Think about it: After working eight hours on a computer screen, your shoulders are rounded forward and your neck is protruding forward. Aside from having a desk job, you can get bad posture from working out incorrectly. Overdoing chest movements and not incorporating enough rear delt and back movements can increase poor posture.
Poor posture is our bodies way of adapting to the situations we subject it too.
Poor posture can lead to:
Misalignment of your spinal vertebrae
Nerve constriction or pinched discs
Increased stressed level
Headaches
Increased risk of injuries
Poor self-image
Not only will an improved posture showcase your physique a lot better, it will also boost your confidence. These six tricks will get you on your way.
The first step in improving your posture is to be aware of it. Take pictures of yourself from the side to assess if your shoulders are rounded forward and your neck is sticking out. Also be sure to take notice of your hip position. Are you leaning forward from the hips? It’s very common to have very tight hip flexors if you have a job where you sit all day.
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Stretch Your Chest
Rounded shoulders are typically caused by tight pecs and weak back muscles. The shoulder girdle is dependent on the balance between the chest and the back. If your pecs are extremely tight it will pull your shoulders forward. With weak back and shoulder muscles, they are elongated, which can extenuate the issue. Perform a doorway stretch for 30-60 seconds at least three to five times per day. Stretching out your chest will help to balance out your shoulders.
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Facepulls
Facepulls are a great movement for the rear deltoids but also correct postural problems. In addition to the rear deltoids the facepull movement will strengthen up the lower traps and rhomboids, which are responsible for improved posture. I would recommend doing face pulls two to three times per week to offset weak shoulders.
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Track Your Tilt
The pelvic tilt is a movement that helps you find a neutral spine. Most people with poor posture have what is known as an anterior pelvic tilt. An anterior pelvic tilt is best known as having an S shape when facing the side. Your stomach sticks out along with your glutes. Being in this position causes hip tightness and lower back pain. Learning how to correctly do a pelvic tilt will help you find a neutral spine. Keeping a neutral spine while exercising can help prevent injuries
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Watch Your Back
It’s always easier to train the muscles we can see (chest, shoulders and arms), but it is not as easy to train the muscles behind us. The average gym rat typically does too many pressing movements. As we learned earlier, when your chest is extremely tight or over dominating it will round the shoulders forward and cause bad posture. Increasing your total back volume can help to add some balance to your body.
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Perform External Rotations
External rotations are a great exercise for the rotator cuff. Most of us do a lot of movements in the gym that force our shoulders to internally rotate. Pressing movements internally rotate the shoulder. External rotations help to balance out the muscles of the rotator cuff and can help aid in improved posture. You do not need much volume or weight to stimulate these little muscles. Using a theraband would work fine.
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