I Wasted 2 Years Trying To Fix My Forward Head Posture - Here's What Worked
Summary
TLDRThis 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
🤔 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.
🧠 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.
💪 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Posture
💡Upper Cross Syndrome
💡Gravity
💡Muscle Tension
💡Forward Head Position
💡Shoulder Extension Test
💡Swayback Posture
💡Protraction
💡Mobility Exercises
💡Iron Cross Rolling
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
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