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Any people on the board struggle with posture difficulties? How much of an effect do you think postural problems have on athletic performance? Anyone have success with some particular approach to fixing these posture issues? I have pretty bad upper cross syndrome and slight APT+lower cross syndrome.  I try to do corrective stretching and strengthen the apropriate muscles but without too much luck.

When playing sports, my neck is one of the first things to tire and I have difficulty keeping my head up. Another issue that I think comes from forward head posture is I have to momentarily look down during my ME SVJ windup - I can't keep my head up to consistently look at the target for the entire jump.

I have had lots of minor back tweaks lifting (most common injury), and during interval sprints my back is usually the first thing to tire. I think this might be due to my posture loading up my back more. I have difficulty taking deep breaths during some movements - bounds, RDL's, sprints, which i attribute to tight abdominals making difficulties for my lungs to fully expand.

I'm with both of you. Have always had posture issues. Being tall with short friends never helped either lol.

Like LBSS said. Pick one or two areas to focus on and hit them consistently and you'd be surprised at how quickly the changes add up. Obvious ones are internally rotated shoulders, weak upper back and tight pecs. This alone will go a long way to a better moving upper body. Add in HF work and glute med activation and you're on your way for lower.

Your breathing could be an issue all of it's own. I wouldn't blame tight abs but more faulty breathing mechanics. I'm a natural diaphragmatic breather (thanks to my early nerd years in choirs and bands). If you're a chest breather than that's something else to address and it can make a world of difference.

For me, if I pick one or two things and consistently hit them then add to that over time I find it works best.

I probably easily outscore all of you in bad posture. Kyphotic , head forward, awkward body ( very long arms/legs/neck , small torso, big head ) , sitting all day in front of a computer for 15 years now. I have never done anything to fix it, just learned to live with it. FWIW, i think that developing a big(-ish) back kinda helped, makes me want to not have it rounded with some sort of not-making-sense way, so i have noticed the last couple of years i naturally tend to be straighter. Will be watching this thread closely...

Just looked at those devices and I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to wear one. Even if it was a direct fix.

I also find that posture is connected emotionally as well. When I'm confident, feeling good and well dressed my posture is impeccable. When I'm lazing around or tired or emotional then my posture is crappy.

Picked up that Betterback posture correcting device about a week ago. I have also been using an upper body device for about 3 weeks. The key is to use them intermittently. The Betterback I use 30-60 mins a few times a day. The upper body corrector I wear most of the day.

Right now my posture is actually pretty good. I think forward head posture needs some work and my quads are generally pretty tight. I have a bad habit of sitting asymmetrically which messes with your stability. But both lower cross (APT) and upper cross (hunchback) are significantly better.

I've never been able to fix a "postural problem". Kyphotic posture when using the computer is a major problem, as mentioned in the posts above. I feel like mine has worsened over time.

For the last few months, up until the last few weeks, I have been focusing on my posture alot while running. I started noticing myself trying to force it too much though during actual races etc, which was bugging me. So I stopped focusing on it all together and have been feeling great in my recent runs/races/training sessions. I just absolutely loathe forcing my body into positions. I want it to simply be in the right position (for me) as a result of something else. Thinking about it really bothers me for some reason.

I also haven't been stretching much lately at all, tired of the little tweaks/aches that can result from it. I also feel more mobile/flexible after a day or so of rest, so maybe that's just what I need, better recovery

^ So in regards to that clip seifullaah73 posted (nice videos), if you had me do that test (or quad/ham flexibility etc) throughout the week, i'd be all over the place. Sometimes I can easily get my heel to my butt when I test my quad flexibility, using one hand.. Other times, I can't even get it there with two hands. So I think noticing the fluctuations and perhaps what's causing these fluctuations, is very important. When I can easily get my heel to butt with one hand, i'm ready to fly - i'm a rubber band, so bouncy & explosive. Most of my tightness comes after intense speed sessions/races etc it seems. High intensity speed work, or really long distance running/walking can make my calves, quads, and hamstrings feel like rocks. I'd fail most mobility tests the day after. Two days after I could probably pass most mobility tests.

Also, trying to "loosen things up" can make them worse. Stretching my calves or hamstrings when they are tight, can really mess them up.. especially my calves. That's one reason i'm almost afraid to stretch my calves, and one of the many reasons i'm so careful with stretching in the first place. If my calves are tight and I stretch them, the next day I can feel all kinds of tweaks. If I simply force myself not to "play with fire", the next day they can feel great.

A few days of complete rest usually has me feeling extremely loose, mobile, flexible, light etc.

I guess what i'm saying is, no one ever talks about resting to improve flexibility/mobility, hah. We always want to poke & prod, do something to fix.. When in reality, maybe we just need to just barely move all day & relax.

Predators aren't foam rolling or using a lacrosse ball on their off days, lmfao.

I dno, it's tricky.. because you see people who do get results from some things, and lots of things that seem completely useless. If there is something that works, for sure use it. But alot of stuff to me has always seemed like a waste of time, and is often promoted in a manner of a mechanic fixing a machine. I guess that's what really gets to me about most of the corrective stuff, is that coaches tout it in such a mechanical manner, engineering, but I just don't see large scale results from it.

As for postural related issues created by sitting, using the computer, etc.. Those are pretty much entirely under our control. It just takes will power at that point to correct them, over a long period of time, by improving posture & just being consistent with generally strengthening the body. If someone said that could fix my posture instantly with some kind of corrective exercises, i'd laugh in their face. Who knows, maybe they can, but I seriously doubt it. Years of postural decorrection can't be fixed with weeks of postural correction or a chiro IMHO.

peace!

If it's really bad it might take some time to fix. But in my experience the best way is long extended static stretches of around 2 minutes. Elevate the front half of one foot slightly (like on a book or something) and lunge forward until you feel a good stretch, and hold. If you have had a lot of ankle injuries you probably have scar tissue built up in there and it might take some time to work the range of motion back in.

If it's really bad it might take some time to fix. But in my experience the best way is long extended static stretches of around 2 minutes. Elevate the front half of one foot slightly (like on a book or something) and lunge forward until you feel a good stretch, and hold. If you have had a lot of ankle injuries you probably have scar tissue built up in there and it might take some time to work the range of motion back in.

Sounds like what I did with my soleus/ankle stretches during dishes, hah. I'd just ease into it and often hold it for a few minutes, while doing dishes. Definitely seemed to help quite a bit. Tried to find the photo I took, can't find it yet. For people with calf tightness/ankle mobility issues, it could be a decent strategy.