Anterior Pelvic Tilt

After showing my progression photos to my brother, who is a personal trainer, it turns out I have an anterior pelvic tilt.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it is an apparently common condition in which the stomach and bum protrude, the lower back carries a deep arch, and the head pushes forward in the posture to naturally compensate for the lean of the body.

This condition is common in those who spend most of their day sitting at a desk, dut to shortened hip flexors from a constant sitting position. The hip flexors connect to the top of the pelvis, effectively pulling the pelvis forward when they shorten. According to the research I've done, some common causes for anterior pelvic tilt is lengthened hamstrings, shortened spinal erectors, and shortened hip flexors.

Example:


You're probably reading this and saying, "that's me!!". Well, here's how you can correct it:

- Kneel on your left knee with your right foot out in front as if you're doing a lunge. Square up your hips and keep your chest up so that you feel the stretch in your left hip flexor. Stretch the left hand straight up toward the sky and hold this pose for 30 seconds. Switch legs. Do this 3 times per side, every day. This will stretch the hip flexors and lengthen them.

- Twisting lunges: Do 10 long, forward lunges while keeping your hips square and torso up. Lower your back knee to the ground on each lunge and turn your body in the direction of the forward leg. This will stretch the hip flexors and tighten the ham strings.

- Bridges: Lie flat on your back with your knees perpendicular to the floor. Raise your body up until it is straight, with your feet and shoulders being the only contactp points on the floor. Put a small medicine ball between your knees and squeeze to flex your glutes. This will strengthen your glutes and spinal erectors.

- Front Planks: Lie face down on the ground as if about to do a push up, but rest your elbows and toes on the ground instead. Flatten out the body and push the pelvis forward. Work toward holding this for 2 minutes.

If anyone else has any great exercises for this condition, please feel free to share them. This is a very common condition that makes certain exercises dangerous due to pressure being applied in an imbalanced way.