Avoid Pain with Your Best Posture
Train smarter and avoid lifestyle pitfalls: You can support your posture through training the correct muscles such as your upper back (rhomboids, lats, rear delts and trapezius) and being mindful during the day of your posture. This is not limited to the upper body. Strong glutes, core and working on hip mobility will support a more complete picture of your posture and prevent against lower back pain. The best place to start is getting examined to workout where you are at.
Avoid: Sitting to long at your desk, excessive phone use, neglecting stretch and mobility work or using a gym program that was not designed with your unique physiology in mind.
Being mindful of your posture during the day, sitting with chin up, chest proud and shoulders back if you are at a desk. If standing, avoid ‘duck bumming’ out as this is not doing your lower back any good. Stand firm, tall and strong. Focus on your breath to help encourage your connection to your body.
How could my gym program not be optimised for correct posture?: The classic push/pull spilt is a solid idea to have in mind to balance upper body and avoid pain and postural dysfunction but it goes deeper than this.
For example: Both your chest (pecs) and a few of your back muscles (teres major and lats) turn your shoulders in. So chest press and lat pull downs are not enough variety, this will only lead to more of the hunching our modern lives already encourage.
What are the benefits or great posture?
Confidence and efficiency of movement. You will look better in day-to-day life and when correct posture is used during exercise your technique and therefore results have much to gain.
What are the drawback of poor posture?
In a word; pain. That horrendous cranky neck feeling at the end of the day, lower back pain and feelings strains are the result of poor posture and not exercising your way to better.
Resources for Pain Free Posture: