John came to me one-day needing help on alleviating his rounded shoulders, which his friend had been giving him a bad time about. After assessing his posture, flexibility, and upper body strength, I addressed his problems with some key flexibility and strength exercises specifically designed to promote great posture. For strength, I explained that the most important exercise for him is an upper body strength exercise that can save multiple trips to the orthopedic surgeon. This ‘medicine’ for good posture, back, and shoulder health is the row with scapular retraction. Using modalities like tubing, a cable, or dumbbells can effectively target the mid-upper back muscles that are so important to upper body health, provided proper form is performed. I told John technique can mean all the difference in not only what you get out of an exercise, but in avoiding injury in the process.
To perform:
- Wrap tubing around an upright.
- Grasp both handles of tubing, one in each hand.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades back and inward toward one another.
- Using your upper back and biceps, bend the elbows and pull the tubing back toward you.
- Stop when upper arms are even with your back.
- Straighten arms back to starting position.
After going over a full workout routine and fine-tuning his technique, John’s posture dramatically improved within a few months. He also increased his muscle mass, reduced body fat and aches and pains in the process
To discuss a postural strength and flexibility plan specific to your needs, give me a call at 925-930-7560.