fix my posture please (picture included)

ruthless · Post by **ruthless** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:17 pm

My posture is S shaped. Ridiculous!

Here's the picture. Which exercises (preferrable lever exercises) would you recommend?

Thanks a million.

Ryan A · Post by **Ryan A** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:59 am

Looks like you need to work your core musculature so I am not sure lever exercises are the answer. I would work on your abs and lower back as well as some full body movements.

Also, a conscious effort to improve your posture will be required.

Mog16 · Post by **Mog16** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:17 am

I would seek out the advice of a chiropractor to start, it looks like you've got some fun kyphosis and lordosis going on and I think an expert is a good place to start (especially as the kyphosis will just get worse and worse as you age) then I would follow ryan's advice on increasing core strength to pull you tight. I would work on pulling your head up/back and the same thing with your shoulders.

ruthless · Post by **ruthless** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:10 am

Mog16 wrote:I would seek out the advice of a chiropractor to start, it looks like you've got some fun kyphosis and lordosis going on and I think an expert is a good place to start (especially as the kyphosis will just get worse and worse as you age) then I would follow ryan's advice on increasing core strength to pull you tight. I would work on pulling your head up/back and the same thing with your shoulders.

thanks for the responses.

what do you mean by "increasing core strength"? any particular exercises? something i can look up on ExRx's website.

Ryan A · Post by **Ryan A** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:35 pm

Any exercises that work the abs, the obliques and the lower back, there are the muscles that support your torso and are usually collectively referred to as your core musculature.

VoK · Post by **VoK** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 3:45 pm

You can work on your posture just by sitting and standing up straight at all times.

Try rolling your shoulders back, basically sticking your chest out a little bit. Stand as tall as possible whenever you are on your feet. It takes a little bit of effort to do this, but that's what good posture is all about; not being lazy.

standAPART · Post by **standAPART** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:35 pm

YOu have typical lower cross with upper cross. Focus on strengthing yoru abs, obliques, and rhomboids. Stretch your chest and front shoulders.

DeadFrog · Post by **DeadFrog** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 12:27 am

Trust me, when I started lifting and getting stronger, my posture automatically improved right away. Go for it!

ruthless · Post by **ruthless** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 4:45 am

i've been working on some of the exercises suggested and i must say there is a slight (i stress slight) improvement.

any recommendation on how to improve the posture by the way I sleep? I usually sleep face downwards without a pillow. What would help fix the posture?

Masterintraining · Post by **Masterintraining** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:42 pm

Leg lifts and crunches for the lower back curve. Back extensions and low cobra the upper back.

Post by **TimD** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 4:00 pm

Hi masterintraining, for those of us not in the know, could you either link us or describe a low cobra. Tks,
Tim

Keith Rowland · Post by **Keith Rowland** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 12:39 am

Get involved in martial arts. I had the same posture during my adolescence and early teens. Learning a martial art not only improves your posture, it's fun and builds your self-esteem. Many kids that I hung out with in the 60's pursued martial arts and weight training at the same time. Some became national competitors and instructors with their own dojos. In other words, stop looking in the mirror, grab life by the balls, and squeeze until it hurts!

Bananas · Post by **Bananas** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:53 pm

so exactly what exercises will help the shoulders? mine are like that and ive been wondering what i can do to help it feel naturally pulled back for a while now.

reverse pec fly machine for rhomboids? other shoulder exercises? or is it mainly the back that is letting them droop downn.

also i just read "and peri-scapular weakness (drooping shoulder)"
from: http://uconnsportsmed.uchc.edu/patienti ... index.html
so this mainly has to do with the muscles supporting the scapula? exactly what muscles support the shoulders?

just found a great site. http://www.getbodysmart.com/ click on muscular system and then muscles that act of the shoulders. click a muscle. on the right side, click on the blue words under actions on the shoulder, and it shows you exactly what and how the muscles move. great if you are wondering how you can make a certain muscle bigger.

im guessing because the anterior muscles are pushing the shoulder forward, i want to conentrate on posterior muscles that will pull them back? what are good exercises for them? rhomboid, traps, and levator scapulae

Post by **TimD** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:40 pm

Hi Banana's. Basically the upper back and shoulders are what keeps the shoulders in position. Tons of different exercises, scapula retraction, upper back and shoulder elevation. A good place to start is to use this chart
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html
Look under those bodyparts, and youcan always use the muscle map in the kiniesilogy section to pin point the areas. Basically, overhead lifting, rowing will help keep the posture good, and although I don;t care much for isolation, the various lateral raises will also help keep things in line. One point though. It's my opinion that too much emphasis is placed on bench pressing these day, and not enough emphasis is placed on keepng should shoulder girdle balanced out, causes imbalances in posture, shoulder problems, etc. Also, note what Keith had to say about the MA's, that's a very good way to keep things in balance and flexible.
Tim

Bananas · Post by **Bananas** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:43 pm

thanks tim, i just posted the http://www.getbodysmart.com/ link, what do you think of that site?

after looking at the back exercises on this site for the muscles listed under posterior shoulder on http://www.getbodysmart.com/, it looks like im going to need to do a lot of shrugging. what about the reverse pec fly machine, does that work the rhomboids? im not seeing a lot of variation in the shrugging exercises either, will i be missing out on certan parts of my traps if i only do normal shrugs?