I’m really sorry, I’m not sure what your mother told you all these years but you’re not an angel. So do me and yourself a huge favor (because it makes me shutter and for you, that’s gotta hurt) and STOP DOING THIS:
Lets talk posture very shortly then I’m going to lead you to a video that I want you to watch where I discuss the subject in greater detail.
What posture is not:
Sticking your chest out too much:
Lordosis (too much curvature in lumbar/low back area):
Sorry honey, your lower back pain is NOT sexy, EWWW
Women Got Cheated!
I’m going to talk about breasts. I’m a dude who’s gonna go there so if you can’t handle it, suck it up anyway and listen. At least 60% of my 5000+ training sessions have been with women. I’ve seen all shapes and sizes, all skeletal structures, all genetic gifts or downfalls. The point is women have a shitty deal going when it comes to trying to keep posture. And y’all suffer for it big time in the form of upper back/neck tension and frequent headaches.
Here’s my theory as to why:
1) Gravity – if I attached two oranges to my chest (or honeydews or heaven forbid: watermelons) and tried walking around all day like that I’d have the absolute WORST slouchy posture ever! And that’s what’s going on with women and their breasts: you’ve got 1-10lbs weights hanging off your upper rib cage weighing you down ALL DAY - EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE!
2) Society – we have a huge scale of breast sizes out there; some ladies also “blossom” earlier than others. Tell me what happens when you’re the first girl of your class that blooms? Well, most likely you get way too much attention. Most likely it’s the wrong kind of attention. And also most likely you begin cowering in your posture in an attempt to hide your breasts. OR the other side of the story, you’re the last to blossom and society equally shuns you. It’s all bullshit, I know; very unfortunate. But take a look at the posture of teenagers these days. Most young men puff their chests up or slouch (they have zero idea what proper posture is) and most young ladies are either screaming for attention (again by puffing their chest out which is poor posture) or slouch in shyness. And all of this at a time when you’re going through your last major growth spurts! Yikes. The only ones with some hope are youth athletes.
3) Testosterone and Upper Body Musculature – Men are top-heavy. Women are usually bottom heavy. Guys have most of their strength in their upper torso; women derive most of their strength from their legs. Ever notice the musculature of a man who drinks too much? Generally speaking his upper chest, shoulders and upper back look “skinny.” The beer gut definitely doesn’t help. That’s because excess alcohol leads to a drop in testosterone and therefore an increase in estrogen. So estrogen (which ladies have more of) means a huge struggle to maintain upper torso and therefore, postural musculature.
See what I’m saying? You ladies got a bad deal going.
So what is proper posture and show me some steps to attaining it you say!!
Let me prelude the video by saying this: every individual has a “best” posture to match their individual skeletal structure but I’m sure you can recognize great posture when you see it:
Back flat, neck in line with the rest of the spine, shoulder blades retracting during this exercise, hips and heels loaded, knees soft and proud as hell – CHECK, CHECK and more CHECK!! This is a beautiful thing! Posture at its finest!
GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUrOLJtp-FA
Check out this video where I discuss posture and show you one of my top go-to exercises, especially for women in the quest for better posture!
Adrian Crowe is not your typical personal trainer. With 10+ years of his own training and now over 5000 personal training sessions with a huge variety of ages (8-83 years old), goals (figure competition to general weight loss) and fitness levels (sedentary to professional MMA fighters) there is no challenge he’s not up for. His experience and passion for helping people reach their goals, one step at a time is unparalleled. Visit his website at www.adriancrowe.com
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