This comment cracked me the fuck up Does anyone still train at California Strength? I think Donny left like a year ago and Pendlay isn't coaching there anymore either, it seemed like it would have been an awesome place to train.
I feel like my posture is getting pretty bad, and I want to modify my workouts to focus on fixing it for the next month or two. I've been including exercises in my back workouts, yoga once a week and stretching after each workout. This hasn't been enough. So do I drop some chest exercises, add lifts at the end of my workouts, another day focusing on this? I found some good info on specifics lifts, but not much on how to incorporate them. If you guys want more specifics on my current routine let me know. I've gotten a lot of good advice here in the past so it seemed like a good place to start.
From my physical therapy for kyphosis, horrible slouching, I got what I think a lot of people will tell you. Dead lifts, squats, rows of all sorts.
What Kubla said. Work your back. Stretch your pecs, hip flexors, hamstrings and piriformis...get a tennis ball/foam roller/rolling pin and roll out your hamstrings and piriformis like the little cunts who deserve to be punished that they are. This shouldn't take up too much of your day. 15 min, twice a day max. Practice sitting/standing/etc with good posture. Bring your shoulder blades together and down. Don't let your pelvis tilt anteriorly or posteriorly when you sit...sit ON your sit bones and don't let your lumbar spine flatten out or if you can't do that get some lumbar support. If you can't do this all the time, focus on doing it only when you're at work or only when you're in the car, etc to start. That's a good place to start.
I've had various lifting routines for over 5 years at this point (started with mikes beginner's program). So I already do a lot of dead lifts squats rows etc. it's one of the things that confuses me about this. I don't think I'm over working the chest, but I still have the rolled over shoulders and jutting chin that comes with that. Thanks TX. I'll start the stretching tonight and try to pay more attention to my posture at work.
To go along with what TX. said, make sure you have good hip mobility. If your hips are tilted forward, trying to straighten your back will still have you tilted. Something you can try is, while looking in a mirror from the side, put your hands on your hips and rotate them to help fix the posture. Then do the same thing from your ribs. This should set you pretty ramrod straight, but fixing the tightness in your muscles will fix the cause rather than the symptom, which is ideal for the long term.
I think this is all going to help a lot. Great advice, and made me realize that I need to focus more on my posture during the day. I'm also going to switch up my lifting routine to try and get rid of the rolled shoulders that are starting to get pretty bad. Here's what I'm thinking of for a routine. Any input is of course welcome. Thanks guys! Day 1 Bench (focusing on good form) Dips Rotator Cuff work Scapular extension pushups Day 2 Deadlifts or Front Squats Bulgarian Squats Good Mornings (focus on keeping my back flat) Day 3 Wieghted Pullups Seated Cable Rows Seated Bent Over Rear Delt Raise Hopefully doing this for a couple weeks will help balance things out. I'm also going to have to figure out what to include in a more traditional routine.
I would throw in some of what we call Supermans. Lay on the floor on your belly, arms extended overhead, like you're flying, then arch your back to pull your chest and feet off the ground. Hold each rep for a second or three.
My physical therapist harped on me for my bad posture too, and so she applied posture tape on me. She had me stand perfectly straight and tall, and then taped across my shoulders and the top of my back, which really helped remind me to maintain good posture all day and night. Re-apply this tape every two days or so. For a cheap, quick tool, you can't beat it. Maybe some of the more knowledgeable members of the board can provide specifics on types of tape and procedures.
I feel like this technique is great because its a nice reminder that you need to focus on your posture. It can be lacking depending on what the source of the problem is. If you are hunched forward because you are overdeveloped in front and less so in back, you are treating a symptom rather than a cause.
It's Kinesiotaping. It's just another modality that's become trendy over the last few years. Unlike other modalities, it actually has pretty good evidence supporting it. People use it in conjunction with treatment, and it's based on principles behind PNF and neuromuscular re-education. In basic terms, the tape inhibits or facilitates specific muscles to activate. In not-as-basic-terms, you apply the tape in a certain pattern and with a specific tension, depending on what you want to do and where. Every time you move, the tape stimulates your skin. Your skin sends that sensory info to your brain. When you start doing exercises or just normal shit in your everyday life, your brain gets a signal, "Hey, when I lift my arm, fire these scap stabilizers more." Ideally, the brain does that and eventually learns that "every time I lift my arm I fire these muscles". And, it becomes automatic. With something like kyphosis or shitty posture, I'd warm someone up, give a few stretches, do some soft tissue work (pec minor, upper trap, levator), put on the tape, give someone exercises and tell them to leave the tape on until it falls off. When they do the exercises w/ the tape and wear it through their everyday activities, their brain is getting repetitive signals to "do this" and/or "don't do that".
Rocktape* is to athletes what moonshine is to the rest of the world: It'll cure what ail's ya. In my case, Rocktape* + moonshine = Invincibility. When applied properly by someone who knows what the fuck they're doing, it's fucking awesome. *This drunken message is proudly sponsored by an athlete who gets all of their taping done for free by a Rocktape certified whatchamacaller and gets all of the Rocktape they want for home/sexual bedroom use for free. In closing, Rocktape is superior to all of the other brands. Troof.
Please explain this sexual bedroom use. Are you just injuring yourself that much? Weird sexual enhancement stuff?
HE IS SO FUCKING STRONG THAT NOTHING ELSE CAN HOLD HIM. A real man can be sub to a lady. Don't judge. Also, I just want to say that trying burpees for the first time ever after wrecking shit up with power cleans is a bad idea unless you want to get super light headed.
Duct tape can be easily torn. In the event that an insufficient amount of ether was used, Rocktape is much harder to tear.
squats. All of them. Working on 200+ through a smolov. I don't want to wake up in the morning. Also - those who haven't rolled out with a barbell, i recommend it. If your pain tolerance allows.