Strengthening postural muscles?

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am doing my darnedest to break the bad posture habit. I make a conscious effort to check my posture all through the day. I notice that around the lats I get a burning and discomfort with good posture. I figure this is because I have allowed those muscles to weaken over time with poor posture. This physical discomfort can be very difficult to power through. I try but man, sometimes I just have to give in and slouch.
So what is a good way to get better strength in the general back with out weights? I do have a medicine ball and a couple of light dumbbells. I cannot afford to go to a gym. I work out at home for this reason. Are there some good exercises to target the muscles I have ruined with bad posture? Or is there some good posture recovery program I can implement? Thoughts? Advice? Thanks!

Replies

  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 178 Member
    Pilates is fantastic for building great posture.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Start with inverted pullups, one arm rows and bent over rear lateral raises. Also include a deadlift.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    do some yoga start with a class or two and then do a home video program
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Stand with your back against a wall, put your arms out against the wall in an L shape, elbows level with shoulders. Keeping your elbows and arms on the wall raise your arms above your head.
    Do 5-10 reps a few times a day. It helps pull your shoulders back and improve range of motion.

    Cheers, h.
  • Dory_42
    Dory_42 Posts: 3,578 Member
    I'm also trying to improve my posture after my chiropractor told me I have the neck flexibility of an old woman! So I am following this to get advice as well. I also heard yoga and pilates are good.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    Thanks for all the replies! I won't do any direct quoting as that would keep me here for a good half hour addressing each thing. I will start with the yoga. I have been practicing yoga for about 12 years. I tried Pilates a time or two but somehow I just have not maintained the practice. Maybe I should take a closer look at that. I will make a note of the exercises mentioned. I have been working on my core strength more lately and I assume that will also help a lot, I also recall hearing that Pilates targets the core pretty good.
    Captain Boing mentioned having poor neck flexibility. I had a rotated vertebrae in my neck and for a time I couldn't even look over my right shoulder. I did do some very good neck exercises which helped me immensely. I now have the ability to look over my right shoulder again. Also there was an exercise I did in regards to the Alexander technique. I'll see if I can find the video to post for you.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    CaptainBoing wrote: »
    I'm also trying to improve my posture after my chiropractor told me I have the neck flexibility of an old woman! So I am following this to get advice as well. I also heard yoga and pilates are good.

    Here is the video. This doesn't look like much but somehow it really gets the muscles to let go. When I do this I can feel my neck sort of popping back into place upon standing. Give it a shot and see how it does for you.

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iehtr8X3qMc
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »
    I notice that around the lats I get a burning and discomfort with good posture.

    That's not normal. Either you're doing it wrong, or you're feeling a muscle other than your lats.

    Anyhow, to correct slouching, these 2 stretches can work wonders:

    Pectorals:
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=bO224K6mS2c

    Thoracic stretch:
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=rUrfdsJV2sY
    Use a 45 cm ball (18 inches) if you're below 5 foot 10 (178 cm), otherwise 55 cm (22 inches).

    Like with all stretches, they should be done several times daily for 30+ seconds to get the most benefit. :+1:

  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited August 2016
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »
    I notice that around the lats I get a burning and discomfort with good posture.

    That's not normal. Either you're doing it wrong, or you're feeling a muscle other than your lats.

    That is surely possible. When I say I feel it in my lats, I am referring to the muscles about in the midway down and to either side of the spine. The orange area in the photo shows the area perfectly.

    w7zs9txulj7z.jpg

    What ever those are called, that is where I feel the burn. I will try out your stretches. Thank you!
  • denversillygoose
    denversillygoose Posts: 708 Member
    Your traps are what are taking most of the abuse from bad posture. Make sure you're stretching your chest muscles, as well as your back. The chest muscles shorten from rolling the shoulders forward.

    I don't have too much advice because I'm dealing with the same thing right now. I foam roll and work with a tennis ball on my knots every night, and ice before bed. I'm trying as hard as I can to sit properly at my desk, and do what I can while standing. I have been using IcyHot like crazy, but last night I tried a marijuana pain cream and I slept better than I have in weeks.

    Correcting my posture and alleviating my pain is my main focus right now. I can't deal with the stupid pain anymore.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    Oh yeah, I have pain around the traps sometimes also. I have become better at remembering to check myself. It was a struggle even remembering to work on it at first because the slumping became such a habit. It's easy just to gradually slip into bad posture. Too easy really. Good luck! I hope you can see an end to your pain soon!
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    OP: Here's a link to a very comprehensive article on postural issues that should be of some help to you:

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/posture-power-how-to-correct-your-body-alignment.html
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    PS: I hesitated to mention the following earlier until I did a little research on it. I've been doing 100 pushups a day for the past 23 days as part of a MFP challenge and, in doing so, I've actually noticed that my posture has improved -- standing up straighter, chest out, shoulders back, like they tell you to do.

    After looking it up, there are those who say that pushups do (among other things) help to improve posture because they strengthen your upper body (chest and back) and core which is important to good posture. Here's an article I found on the topic: http://www.keepinspiring.me/10-massive-benefits-of-push-ups/. There are other articles touting the benefits of pushups for improved posture. Check them out.

    OP: You say the weakness you feel is in your traps. This would suggest working on them to the exclusion of other muscles to improve your postural issues, by doing pull-ups or other such exercises, but I think that would be mistaken. The problem is probably a general weakness in your back and core which is expressed in the traps. Pushups would strengthen those and other muscles in the process.

    It would be easy enough to test this theory by starting a daily program of doing pushups. If you can't do a full plank pushup, just do them from the knees and work your way up. BTW, if you can't do a simply push up, it's even more unlikely that you can do a pullup. You should soon be able to "feel" whether the pushups are helping to strengthen your back and reduce the discomfort you feel in your traps.

    Good luck!



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