I Wasted 2 Years Trying To Fix My Forward Head Posture - Here's What Worked

Summary

This video focuses on how to improve posture naturally without constant conscious effort. The speaker shares personal experiences, explaining why traditional posture advice like 'pulling shoulders back' can be ineffective for lasting change. He introduces the concept of Upper Cross Syndrome, caused by forward head and rounded shoulders, and explains how to address it through exercises. The goal is to retrain the body to maintain good posture effortlessly by targeting localized muscle tension and realigning the body against gravity. Several exercises are demonstrated to enhance mobility and reduce postural tension.

Takeaways

• 😀 Posture correction advice, like pulling shoulders back and tucking the chin, often doesn’t lead to sustainable results in the long term.
• 😮 The speaker spent 2.5 years focusing on maintaining perfect posture, but despite the effort, their posture didn't improve significantly.
• 💡 The speaker realized that forcing oneself into an 'ideal' posture is not a long-term solution, as posture should feel natural and relaxed.
• 🧐 Upper Cross Syndrome, characterized by forward head posture and rounded shoulders, often causes muscle tension and discomfort.
• 📊 To improve posture, it's essential to address how the body interacts with gravity and identify localized muscle tensions.
• 🧘‍♀️ Traditional advice isn’t wrong but can be overly simplistic, focusing only on pulling shoulders back rather than adjusting how the body is balanced.
• 💪 Exercises targeting localized muscle tensions, like shoulder extension tests, help reveal where muscle tightness is affecting posture.
• 📈 Regular testing, like shoulder extension, before and after exercises is crucial for tracking progress and ensuring that the body’s mobility is improving.
• 🧠 The key to better posture lies in addressing both muscular tension and body awareness, rather than forcing the body into a rigid position.
• 🔥 The speaker recommends exercises like Iron Cross Rolling and staggered stance lat stretches to improve mobility and reduce tension in areas that contribute to poor posture.

Q & A

What is the main critique the speaker has about traditional posture advice?

The speaker critiques traditional posture advice for focusing too much on consciously pulling shoulders back and tucking the chin. Despite following this advice for years, the speaker found it ineffective because posture reverted once the conscious effort stopped.

How did the speaker come to realize that their posture hadn't improved, despite years of effort?

The speaker realized their posture hadn't improved when a friend pointed out that they were slumping, despite having spent over two years trying to maintain an upright posture.

What does the speaker suggest is the key to improving posture unconsciously?

The speaker suggests that the key to improving posture unconsciously lies in changing how the body naturally aligns with gravity and addressing localized muscle tension, rather than forcing the body into a particular position.

What is 'Upper Cross Syndrome' and how does it affect posture?

Upper Cross Syndrome is a posture issue where the head is forward, and the shoulders are rounded. It often causes muscle imbalances and tightness, pulling the body into poor alignment and creating tension.

What are the two main approaches the speaker recommends for making lasting changes to posture?

The speaker recommends two approaches: 1) adjusting the body’s alignment with gravity by being aware of posture without excessive tension, and 2) addressing localized muscle tension, such as tightness in the chest and upper abdominals, to promote a more natural posture.

How can focusing on being 'heavy through the heels' help correct posture?

Focusing on being 'heavy through the heels' helps bring the hips back into alignment with the body, which naturally reduces the forward head and rounded shoulder posture without excessive muscle tension.

What test does the speaker recommend to assess muscle tension related to posture?

The speaker recommends the shoulder extension test, which involves rotating the thumb backward and reaching the arm behind to about 45 degrees. This helps assess muscle tightness and mobility.

What are some common mistakes people make when performing the shoulder extension test?

Common mistakes during the shoulder extension test include bending the elbow, letting the palm face backward, and allowing the head to move forward, which can distort the test results.

What is the 'Iron Cross rolling' exercise and how does it help improve posture?

The 'Iron Cross rolling' exercise is designed to loosen up the back, hips, and chest. By lying on the back and crossing the legs over the body, it helps improve mobility and correct posture, especially sway back and forward head positions.

What is the purpose of the 'staggered stance lat inhibition' exercise?

The 'staggered stance lat inhibition' exercise stretches the lats and improves shoulder, neck, and thoracic mobility. It focuses on elongating the body while maintaining proper alignment to relieve tightness and improve posture.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Problem with Traditional Posture Advice

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the ineffectiveness of traditional posture advice, which suggests pulling shoulders back and tucking the chin. The speaker shares a personal experience of spending 2.5 years trying to maintain this posture to alleviate shoulder pain, only to realize that the approach didn't work. After being told by a friend that his posture was still poor, he realized that posture isn't about forcing the body into a position but rather about making unconscious changes for better alignment.

05:00

🧠 Understanding Forward Head and Rounded Shoulder Posture

The speaker introduces the concept of forward head and rounded shoulder posture, commonly known as upper cross syndrome. They explain how the head moving forward often pulls the shoulders in and how this posture can lead to issues with balance and alignment. The speaker discusses how sway back posture, where hips push forward to maintain balance, often accompanies these issues. The paragraph sets the stage for discussing the two main methods to address this posture: working with gravity and addressing localized muscle tensions.

10:02

💪 Tackling Posture with Awareness and Gravity

This paragraph explains the first approach to improving posture—being aware of the body’s relationship with gravity. Instead of forcing the body into a position, the focus should be on relaxing muscles and allowing natural alignment. The speaker emphasizes that it's not about excessive muscle tension but about feeling grounded through the heels, pulling the hips back, and maintaining a relaxed yet aligned position. They introduce this as one effective way to combat forward head and rounded shoulders posture without straining the body.

🧘 Releasing Muscle Tension to Improve Posture

The speaker introduces the second approach to improving posture, which involves targeting localized muscle tensions that may be holding the body in a poor posture. They suggest tests like shoulder extension to check for muscle tightness, particularly in areas like the chest, SCMs, and upper abdominals. By focusing on relaxing these muscles, the body can naturally find a more relaxed and upright posture. The speaker encourages performing these tests before and after exercises to track improvements in mobility and posture.

🔍 Testing for Shoulder Extension and Improving Mobility

Here, the speaker provides a detailed description of how to perform a shoulder extension test. This test helps identify muscle tightness that might be contributing to poor posture. The speaker advises against compensatory movements such as bending the elbow or allowing the head to move forward. They highlight the importance of checking for limitations and using the test to guide improvements in posture through targeted exercises. The goal is to use these tests to achieve lasting changes in posture, improving natural alignment.

📅 Free Posture Mobility Program and Community Support

The speaker introduces a free 7-day posture mobility program designed to help users test for common postural issues, such as forward head, rounded shoulders, sway back, and anterior pelvic tilt. The program also offers access to a community where users can share their test results, ask questions, and receive feedback from the speaker and others who have improved their posture. The speaker encourages viewers to take advantage of the program to objectively track their progress and make improvements.

🏋️ Key Exercises to Improve Posture and Prevent Forward Head Position

The speaker describes three exercises that are effective for improving posture and preventing forward head and rounded shoulders. The first exercise is the 'Iron Cross rolling,' which helps loosen the back, hips, and chest. The speaker provides step-by-step instructions for performing the exercise, emphasizing the importance of keeping the palms down and avoiding common mistakes like bending the knees or allowing the shoulder blade to lift off the floor. This exercise is particularly helpful for sway back and forward head posture.

🎯 Upper Body Banded Traction for Shoulder Blade Mobility

In this section, the speaker explains how to perform the 'Upper Body Banded Traction' exercise, which helps loosen muscles around the shoulder blades and promote thoracic rotation. The exercise requires a strong resistance band and proper body alignment to avoid compensation. The speaker emphasizes maintaining shoulder protraction and performing internal and external rotations while breathing deeply. The key is to prevent the shoulder from rising toward the ear, allowing for a deeper stretch around the shoulder blades.

🌀 Staggered Stance Lat Stretch for Shoulder and Neck Mobility

The final exercise described is the 'Staggered Stance Lat Stretch,' which focuses on stretching the lat muscles, improving shoulder mobility, and enhancing neck and thoracic rotation. The speaker provides detailed guidance on how to properly perform the stretch, including keeping the same-side foot back and lengthening the body for maximum effect. They caution against pushing the chest and head too far down and suggest adding a twist to enhance the stretch. This exercise aims to improve overall shoulder and neck mobility.

Keywords

💡Posture

Posture refers to the way in which a person holds their body when standing, sitting, or moving. In the video, the speaker discusses how traditional advice to 'pull your shoulders back and sit tall' doesn't lead to long-term improvement in posture. Instead, they advocate for a more natural, unconscious correction of posture through mobility exercises.

💡Upper Cross Syndrome

Upper Cross Syndrome is a postural condition characterized by rounded shoulders and a forward head position. The speaker refers to this term to describe the common postural imbalances that can lead to issues like shoulder pain and discomfort. Correcting this syndrome is a central theme in the video, and the speaker offers exercises to address it.

💡Gravity

Gravity plays a significant role in how posture is maintained, according to the video. The speaker explains how the body compensates for poor alignment by adjusting in ways that can lead to postural distortions, such as swayback posture. Understanding how the body interacts with gravity is essential for improving posture unconsciously.

💡Muscle Tension

Muscle tension refers to the tightening or shortening of muscles. The speaker mentions how localized muscle tension, especially in areas like the chest and upper abdomen, can hold the body in poor postural positions. By addressing and releasing this tension, the body can achieve a more natural and relaxed posture.

💡Forward Head Position

Forward head position is when the head juts out in front of the shoulders, which is commonly seen in people with poor posture, especially those who spend a lot of time on computers or phones. The speaker identifies this as part of the Upper Cross Syndrome and provides exercises aimed at correcting this alignment issue.

💡Shoulder Extension Test

The shoulder extension test is a simple exercise mentioned in the video to assess mobility and muscle tension in the shoulders. The speaker describes this test as a way to determine limitations in mobility and track progress in improving posture. It involves rotating the thumb backward and extending the arm to test for restrictions.

💡Swayback Posture

Swayback posture occurs when the hips are pushed forward and the upper body leans backward, often as a compensation for forward head and rounded shoulder posture. The speaker identifies this as another postural imbalance linked to poor posture and suggests exercises that help address it by aligning the hips and shoulders correctly.

💡Protraction

Protraction refers to the movement of the shoulder blades away from the spine. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of allowing passive protraction during certain exercises to release muscle tension and improve shoulder mobility, which can help correct forward head and rounded shoulder posture.

💡Mobility Exercises

Mobility exercises are a key focus of the video and refer to exercises that improve the range of motion and flexibility of muscles and joints. The speaker advocates for using specific mobility exercises, such as shoulder extension tests and thoracic rotation stretches, to create unconscious improvements in posture rather than relying on constant muscle tension.

💡Iron Cross Rolling

Iron Cross Rolling is one of the exercises demonstrated in the video to improve mobility and release tension in the back, hips, and chest. The exercise involves lying on the ground with arms stretched out, rolling one leg across the body, and stretching the opposite shoulder. It is used to combat forward head posture and swayback by loosening tight muscles.

Highlights

Traditional posture advice suggests pulling shoulders back, tucking the chin, and sitting up tall, but the speaker argues that this is impractical in reality.

The speaker spent 2.5 years trying to maintain this posture, thinking it would solve his shoulder pain, but his roommate pointed out that his posture still wasn’t corrected.

The speaker realized that simply forcing posture with muscle tension doesn’t lead to long-term, unconscious changes in alignment.

To correct posture, it’s essential to focus on unconscious changes to posture, rather than forcing shoulders down and back.

Upper Cross Syndrome is described as a forward head and rounded shoulders posture, commonly associated with sway back posture.

The speaker discusses the need to address the body’s relation to gravity and localized muscle tensions that hold people in poor posture.

One method to improve posture involves pulling the hips back into alignment with the heels, without forcing excessive muscle tension.

Another approach is addressing muscle tension, particularly in the chest, upper abdominals, glutes, and hamstrings, which hold the body in a slumped posture.

The speaker recommends testing shoulder extension by rotating the thumb backward and reaching back without compensations, to assess muscle tightness.

Testing before and after exercises helps track improvements in mobility and posture over time.

The speaker offers a free 7-day posture mobility program to test and improve posture, including forward head, rounded shoulders, and sway back.

The first recommended exercise, the Iron Cross rolling, helps loosen up the back, hips, and chest to combat sway back and forward head posture.

The second exercise, upper body banded traction, focuses on loosening shoulder blade muscles and thoracic rotation using a resistance band.

The third exercise, staggered stance lat inhibition, stretches the lat muscles and improves shoulder, neck, and thoracic mobility.

The goal of these exercises is to achieve natural, relaxed posture without excessive muscle tension, leading to healthier shoulders and a neutral spine alignment.

Transcripts

does your posture look like this

whenever you're at your phone computer

or just daily life traditional posture

advice would say just simply pull your

shoulders back tuck your chin and sit up

nice and Tall it works great in theory

but in reality it's a complete freaking

waste of time I would know because I

spent 2 and 1/2 years of my life trying

to hold my shoulders back to maintain

good posture and get out of that forward

head rounded shoulder extreme kyphosis

or upper cross whatever you want to call

it type positioning it was back in 2013

when I figured out posture might have

been a cause of my shoulder pain I had

seen a local physical therapist he said

hey man if you get this corrected your

shoulder Pain's going to go away so I

dove in I looked at every bit of

research I possibly could and everything

I found was just saying hey pull all

this back keep this nice and upright and

you're good to go so I obsessed I worked

out in that position I kept my shoulders

back in the shower even when I was

trying to sleep I thought about keeping

my shoulders down and back because I

thought hey this is going to help my

shoulder pain and I'm going to look

really dang good to all the ladies out

there and then 2 and 1/2 years later I

go out with my buddy and roommate of

mine and we walk into a bar and the

first thing he says to me is hey man

stand up straight and my entire world

just crumbled and I thought how in the

world is my posture not upright I've

been spending 2 and 1/2 years keeping my

shoulders back this doesn't make any

sense like this this should just be a

preset it should be natural innate

default and it wasn't I had social proof

I had my best friend my roommate at the

time tell me that I wasn't there that he

noticed I was slumped over and so I had

to then completely reshape what I

thought about posture and the way we

make changes to the body and it wasn't

that just forcing myself in this

position was the goal it wasn't that

keeping my shoulders down and back yeah

I could consciously do that and it

looked pretty good but whenever I wasn't

thinking about it I just fell right back

into my poor posture or poor habits so I

reframed everything I dove into more

literature I was like what is actually

going to make an unconscious change to

my posture so that way I can just stand

there and have everything in good

alignment and that's really what this

entire video video is about today it's

about helping you guys figure out how to

make a change to your posture without

having to consciously control it while

you're at your desk and working or

you're out at the grocery store or

whatever it is that you're doing you're

just there it's completely natural and

it feels relaxed so in the video we'll

describe what this forward head rounded

shoulder posture is upper cross syndrome

if you want to call it that I'll give

you a couple of tests that you need to

be running to try to make some

improvements to this which will help

kind of describe the theory I'm working

from and then we'll jump into a couple

of exercises that have really helped my

clients as well as myself maintain this

natural upright default posture without

having to really work too hard to get it

so what is upper cross syndrome rounded

shoulders forward head I like to

describe this as a position where our

head is forward and our ear is in front

of the shoulder if this is going forward

nine times out of 10 that's going to

draw and pull our shoulders in with it

you can also see this commonly

associated with sway backat posture that

that sway back posture is when our hips

are driving in front of our heel and our

shoulders so our body is basically just

trying to maintain balance Against

Gravity so if I stand all this goes

forward and so I don't completely fall

what'll happen is my hips will go

forward and my body will push back on

the upper body in order to maintain that

balance and then this is where we get

caught up and being in that forward head

round and shoulder positioning now this

isn't always the case and every

everybody's different with their posture

and their needs but this is generally

what I see and what I'm going after for

people so we can break up how to

intervene on this to make unconscious

changes in two ways one how our body is

relating to gravity and the second is

the localized muscle tensions that are

holding us in this position Against

Gravity so that way we don't fall over

so that's where we get into the

conversation of okay here's where I am

Against Gravity this is happening I'm

rounded all this is here so what muscles

will be tight well traditional posture

you know advice and knowledge isn't

wrong about this like there is a lot of

tension that's happening through the

chest the upper abs are very tight but

so are the glutes the upper hamstrings

so the goal is just do the opposite so

one way to kind of fight this is just

conscious you know putting yourself in

this position but when I say conscious I

mean you're noticing where your body is

but you're not forcing yourself there

with excessive muscle tension shoulders

back and down that's excessive muscle

tension I feel my shoulder blades I can

feel my romboid I can feel those muscles

working it's not the goal here instead

all I want you to focus on is just heavy

through the heels pull your hips back

behind you make sure they're in

alignment with just doing this a lot of

times that will bring you out of this

forward head posture you bring those

hips behind you and you're going be like

why am I staring at the floor now so

it's as simple as just like well look up

heavy through the heels my hips are back

behind me or in alignment

and I'm just looking forward so that's

one way you can sort of combat this none

of that required excessive muscle

tension none of it so the second way

we're going to go after this rounded

shoulders and forward head position is

by going after the localized muscle

tension that can be presenting or

holding you in this posture so again if

my hips are forward I'm rounded all of

this is here well I could have some

excessive tension of the chest the scms

my upper abdominals we want to relax

these muscles the best way to know that

we can relax these muscles that may be

locking Us in and trying to prevent us

from falling over is by doing tests that

show that these muscles are letting go

that they're chilling out they're

relaxing the big ones that I go after

are shoulder external rotation extension

and cervical rotation today all I want

you to focus on is your shoulder

extension so this is a very easy test

that I want you to do both before you do

the exercises and then after them if

this is easier you can do them with less

compens compensations then it's probably

a good indication that you're stretching

some things out you're opening up your

mobility throughout the body so that way

that there is any excessive say muscle

tension that is kind of holding you in

this posture to help you brace Against

Gravity that you're starting to relax

that a bit more and then your body can

find that nice natural relaxed default

position that we're looking for so to

test shoulder extension all we're

looking for is taking our thumb and

pointing it backwards notice I rotate

this thumb and point it straight behind

me I like to thank you is like you know

you got an annoying sibling that's right

behind you you're trying to poke him in

the eye right so might be a little mean

but it works so keep that thumb pointed

backwards and then you're just going to

reach back as far as you can and the

goal is about 45° of extension things to

watch out for are as you come back you

start to bend that elbow or you start to

come back and that Palm starts to face

straight backwards last thing I will say

is forward head and rounded shoulders

kicking in that postural presentation so

a lot of people will do this test and

you'll see them do this their head their

ear comes forward stop the test when you

see that stuff happening so just go back

this should feel nice and natural as you

do it you can see I get to about 45°

without those compensations so you'll

use this as a preest to say hey is there

a limitation that's happening right now

yes or no if there is cool we have a

direction we have something that we can

improve upon that should have an effect

on our standing posture you'll then do

these exercises and then retest if we

see an improvement then down the road we

should hopefully see some improvements

in your posture as well so one of the

best ways you can know that you're being

objective with this type of posture

correction in Mobility improvements is

with our free 7-Day posture Mobility

Program located down in the description

it gives you a ton of information on how

to test for forward head rounded

shoulders sway back and anterior pelvic

tilt it'll tell you where your greatest

limitations are and it also gives you an

invite to our free broken obes group

where you can upload your test you can

ask questions and get feedback from me

directly as well as others that have

been where you are now and have made

improvements again that is completely

free link is down in the description so

I highly highly suggest you take

advantage of that but now that we know

sort of the two paths that we're going

to make some improvements to this

posture both from hey just being aware

of like what our body's doing Against

Gravity and two going after the

localized tensions that may be holding

us here which are again just trying to

keep you upright and not fall over

Against Gravity we you now take this

understanding and apply to the exercises

that we have here so we're going to go

into three exercises that are my

favorite best bang for your buck that

really make the biggest changes for both

my clients and myself in keeping your

shoulders cervical spine nice and

healthy and keep you from getting into

that rounded shoulder forward head

posture this is the Iron Cross rolling

we'll be using this to loosen up the

back the hips as well as the chest this

is really good for sway back as well as

forward head posture so you'll start by

simply just laying on your your back

you're going to place your palms flat on

the ground like you're in on a cross it

is very important to keep the Palms

pressed down throughout this exercise as

well as the legs relatively straight at

the knees so once you have that down

you're simply just going to reach your

leg over at about a 45° angle feeling a

nice hip and low back stretch and trying

to get the foot to the floor on the

opposite side as I reach the leg over I

want to Exhale and then once I hit that

into range I then inhale to enhance the

stretch I'm feeling in the hip back with

that you should feel a nice chest

expansion to open up that area so the

biggest mistakes to watch out for are as

you're rolling over you're not keeping

the Palm down and you also let your

shoulder or your shoulder blade come up

off the floor as you reach the lead to

the opposite side another mistake is

letting the knee bend on the lead that's

rolling over to the other side and hit

about 90° of hip flexion then lastly as

you roll over you're really extending

your low back and you'll notice a rib

flare occurring and this will actually

make you feel tighter at your low back

versus giving you a nice stretch through

there so just watch out for those subtle

mistakes and you will then perform the

recommended reps on both sides for this

exercise and enjoy the nice stretch here

is our upper body banded traction

exercise we'll be using this to loosen

up the muscles around the shoulder blade

as well as get some thoracic rotation

going so you're going to set up on your

side you want to make sure that you have

a band that is relatively strong so I'm

talking at least 45 lbs something even a

little bit heavier could be beneficial

so you're going to set that up against

some immovable object and then take your

hand Loop it through there so that way

you have a pretty good grip if you're

using a lighter band you probably want

to choke up on it so think I would

probably like grab them middle of this

band here if it was something lighter

than 45 lb so I just made sure I'm set

up with my knees at about 90° and then I

want that band to pull me forward it

should be pulling me toward that

immovable object here it's just a squat

rack a desk piece of furniture something

like that can all work just as well and

so once I have that pulling on my

shoulder I'm going to try to resist it

so I don't want to retract the shoulder

blade but I want that band pull me

forward slightly so that way it's

actually pulling me into a passive

protraction so that is the shoulder

blade moving forward once it's there I'm

going to make sure I don't fall forward

so my chest or my sternum should not be

facing the floor but it should be still

facing upright toward where the band is

attached and then I'm going to start

repping out some internal and external

rotations at the shoulder so I will

exhale on the rotation component so

whenever I'm moving and then I will

inhale when I hit that end range of

motion so as you can see here I

externally rotate take a deep breath in

I internally rotate take deep breath in

exhale inhale exhale inhale and then I

will just simply repeat this while

keeping my chest nice and upright and

what you should be feeling is a nice

stretch around the shoulder blade as you

do this breathing sequencing the number

one thing to watch out for as you do

this exercise is letting your shoulder

drift up and toward the ear be sure to

keep the shoulder depressed but allow

that protraction to happen and that will

then allow for that nice stretch to

occur this is our staggered stance lat

inhibition or lat stretch we using this

to stretch the lat out the additional

benefits are also some improved shoulder

Mobility neck mobility and thoracic

rotation so it's pretty easy to set up

you're going to need a squat rack or you

can do this at home with a doorway and

you're simply just going to Gra grab

onto some sort of immovable object and

assume a staggered stance now the

important part about this is that

whatever you're grabbing onto say I'm

using here in my right hand I want to

then step back with that same foot so my

right lat is stretching so I want my

right foot backwards notice how when I

do this I'm making myself long I even

have a slight fet through my back just

to stretch that lat out as much as

possible and I want to think about my

bottom my right B pocket going going

back and down to the floor what I don't

want to do is Jam my chest and head down

past my arm this isn't about jamming

your arm as far back as possible it's

about making it as long as possible so

as long as you have that down you can

then add a little extra rotation to this

so I'll take my left hand here put it on

the outside of my right knee and I'll do

some little twists and turns just to get

a little extra stretch out of it and

then I'm simply just going to complete

five big deep breaths I'll let that

breath stretch everything out that much

more in the stretch so knock this out

and enjoy the new shoulder and neck

Mobility