Good posture reflects work of many muscles

By SALLY ANDERSON

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 31, 2001

Round-shoulder syndrome involves much more than having rounded shoulders. It usually involves muscle imbalances that result in improper postural problems, which affect the whole upper body and spine. Once a person has adapted to poor posture, the neglected muscles needed for proper support gradually become weaker and eventually will atrophy from lack of use. A person begins to move with the compensated "wrong" set of muscles, reinforcing the postural misalignment.

Round-shoulder syndrome and an exaggerated curvature of the lower back are two of the more typical signs of poor posture that can be helped through exercise; lordosis is an abnormal forward flexion of the spine, and kyphosis is a humplike curvature of the spine.

Round-shoulder syndrome can be an underlying cause for backaches, rotator cuff problems, painful headaches and neck concerns. In contrast, having proper body alignment can improve breathing, make movement easier and more comfortable to perform and reduce feelings of tension and fatigue. It wins points for positively affecting mental health.

Although some cases of round-shoulder syndrome stem from genetics or injury, many of the muscle imbalances are a result of our everyday activities. We tend to do many repetitive forward-reaching movements during a routine day, such as driving a car, working on a computer, reading, carrying groceries, even preparing food. This indulgence of repeated usage of one muscle group and lack of use of the opposing muscle group creates a muscle imbalance that eventually can wreak havoc on healthy muscle balance.

Inactivity can be a contributing cause to developing sloping, rounded shoulders. The muscles not being used will become tight, and tight muscles can negatively affect the way you move by pulling the body out of proper alignment. Psychological factors can affect one's posture as well: High levels of stress, depression and generally negative feelings about oneself can produce a hunched-over, slumped-forward appearance.

To develop strength for improving posture, I would suggest targeting the shoulders, upper back, lower back and abdominals. While you are strengthening the weak muscles, don't forget to stretch the muscles that are tight.

Caution: Always check with your physician before beginning an exercise program.

Shoulders

If your shoulders (deltoids) are weak, your back and chest strength will not be operating at full capacity; in order to perform efficiently, these muscles need assistance from the shoulders. Since the shoulder joint is capable of moving in many directions, it is important to maintain balanced strength in all parts of the shoulder. Don't forget to include the rotator cuff, probably the shoulders' "weakest link."

Seated shoulder press targets the front and center of your shoulders and works the upper back and the back of the upper arms (triceps). Sitting on a bench, place your feet flat on the floor, about hip width apart. Holding weights (light weights for beginners), palms facing forward, begin and end the movement near shoulder level. Sitting as tall as you can (a chair with a back may be helpful), contract abdominals, and slowly press the weights up over the shoulders, exhaling on the upward movement; do not lock the elbows. Slowly lower and repeat, 8 to 10 repetitions.

Lateral raise will strengthen the sides of the shoulders. Standing, hold weights in front of your thighs, palms facing inward; don't allow the wrists to rotate inward. Have feet about shoulder width apart, knees relaxed and abdominals contracted. Slowly raise arms out to the sides; elbows will be slightly bent and facing downward, stopping just below the shoulders; lift from the shoulders. Slowly return to original position and repeat; do 8 reps, increasing to 10. If it is too difficult, you may work from a seated position and raise one arm at a time.

Back delt fly strengthens both the upper back and back of the shoulders. Sitting on a bench, hold a weight in each hand. In the beginning, try this without using any weights. Bring your chest forward, leaning from the hips; your upper back is just slightly above parallel to floor. Keep your head in a neutral position, chin slightly tilted toward chest, and contract abdominals. Begin with arms hanging down at the sides, palms facing inward. As you raise your arms out to the sides, bend the elbows. At the end of the lift movement, your elbows will be level with the shoulders. Slowly return arms to the original position: 8 to 10 reps.

When you are just beginning to use weights, try working with lighter weights when you move your arms away from your body.

Thumbs down is an easy exercise for the health of the rotator cuff (no weights). Stand tall, abdominals contracted, and begin with your arms at your sides. Raise arms pointing thumbs downward to near shoulder level, at an angle between front and side; return arms to original position; 8 to 10 reps.

Abdominals, lower back

To help prevent or improve an excessive curvature of the lower back, you need to strengthen the core muscle groups, which are the abdominals and the back extensors. If your abs are weak, they will begin to sag and protrude forward, pulling your spine out of alignment and into a lordotic curvature.

Before you begin to strengthen those abs, I think it is important to know a few simple basics about their structure. The deepest muscular fibers of the abdominal wall that run horizontally and encircle the abdominal cavity are named the transversus abdominis, located directly below the rectus abdominis. You don't use this muscle for any particular bodily movement as you do the other three abdominal muscles; its function is to compress the abdominal contents. It acts as an abdominal belt, increasing the stability of the trunk.

The rectus abdominis, the largest abdominal muscle, is a wide, flat sheet of muscle with fibers running vertically, extending from your lower chest to below your navel. It flexes your vertebral column and curls your spine forward. The primary function of the internal and external obliques is for lateral flexion of the trunk; they enable you to bend and turn to the sides. They also act as an assistant to the rectus abdominis by helping to curl your spine forward. The oblique fibers that run horizontally wrap around the sides to the back, providing support to the lower back.

Now that you have met the "four abs," the next step is to know how to strengthen them. Misconceptions and incorrect technique are abundant when it comes to performing abdominal exercises. Here are some tips on how to make them more effective.

No neck lifts. Lift from your abdomen, not your neck. Hands will be placed behind your head for support; basically your head and neck will just be "along for the ride."

No chin drop. Your chin should be slightly lifted. Pretend you have a grapefruit under your chin and maintain that position throughout. You want to have a few inches of space between your chin and chest.

No elbow help. When you place your hands behind your head, the elbows should be pointed out to the sides, but slightly curved. Don't use them to lift you by pulling on your neck.

Curl up, don't just lift up. You need to curl a little forward as you lift your shoulder blades off the floor; barely touch shoulders to the floor between lifts. Your curl is a relatively short crunch, not a sit-up.

Contract and exhale. Contract the abdominal muscles and exhale as you lift.

Use a variety of abdominal exercises. They need to be performed in different positions and angles to ensure the greatest benefit; focus and perform them with a feeling of control.

The number of repetitions could range from 8 to 15, beginning with one set, then progressing to 2 or 3 sets.

Here is a sample abdominal workout; these exercises will work all your abdominal muscles, and some will emphasize certain areas more than others.

The basic crunch -- Lie on a mat with knees bent, shoulder width apart, feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head for support; do not interlace the fingers. Contract the abdominals and lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor; you will look like a curved C; exhale as you lift. Hold slightly at the top of the lift, then slowly, with control, return until shoulders barely touch the floor.

Rotational crunch -- This exercise works all the abdominal muscles with an emphasis on the obliques. Same position on floor as basic crunch exercise. Supporting your head with left hand, place right arm on the floor, rotate the torso slightly to the right, then lower until left shoulder is near the floor. Complete your reps on one side, then work the opposite side. At no time will you pull your elbow across your chest to the knee.

A simple contract, hold and release, emphasizing the transverse abdominal muscle. Lying on a mat, with bent knees and feet flat on the floor, contract the abdominals; feel like you are pulling your navel in toward the spine. Hold this position for a slow count of four; then release. Do not hold your breath. When comfortable with this movement, try to gradually extend one leg out while keeping the abdominals contracted, slowly return leg to the bent knee position. Finish the reps for one leg, then extend the alternate leg. The three major muscles in charge of movement for the vertebral column are better known as the erector spinae.

The back extension exercise strengthens this muscle group. Lying on a mat, on your stomach, lift the left arm and right leg about 6-8 inches off the floor; contract the abdominals and feel a slight tightening in the buttocks. You may rest your forehead on the bent right arm. Hold for a slow count of 4, then release; repeat 6 to 8 times.

Back and hip extensor stretch. Lie on your back, keeping your head on the floor. As you bring the knees in toward the chest, hands holding the legs under the thighs, lift the buttocks slightly off the floor. Hold the stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Feels good, enjoy!

- Sally Anderson is happy to hear from readers but cannot respond to individual queries. Write to her in care of Seniority, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Her e-mail address is slafitness@aol.com.

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