How much do you deadlift?
Member
Posture
Rip,
I have had poor posture for as long as I can remember and it is getting worse as I age. I have been seeing a chiropractor for about three years now to try to improve my posture. I try to do all of the many dumbbell exercises and stability ball stretches that he recommends daily, plus I get a back adjustment from him once a month. There is no physical barrier to me achieving good posture. I can stand and sit straight when I think about it but therein lies the rub; I hardly ever think about it except when I am doing the daily exercises & stretches or getting my monthly back adjustment.
I have been thinking about this for a while and it has occurred to me that I have never seen a truly strong, muscular man or woman with poor posture. I am thinking now about stopping all of these time consuming, and apparently unproductive, exercises and stretches, and start focusing purely on trying to implement your Starting Strength program correctly, thus getting as strong as I can for my age. Do you agree with my conclusion and plan for improvement? If not, what am I missing?
Thanks,
Mike W
TMPHBITEU
How much do you deadlift?
✓ Member
You have been paying them for three years for this?Originally Posted by Mike W
Member
I don't mean to be rude, but if the issue isn't physical isn't this all in your head? I have poor posture when I'm not reminding myself to correct it.
Member
You seem.....skeptical.
OP, the culture has decided that sitting, or Heaven forbid sitting at a computer causes "bad posture" - forward head carriage, upper back kyphosis, forward rounded shoulders. Further, lacking any useful knowledge of how to "fix" posture, you're constantly told to volitionally exert yourself into a more pleasing straight line. As you've seen, this doesn't work, not even a little bit. Dedicating brain bytes to this for any appreciable amount of time is a pipe dream.
But I wonder what would happen if you embarked upon a methodical program of progressively overloaded, full body barbell movements that strengthens every muscle between your neck and your ankles. It's just crazy enough to try, no?
Member
This is all types of wrong. Please heaven do forbid sitting at a computer with bad posture as it can cause all the symptoms you mentioned. Usually this means the back of the neck, pectorals, anterior shoulders are all tight from overuse. You should stretch these. One should strengthen the front of the neck, back of shoulders, back and lower traps. Stop working the tight, overused muscles and stretch and them. Start working the weak muscles. Holding good posture is a GREAT way to do this, but it may be very difficult to do. Some people won't even be able to breathe well when they get their neck and head in the correct posture because their airways will now be blocked.
TMPHBITEU
I think somebody else is posting on PrimalFish's account, because I don't remember him being this stupid for the past 4 years.
Starting Strength Coach
There, I fixed it for you.
Member
Simply bad posture is just a product of your nervous system remembering how to subconsciously carry your torso. The way to correct it is to A.) Get stronger and B.) practice good posture. I've noticed a large improvement in my posture just from strength training alone.
Member
Right now just the empty bar, which is what I am starting out with for all of the lifts. I have only recently begun reading your book and viewing the videos on your website to learn the proper technique for each lift before adding weight. I started with the squat and am about ready to start adding weight for that lift. I can move on to learning the deadlift next (instead of the press, which is what I had planned) and get that technique down as soon as I can. That said, I'm sure I can add at least 50 pounds or so to the bar while I am learning the proper technique for the deadlift.
Yes. But since I am 67 years old, and my dad had a big hump in his back by the time he was my age, I figure the chiropractor is a small price to pay to avoid that by keeping my spine flexible enough to stand up straight, even if I don't do it very often. My dad couldn't stand up straight even if he wanted to. I still can thanks to the chiropractor.
You're not being rude at all; it is a legitimate question and one that I have pondered myself many times. The short answer, I suppose, is yes, it is all in my head. But I don't know what to do about that. It's not as if I haven't been trying to remind myself to stand up straight for at least the last 50 years but keep failing to do so most of the time.
I guess what I'm asking on this forum is whether or not those of you who follow Rip's program faithfully and get very strong eventually find that your muscles sort of take over and help keep you straight without having to constantly think about your posture. I'm asking only because I have never seen a truly strong muscular person with poor posture, and I have a hard time believing that every one of them is constantly thinking about his or her posture. But I could be wrong; they may all be thinking about it, or at least have done so long enough for it to become second nature to them.
Bill, thank you for your post. You have summed up my situation and question in a much more eloquent manner than I ever could.
And yes, it is crazy enough to try. What do I have to lose?
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