straight they think I am showing off my chest.

yea, I try not to slouch. People always think that if you are standing up straight you are showing off.

Also be sure to stretch your chest and lats out.

Great advice given so far. Just have to say that I agree with Fujiama about how "bad posture is not your body, but your mind." I used to have a problem with slouching and then being aware of it, I would conciously try to correct it. You should be confident. Sitting/standing up straight sends that message that you are confident. If people would truly take your sitting/standing up straight as "showing off," they are morons. It may be more likely that they are judging you by how you act, not by having good posture.

Ok, just tell everyone you know that you are placing a "bounty" on your slouching. Every time they see you slouching they have full authority to give you a wedgy AND you will pay them a dollar for it.

This works unless you have a fetish for wedgys.

Perhaps your anterior delts are large relative to your posterior delts? A friend of mine had the same issue and worked to solve the issue. He said it helped out his posture a little bit.

I'm a sloucher too... my g/f one day said somethin about me being 5' 9" or 5' 10"... i was like... woah, what? Cuz I'm 6' - 6' 1", but apparently I slouch consistently enough that she had no idea what height I was.

I think it's at least 50% mental, if not more.