The "Poor Posture Pandemic"
It’s no question that we all have some form of bad posture nowadays. Everyone slumps forward when using their computer or laptop and looks down when using their phone. But how widespread is the “poor posture pandemic”?
It is a fact that 50% of Americans have poor posture and 1 out of every 10 Americans suffer from bad posture!
You probably know someone that suffers from bad posture because the negatives range from back pain to joint problems to even respiratory issues! The truth boils down to the science. Bad posture reduces blood flow to various parts of our body and places unnecessary stress on some joints. But how bad is poor posture for muscle growth?
Why Poor Posture Hurts Muscle Growth
Poor posture has numerous negative affects on muscle growth. All of the following could be limiting your gains and are likely having a small impact on your current self (no matter how good you think your posture is!):
- Poor posture creates muscle imbalances
- Poor posture restricts blood flow around the body
- Poor posture restricts movement and flexibility
There are more negative consequences from having bad posture, but these three consequences account for almost all the cases where people lose gains. The truth is that muscle growth (and especially compound movements) requires full body stability, proper blood flow and flexibility.
Stability is important for muscle growth because having weaknesses and imbalances reduces the overall impact of compound movements. For example, having a weak lower back will kill your leg and glutes gains from squatting because the lower back will give out much faster than your legs or glutes will. Having a stable lower back will lower discomfort and allow you to move more weight, ultimately adding to your gains.
Muscles can only grow larger in size if they are worked hard during a workout. Muscles can only be worked close to failure if lots of blood and oxygen are available to fill the muscle (providing it the strength to reach failure). When you have poor blood flow as a result of bad posture, blood clots easier and the muscle cannot contract as hard because blood cannot fill the muscle properly (see the image on the right).
Lastly, poor posture ruins movement and flexibility. Muscles require flexibility in order to fully stretch, and by focusing on stretching the muscle (in the resting position) research has proven that the muscle will grow faster. Achieving this stretch will not be possible without some flexibility, and poor posture can impact your flexibility. For instance, slouching often may cause your shoulders to lose range of motion, which is crucial for fully working out the shoulders (especially the front and side deltoids).
Fix #1: Sitting Upright
We all are guilty of this poor posture mistake. Slouching forward when working on a computer is poor not only for the shoulders but also for the spine. It places the spine in a position where it is not lined up properly and can cause back pain, joint pain, and reduced circulation over time.
It’s hard and frankly just uncomfortable to sit upright all the time. We recommend practicing sitting upright for at least 10 minutes for every hour you sit at the beginning. As you become more comfortable with the posture, you can increase the time.
Another tip for implementing an upright sitting posture is to sit as close as possible to your desk. Also, having your display at an angle even to your eyesight or higher forces you to look up and makes slouching very uncomfortable (looking up not only helps your posture but also keeps you more alert!).
Putting a pillow behind your seat is likely to make sitting upright less uncomfortable for your back. However, it is important to note that it is not recommended that you spend long periods of time sitting because circulation is reduced to the lower half of your body.
For the best results, it might be reasonable to buy a standing desk and alternate from a sitting to a standing position every hour or so. If you cannot afford a standing desk, we recommend taking a short break every hour to stand up and walk around in order to improve circulation.
Fix #2: Shoulders Back When Standing
We spend WAY too much time looking down nowadays – whether it’s checking your Instagram notification or starting at the stairs in front of you in awe as a beautiful girl climbs in front of you. The bottom line is that all this looking down is ruining your posture (and even confidence)!
Here are our top tips for improving your walking stride:
- Look UP as much as you look DOWN
- Consciously pull your shoulders back when you walk
- Practice by standing with your back against a wall
Standing up straight also offers many other benefits, including:
- Improved confidence
- Increase in height
- Better treatment from those around you
- Increase in attraction
In terms of your gym progress, standing up straight can improve specific exercises and provide more mobility in your shoulders. Exercises such as T-bar rows and face pulls will provide more results once you fix your posture.
Fix #3: Daily 5 Minute Stretches
We’ve all tried stretching and improving our flexibility at one point or another. Yoga and other forms of stretching have been popularized for their mediating effects, however because of the way we live nowadays it should be mandatory to stretch daily.
Here are only some of the improvements of stretching:
- Improved flexibility
- Better joint mobility
- Decreased risk of injury
- Reduced stress
And here are the some stretches for improving your posture:
- Active Child’s Pose
- High Plank
- Standing Forward Fold
- Downward-Facing Dog
Stretches are especially important for loosening your hip flexors. Hip flexor tightening is caused from sitting for extended periods of time. Tightening of the hip flexors causes anterior pelvic tilt, which is just the overcompensation of your hip flexors. This makes your lower back weak. By doing exercises such as lunges and lying knee tucks after a long sitting session, paired with lower back exercises such as kettlebell swings, you can fix anterior pelvic tilt.
Fix #4: Get a New Pillow
Yes, it sounds insane. How can making such a small change improve posture that much? Having a pillow at the right height is essential for maintaining proper posture and reducing unnecessary stress on the spine while you sleep.
Spinal misalignment results in inefficient energy expenditure and excessive muscle effort. Spinal misalignment can also result in muscular imbalance and upper back and neck pain.
It might also be helpful to change your sleeping position. Sleeping on your side and back offer proper alignment, but it is recommended to avoid stomach sleeping because it forces your spine into an abnormal position.
Fix #5: Stand on the Balls of Your Feet
Walking on the balls of your feet is like mewing: you likely do it subconsciously. However, there is a large percentage of people that walk on their heels or toes and are clueless that it may be impacting their posture.
Why is it important to walk on the balls of your feet?
- It properly activates your calves
- It reduces pain in your knees, hip and lower back
- It makes you faster and more explosive
Shifting your weight on your heels or toes may reduce the effectiveness of your leg training. Your feet are the foundation of your body, so it is critical that you walk correctly in order for the rest of your structure to function affectively. Overall, it is important to be conscious of how you are walking!
Conclusion
By implementing the above posture fixes, not only will you see great results in your weightlifting journey but you may also reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and get rid of that pain you thought was permanent!
To summarize, the 5 posture fixes we went over are:
- Sitting up straight
- Shoulders back when standing/walking
- Daily stretches (for tight hip flexors)
- Getting a new pillow + sleeping position
- Standing/walking on the balls of your feet
Having good posture is easier than you think. Most of the above fixes can be implemented instantly or within a small chunk of time. However, it is important to implement these fixes as habits into your life, because your posture takes time to fix! Also, because posture is so subconscious (and you have likely created a bad postural habit), it is important to remind yourself to stay consistent and catch yourself when you revert to your old posture.
Having proper posture is a superpower. It is up to you to use it.
