Bad posture
 

First time posting here. Heres the story.
I started lifting weights at 15, and for a year straight i lifted pretty hard getting my weight up to about 210lbs(im 6'2), from 17-19 i lifted on and off and didnt really stick to it. and dropped to about 175ish after moving out and not eating well. and stayed that way till about 5 months ago. Im 21 now and for the last few months ive been eating 3-4 meals a day with no supplements and am lifting 3-4 times a week(not very intense, and no cardio) with only a home bench press and a set of 20, 30, 40lb dumb bells. im now up to 195. When i get my license back im goin to join a gym.

Now to my problem, my posture. I have always had bad posture, but when i was bigger my body was so strong that it didnt really show unless I was relaxing. Now even though I am getting stonger i still have a back curved like an S. my head leans forward a bit, and my ass sticks out alittle bit when i walk, i know that if i do general lifts for the next few months things will probably back to "normal". But hate having to be buff just to stand up straight. and walk like a normal person. granted my appearance isnt to rediculously noticable to others, but im sure this problem will get worse if dont try to correct it, and some people who spend alot of time with me do notice it.

Is there in routine that will straighten my back up? or will i just have to hit the whole body hard and wait?
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Re: Bad posture
 

neanderthal no more series by eric cressey...

Re: Bad posture
 

Without seeing you it's difficult to make an assessment, but it sounds like this:

Your head leaning forward: A sign of "upper cross syndrome", a muscular imbalance where the pectorals, trapezius and levator scapula are "tight". The deep neck flexors, rhomboids, and serratus anterior are "weak". So you want to increase flexibility (stretch) the tight areas and strengthen the weak areas.

Your butt sticking out: A sign of "lower cross syndrome", a muscular imbalance where the erector spinae and iliopsoas are "tight". The gluteus maximus and abdominals are "weak". Again, you want to increase flexibility (stretch) the tight areas and strengthen the weak areas.

** Oh, "tight" and "weak" refers to the muscular strength relative to one another, ie you may have strong rhomboids, but they're overpowered by the pecs...**

The problem is that just doing general lifts won't necessarily fix this. In fact, the postural problem can easily lead to injuries. It's likely that you need to add a flexibility component to your workouts.

What can you do about it? A chiropractor may be able to help if you can afford it and find the right chiropractor. Another source that I've found to work well for this sort of thing are the "prehab" exercises in Mark Verstegen's book, "Core Performance".

This is all very abbreviated, but hopefully useful.

Re: Bad posture
 

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neanderthal no more series by eric cressey...

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This is good stuff.

Re: Bad posture
 

[ QUOTE ]
neanderthal no more series by eric cressey...

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Damn I had no idea abt this stuff. This is a good link for the op.

Re: Bad posture
 

go through all of cressey's articles and most of mike robertsons articles for thing regarding posture, mobility, stretching etc...

Re: Bad posture
 

you might want to look into physical therapy to avoid future problems...I had a similar problem with posture (forward head leaning) which ended up causing cervical spine problems. I went to physical therapy for about two months and now feel much better and I have much better posture.

Re: Bad posture
 

I agree with all the t-nation stuff being mentioned. Its very good stuff. Then I switched to becoming pull oriented and most of this stuff went away.

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

You may want to look into your work/school ergonomic environment.

Many postural problems are directly related to repetitive daily activities. Such as sitting at a computer all day long....the "forward head" syndrome is very common in those who work at computers.

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

Silly question but how big of an issue is the head leaning forward really?

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

My pain became rather severe from the forward head leaning and I know other problems can result. So basically just always make an effort to keep your head back in an aligned position.

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

[ QUOTE ]
Your head leaning forward: A sign of "upper cross syndrome", a muscular imbalance where the pectorals, trapezius and levator scapula are "tight". The deep neck flexors, rhomboids, and serratus anterior are "weak". So you want to increase flexibility (stretch) the tight areas and strengthen the weak areas.

[/ QUOTE ]

What are good stretches for the pectorals, trapesizus, and levator scapula?

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

[ QUOTE ]
Silly question but how big of an issue is the head leaning forward really?

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Depends on the individual.

If that person is suffering pain on a daily basis, it's an issue.

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Silly question but how big of an issue is the head leaning forward really?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on the individual.

If that person is suffering pain on a daily basis, it's an issue.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im at the point where I can strain all my muscles to make my back straight, but I cant hold it for long, and yes it hurts like hell.

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Silly question but how big of an issue is the head leaning forward really?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on the individual.

If that person is suffering pain on a daily basis, it's an issue.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im at the point where I can strain all my muscles to make my back straight, but I cant hold it for long, and yes it hurts like hell.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've had scoliosis from the time I was a young kid. The two things I found helped were work on the lower back and upper back and, most of all, consciousness of the way tai-chi advocates holding your body as if it were suspended from a string on the top of your head. Let your body hang down along your spine from the very top, instead of trying to wrestle it up from the base of the spine - if you do like I did. The body will eventually fatigue from the strain of holding itself up muscularly, especially if you have scoliosis or other tough back problems. But letting your body straighten itself out under the force of gravity will take all the pressure off and a lot of the willpower out of the equation.

I am sorry I cannot be more specific than this, but with practice, you may well find attentive relaxation much more powerful than endless willpower fighting against your body's finite abilities in keeping your back straight. In fact, I often feel my neck cracking as if I went to a chiropractor when I concentrate on feeling my head and body "suspended as if from a string." Most bodies hold a lot of unnecessary tension in areas their would-be masters scarcely notice except for feelings of fatigue, low energy, and general discomfort and malaise or irritability. The tai-chi/internal arts method can unravel a lot of those kinks all at once, in a very natural fashion.

Re: Bad posture...one other thing
 

Blarg, Can you suggest a good tai chi book thats easy to follow for a complete novice? And also how do you feel about yoga?

BTW that neanderthal no more is gold, I can really feel new burns when I use those lifts.