Correct Posture in the New Year
X

Functional Aging
Specialists

Find Out More
Your Personal Best Training Studio
Doddridge Plaza
3765 S. Alameda, Ste 102
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 857-5087 info@ypbtrainingstudio.com
MENU
newsletter
  1. Correct Posture in the New Year

    Always be aware of your posture!  Correct standing posture is: Stomach in, Chest up, Shoulders back and Knees soft.

    Stomach in:  What does that really mean?  This means that you should pull your abdominal muscles into your spine.  Think about introducing your belly button to your spine, this has to be practiced as many people will associate sucking in air to pull their stomach in and that is NOT correct.  Practice by placing your hands just below your umbilicus.  Try feeling the muscles move inward as you purposely pull them in.   This should be practiced in both standing and sitting positions.

    Chest up:  Think about elevating your breast bone.  Just by imagining you are lifting your breast bone up, your chest will rise, thus creating a more erect stance.  This too, should be practiced while both sitting and standing.

    Shoulders back:  When standing or sitting for that matter, most people have forward rounded shoulders.  This occurs, as many of our daily activities are in front of us, creating tightness in our chest muscles and weakness in our upper back.  To improve this imbalance, pull/pinch shoulder blades together without drastically moving your shoulders/ arms.

    Knees soft:  When people stand, they tend to “lock” their knees.  This “locking” position creates a hyper-extension of the knee joint, which puts additional stress on your knee ligaments and your back.  A “soft knee” creates a small, un-noticeable bend in the knee.   Practice by standing purposely- pull your knees all the way straight so they “lock” then relax the joint just enough to “unlock” the knee.  This position is a “soft knee.  Standing in line is a great place to practice and master this skill.

    Remember for pain-free exercise:

    • Use slow and controlled movements
    • Start slow and GRADUALLY increase activities
    • Avoid high joint stress movements
    • Vary the routine
    • Muscles soreness the next day is normal…joint pain is NOT
    • Exercises should NEVER increase pain
    • The Arthritis Foundation states, pain that does NOT relieve itself within 1 hour is an indication that the exercise session was too intense

    Posture Modifications are necessary when posture effects normal position and can create other challenges/pains if not corrected.

    Every effort should be made to correct postural challenges before initiating exercises.  It will not only reduce overall pain, but will also re-educate the body as to what “normal” is and the body will learn to adjust to the new corrected alignment.

    Use of pillows, towel rolls, etc. can be used to help improve postural deficits.

    How To Do A One Arm Row Correctly

    Exercise Instructions:

    Setup for the one arm dumbbell row:  Grab a flat bench and set a dumbbell or kettleball on the left hand side at one end. Position yourself on the left side of the bench with your right knee and right hand resting on the bench using a neutral grip, pick up the dumbbell with your left hand. Pull your shoulder blade back while keeping your arm straight, engaging the scapula. This is the starting position for the exercise. Slowly pull the dumbbell up as far as possible, exhaling through your mouth.  Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades together, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, inhaling through the nose.  Repeat for desired reps.

    Tips:

    Your shoulder blades should be pulled back throughout the set. Do not let the working shoulder drop down at the bottom of the movement.  Keep your entire torso fixed-naval pulled back toward the spine and back flat.   Pull the weight straight up while keeping your elbow tucked in.

     Check out the rest of the exercise pics by clicking here or on the photo!

     “Like” us on Facebook and receive a 1/2 OFF Coupon for a Body Composition and Fitness Analysis!


  2. Leave a Reply

Get Started
Newsletter
Blog
Workout Of The Day
Your Personal Best Location
Your Personal Best Training Studio
Doddridge Plaza
3765 S. Alameda, Ste 102
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 857-5087 info@ypbtrainingstudio.com