1 Exercise To Finally Fix Posture
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
8:43 AM
Labels: advanced kettlebell exercises , ass exercises , fix posture , functional exercises , good butt exercises , kettlebell training , kettlebells , solving kyphosis , 2 comments
Labels: advanced kettlebell exercises , ass exercises , fix posture , functional exercises , good butt exercises , kettlebell training , kettlebells , solving kyphosis , 2 comments
Posture is a well and truly cemented term into the modern psychology. As exercise professionals we're relentlessly told how important 'good' posture is to the way we exercise and how to encourage good posture as a way of living. These reminders are crucial and very valid yet it's also important to remember that modern lifestyle doesn't cater for good posture.
I'll elaborate. We sit down for a substantial portion of our lives, in fact, many of us are sat down for more time than we spend on our feet. Now, whilst reading this, you may have already adjusted your sitting position to a state that you feel is a little more aligned in terms of posture, maybe it was that very word in the title that caused the wriggle. The question is, can you hold good posture whilst sitting down? I'd argue not! You may well be able to sit in a position that looks to be tall with a degree of extension in your spine but is this good posture? I'd suggest that good posture embraces support from the muscles designed to support it. Sitting whereby hips and knees are bent at 90 degrees renders this theory an impossibility. Gluteals, transverse abdominus and a number of deep stabilisers are unable to do their job with that profile in the hips and so stability comes from elsewhere. Simply remember, looks can be deceiving.
Ok, those of you still in agreement will be still reading this. The fact is, we're not going to change the way that we live on a grand scale but we can adjust our thinking and training to focus on key areas that modern lifestyle neglects or disaffects.
We're already identifying that the gluteals are very much a victim of modern society. In terms of posture, why are they important? Well, amongst other things, the gluteals extend the hips (a necessary stage of walking). When not working properly, not only do other muscles compensate for this movement, it also leaves the lumbar spine vulnerable and weak. This has a knock on effect higher up the spine often causing tightness in the upper abdominals carrying up in to the chest and anterior shoulder area. Ramifications of poor gluteal activity below the hips can include tightness in the hamstrings, excessive tension in the knee joint and restricted mobility in the ankle.
This leads me to suggest 1 exercise that can make a huge difference; the kettlebell high pull. This exercise done properly encourages the gluteals to be the leading and driving force of hip extension unilaterally which is reflective of walking gait. It furthermore encourages a sequential extension travelling up the spine into the thoracic area providing a responsive and dynamic stretch to pectorals, upper abdominals and anterior shoulder.
I would always recommend using a lighter weight to start with but once technique is mastered, avoid being overly shy with your weight selection. The gluteals are a large set of muscles and thus require a substantial neural drive to effectively switch on. The speed of the movement will assist this but the force required to shift the load will help enormously. Given the chance, this large muscle group will opt for the lazy option and not respond...so don't let it.
Once mastered from a dead position, this exercise can be done within a kettlebell swing. Be cautious in swing, if the low back starts aching, return to the from dead variation as shown in the video.
Using a barbell is again, a further progression for this but, due to the bilateral hip extension, will not be as reflective of the contraction in walking gait.
I would add that even if you achieve 'ideal posture', chances are you won't remain in it for very long; by definition maintaining a neutral position requires you to stand still which isn't very useful if you want to, well, do anything.
The glutes often don't work the way they should because we don't MOVE as much as we need to. Indeed, if you look at anyone you would consider to be naturally standing tall with good joint alignment, it is likely they are an active individual who regularly challenges their body with muliplane movements through work, sport or exercise.
So, good static posture is somewhat redundant as you don't remain in it for very long (if at all). Whilst the kettlebell high pull shown above is a fantastic exercise, just about any movement will stimulate the muscles of the body and allow them to do their job of producing, reducing and controlling forces - perhaps dynamic posture is therefore what we should focus on?
Very valid point Paul. The body's ability to perform those functions through movement remains the true valid purpose of what we refer to as posture. A continual work in progress!!