How to Fix Anterior Pelvic Tilt (4 KEY EXERCISES)

Summary

This script offers an in-depth guide on correcting anterior pelvic tilt through targeted exercises. It explains the concept using the 'bowl of water' analogy, highlighting the muscle imbalances causing the tilt. The video provides various stretches and strengthening exercises focusing on hip flexors, lower back muscles, core activation, and gluteal engagement to rebalance the muscles and realign the pelvis. It emphasizes the importance of proper form and pelvic positioning for effective results.

Takeaways

• 🧘‍♂️ Anterior pelvic tilt is a postural issue where the pelvis tilts forward, creating a pronounced arch in the lower back.
• 💧 The analogy of a bowl of water is used to describe the neutral position of the pelvis, with anterior pelvic tilt being like water spilling over the front of the bowl.
• 🔍 This tilt is often caused by muscle imbalances, with certain muscles being overactive and tight, while others are weak and lengthened.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Tight hip flexors and lower back muscles are commonly overactive, pulling the pelvis forward, while the glutes and hamstrings are weak and lengthened.
• 🤸‍♂️ Stretching exercises for hip flexors are crucial, including elevated hip flexor stretches with posterior pelvic tilt and contractions.
• 🦿 Strengthening exercises for the glutes and hamstrings are necessary to counteract the effects of anterior pelvic tilt and restore balance.
• 🧘‍♀️ Core activation exercises, such as dead bugs with controlled arm and leg movements, help teach the body to use the core muscles effectively.
• 🦵 Bridge exercises with proper pelvic positioning and engagement of the glutes and core can help strengthen the posterior chain and improve posture.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Eccentric strengthening exercises, like split squats with controlled pelvic positioning, can improve hip flexor mobility and strength.
• 🧘‍♂️ The importance of maintaining proper form during exercises to ensure that the targeted muscles are effectively engaged and stretched.
• 🔄 A combination of stretching, strengthening, and core activation exercises is essential for correcting anterior pelvic tilt and improving overall posture.

Q & A

What is anterior pelvic tilt?

Anterior pelvic tilt is a postural misalignment where the pelvis tilts forward, creating a pronounced arch in the lower back. It often results from muscle imbalances, with certain muscles being overactive and tight, while others are weak and lengthened.

How does anterior pelvic tilt affect the body?

Anterior pelvic tilt can lead to increased lumbar lordosis, a tendency to feel tightness in the lower back, and can also affect the functionality of the gluteal muscles, causing them not to work as effectively as they should.

What muscle groups are typically overactive in anterior pelvic tilt?

The muscle groups that are often overactive in anterior pelvic tilt include the hip flexors and the muscles of the lower back, such as the erector spinae.

Which muscle groups are usually weak and lengthened in anterior pelvic tilt?

In anterior pelvic tilt, the rectus abdominis and the gluteal muscles are typically weak and lengthened, as they are not effectively countering the pull of the overactive muscles.

Why is it important to address anterior pelvic tilt?

Addressing anterior pelvic tilt is important for restoring muscular balance, improving posture, reducing lower back pain, and ensuring that muscles like the glutes can function properly.

What is one exercise to stretch the hip flexors for anterior pelvic tilt?

One exercise to stretch the hip flexors is the front foot elevated hip flexor stretch, where you set the pelvic position by posteriorly tilting the pelvis, then shift forward to feel the stretch, and perform contractions to deepen the stretch.

How can you strengthen the lower back muscles to counter anterior pelvic tilt?

Strengthening the lower back can be achieved through exercises like the dead bug, which involves extending one arm and the opposite leg while maintaining control of the lower back and core muscles.

What exercise can help activate and strengthen the gluteal muscles in the context of anterior pelvic tilt?

The bridge exercise, performed with proper pelvic positioning and core activation, can help strengthen the gluteal muscles. It's important to hinge at the hips and hold the position without letting the lower back arch excessively.

How can you incorporate movement into the hip flexor stretch to increase its effectiveness?

Incorporating movement into the hip flexor stretch can be done by performing a split squat with the pelvic position set, which adds an eccentric strengthening component to the stretch.

What is the importance of maintaining proper form during the exercises for anterior pelvic tilt?

Maintaining proper form during the exercises is crucial to effectively target the intended muscle groups, prevent injury, and ensure that the exercises contribute to correcting the anterior pelvic tilt.

How can you ensure that the hamstrings are working effectively during the exercises for anterior pelvic tilt?

To ensure the hamstrings are working effectively, exercises should be performed with a bent knee to force the hamstrings to engage, and with proper core and gluteal muscle activation to maintain the correct pelvic position.

Outlines

00:00

🧘 Understanding and Correcting Anterior Pelvic Tilt

This paragraph introduces the concept of anterior pelvic tilt, a common postural issue characterized by an excessive forward tilt of the pelvis. It likens the pelvis to a bowl of water to explain the tilt and its effects, such as increased lumbar curve and tension in the lower back muscles. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of addressing muscle imbalances, where certain muscles become overactive and tight, while others are weak and elongated. The goal is to stretch tight muscles like the hip flexors and lower back muscles, and strengthen weak muscles like the glutes and abdominals to restore balance and correct the tilt.

05:02

🤸‍♂️ Exercises for Stretching Hip Flexors and Lower Back

The second paragraph focuses on specific exercises to address the muscle imbalances contributing to anterior pelvic tilt. It describes stretches for the hip flexors, such as the elevated hip flexor stretch with a focus on setting the pelvic position and alternating between static and dynamic stretches. The paragraph also covers exercises for the rectus femoris and lower back muscles, including a split squat for eccentric strengthening and a side-to-side drop movement to stretch the lower back. These exercises aim to improve flexibility and re-educate the muscles to support a neutral pelvic position.

10:03

🏋️‍♀️ Strengthening Core and Lower Body for Postural Balance

This paragraph continues the theme of exercise-based correction by introducing core activation exercises that teach the body to use its core muscles more effectively. It describes a controlled arm and leg extension exercise to strengthen the core and maintain pelvic alignment. The paragraph also discusses the importance of glute and hamstring engagement, presenting exercises like the table top bridge and single-leg variations to activate and strengthen these muscles. The goal is to improve muscular balance around the hips and pelvis, helping the body hold the pelvis in a more neutral position and reduce the anterior tilt.

15:03

🦿 Advanced Techniques for Glute and Hamstring Engagement

The final paragraph delves into advanced techniques for glute and hamstring engagement, emphasizing the importance of maintaining proper pelvic positioning during exercises. It describes a modified bridge exercise with a bent knee to isolate and strengthen the hamstrings, as well as single-leg variations for increased challenge. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the overall goal of creating muscular balance and retraining the body to hold the pelvis in a neutral position, which will help to correct and prevent anterior pelvic tilt over time.

Keywords

💡Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) is a postural misalignment where the pelvis tilts forward, creating an exaggerated curve in the lower back. In the video, APT is described using the bowl of water analogy to illustrate the tilt. The condition is often caused by muscle imbalances, with some muscles being overactive and tight, while others are weak and elongated. The script discusses exercises to correct APT by addressing these muscle imbalances.

💡Muscle Imbalance

Muscle imbalance refers to a condition where opposing muscle groups have unequal strength or flexibility, leading to postural problems. In the context of the video, muscle imbalances are the primary cause of anterior pelvic tilt, with tight hip flexors and lower back muscles pulling the pelvis forward, while the glutes and hamstrings are weak and elongated.

💡Hip Flexors

Hip flexors are muscles located at the front of the hip that help in flexing the hip joint. In the script, tight hip flexors are identified as a key factor contributing to anterior pelvic tilt. Exercises such as the front foot elevated hip flexor stretch are recommended to stretch and lengthen these muscles, helping to correct the tilt.

💡Lower Back Muscles

Lower back muscles, including the erector spinae and multifidus, are responsible for supporting the spine and aiding in movement. The video explains that when these muscles are tight, they can pull the pelvis forward, contributing to APT. Stretching and strengthening these muscles is part of the corrective exercise routine.

💡Glutes

The gluteal muscles, commonly referred to as 'glutes,' are responsible for hip extension and play a crucial role in maintaining pelvic stability. The script mentions that in cases of APT, the glutes may be weak and not functioning properly. Strengthening these muscles through exercises like the bridge is essential for correcting the tilt.

💡Hamstrings

Hamstrings are muscles at the back of the thigh that help in knee flexion and hip extension. The video script points out that while they may feel tight in APT, they are actually being held in a lengthened position, making them weak. Specific exercises are recommended to strengthen the hamstrings and improve their function.

💡Core Activation

Core activation refers to the process of engaging the muscles of the abdominal and lower back regions to provide stability and support to the spine. In the video, core activation exercises are used to teach the body to use the core muscles more effectively, helping to control and correct anterior pelvic tilt.

💡Stretching

Stretching is a form of physical exercise that involves lengthening muscles to improve flexibility and range of motion. The script emphasizes the importance of stretching tight muscles, such as the hip flexors and lower back muscles, as part of the corrective strategy for APT.

💡Strengthening

Strengthening exercises are designed to increase the strength and power of muscles. The video outlines various strengthening exercises for weak muscles like the glutes and hamstrings, which are crucial for correcting muscle imbalances associated with APT.

💡Eccentric Movement

Eccentric movement refers to the lengthening of a muscle while it is under tension, often occurring during the lowering phase of an exercise. The script mentions the use of eccentric movements in exercises like the split squat to improve hip flexor mobility and control.

💡Pelvic Positioning

Pelvic positioning is the conscious effort to align the pelvis in a neutral position to prevent or correct postural misalignments. Throughout the script, proper pelvic positioning is emphasized as a key component of the exercises, ensuring that the muscles are worked correctly and safely.

Highlights

Anterior pelvic tilt is a common postural problem characterized by a forward tilt of the pelvis, causing a pronounced arch in the lower back.

The condition can be visualized by imagining a bowl of water, where an anterior tilt is like water spilling out the front.

Anterior pelvic tilt often results from muscle imbalances, with certain muscle groups being overactive and tight, while others are weak and elongated.

Hip flexors and lower back muscles are typically tight and overactive in anterior pelvic tilt, pulling the pelvis forward.

Muscles such as the rectus abdominis and glutes are often weak and elongated, contributing to the tilt.

Anterior pelvic tilt can prevent the glutes from functioning properly, affecting posture and movement.

Exercises are needed to stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak ones to correct the imbalance.

A front foot elevated hip flexor stretch is recommended to target tight hip flexors.

The stretch involves setting the pelvic position and engaging the core to maintain proper form.

An eccentric strengthening exercise like the split squat can help improve hip flexor mobility.

Lower back stretches are essential to alleviate tightness in the lumbar region.

Core activation exercises, like the dead bug variation, teach the body to use the core muscles effectively to control pelvic position.

Glute and hamstring exercises are crucial for strengthening and re-educating the muscles to support a neutral pelvic position.

A bridge exercise with proper pelvic positioning can effectively target the glutes and hamstrings.

Single-leg variations of exercises increase the challenge and help isolate the muscles for better targeting.

Consistent practice of these exercises can lead to a more balanced muscular structure around the hips and pelvis.

Over time, with the right exercises, the anterior pelvic tilt can be corrected and posture improved.

Transcripts

anterior pelvic tilt let's talk about

what it is but more importantly how you

can fix it with just a handful of simple

exercises so firstly let's talk about

the anterior pelvic tilt in as much as

what it is

if you can use a simple visualization of

a bowl of water picture that because

that really is the analogy i want to use

for our pelvis your pelvis hopefully in

a nice neutral position we'll be able to

contain that water without stopping the

water out front or out of the back now

as soon as we get this kind of muscle

imbalance that i'll talk about in a

second that causes an anterior pelvic

tilt the forward tilts off the pelvis

effectively creates this forward tilt of

that bone water when the water just

chips straight out the front of the bowl

this is where neutral will be here

forward tilted is here it creates this

big pronounced arch of the lower back

there's increased lumbar doses

and a lot of the time people feel a real

tendency to tie through their lower back

a real tendency to be typed through

muscles by their hamstrings as well

although their hamstrings aren't

actually shortened they're not

shortening and getting tight they're

being held long and under tension we'll

talk about that in a second

it already comes about through an

imbalance where we've got certain muscle

groups which are overactive and tight

chronically and other muscle groups

which are being held in a lengthy

position and weak and that naturally it

allows the pelvis just to get used to

sitting in this position now the problem

with it is it also stops

our glutes those important butt muscles

from being able to work as they should

we'll work on some exercises to fix that

in a second now what are those muscle

groups well

let's talk about it let's think about to

begin with we've got muscles that are

overly tight overactive and working too

hard all the time we've got our hip

flexors hidden muscles at the front

of the hip muscles like aliasing

stretches from morris if they get tight

they naturally pull on their attachments

at the front of the pelvis and pull the

pelvis forwards on the opposite side

we've got

those muscles of the lower back if you

think about muscles like portraits and

lauren here and here

if they start to get tight

then naturally they'll pull

almost up on the back of the pelvis so

the curls have been pulled down forwards

up and back naturally when they rotate

into this position

as we rotate into this position

we're going to find that the

muscles opposing those other muscle

grips which is mentioned so muscles like

our rectus abdominals our six feet

muscles are being held in a lengthened

position which they're not going to be

effective in

and at the same time if we think about

muscles around our hip and pelvis

we've got muscles like our hamstrings

we've got muscles off our glutes being

held again in a lengthened weak position

so to fix our anterior pelvic tilt we

need to stretch the muscles that are

being constantly over active and being

held tight and we need to strengthen and

better position the muscles that are

being

constantly under strain

under tension and held in a lengthy

position and therefore weak so we can

re-educate the whole imbalance that's

going on so let's get straight into that

so hip flexors to begin with they're one

of the muscles that we need to start to

work on in terms of stretching so those

who've been following the channel for a

while

you'll be familiar with this exercise uh

front foot elevated hip flexor stretch

hips frontal shoulders frontal

knee on could be a box could be a chair

it could be in this instance a bench

so the knees just about hit part or

slightly above

from here what i'm going to do is not

just lunge into our stretch but simply

before we even start to focus on finding

the stretch we're going to set pelvic

position so we posteriorly tilt squeeze

your butt draw your belly button in

for a lot of people straight away

they'll feel that stretch down the front

of the

front of the hip

now

if you're not feeling it we set the

position and then

we shift forwards

from there i'm gonna hold for 20 seconds

just a static stretch to start with but

we're not just leaving this in a static

stretch once we've done 20 seconds we're

then going to relax for a second

and then contract if i contract i mean

again squeeze your butt

draw your belly button relax

contract

one second on one second off one second

on one second off work through 20 of

those do that twice over on each side

and you will feel

that you've had a good stretch through

those deeper hip flexors particularly

muscles like your iliopsoas now

it's not just in your cells when it

comes to our hip flexors when you think

about vectors for marks in this position

yes we were working into hip extension

but the knee is straight

if we want to work on rex's femoris we

need to also flex the knees hip

extension knee flexion gets into rectus

femoris far far better

now from here the same thing applies

posterior tilting pelvis everything is

square front obviously alternatively the

camera you'd be front on

posterior tilt gentle shift forwards

feel it down the front of the thigh 20

second hold to start with and there we

go contract

relax

one

two

[Music]

three simply going second one

second off

feeling that every time you squeeze your

butt

every time you draw a belly button in

and those two things create that

posterior tilt

you momentarily feel that stretch

i really like adding movement into this

nice

simple little hip flexor stretch now if

that's part of your knees of course you

can also get into your pretty standard

little quad stretch here now again to

really focus on reps for us what we can

do

is make sure we're working towards hip

extension with this so we simply bend

the knee hit the standing leg push the

chest up and pull back

okay

very big difference between being here

and being here now before we move on

actually i want to show you one more way

of getting into correct femme and that's

telling me this is a lesson stretching

exercise

and more of an eccentric strengthening

exercise

love split squat

from here

guess what set in pelvic position so

squeeze him up draw your belly button

knowing slowly three

two

one

straight down

and up again

this split squat with the pelvic

position set

which will for your hip flexors tightly

right thin you're going to feel it down

in front of that rear thigh

very different to this

very different to allowing the lower

back to arch the pelvis tilt forwards be

strict with it

and you'll feel over time but those

eccentric movements will allow you

to find more and more and more mobility

through those hip flexors particularly

wrap them so i'll do three sets of 15 on

each side slow and controlled now

that deals with our hip flexors

opposite to that

if we think about our kind of cross that

we're talking about our tight tight

weak weak

we'll work on the tightness in the lower

back so down to the ground

shuffle across a bit so you can see me

better

here we go

we're going to just gently put our

elbows out and our hands out to our side

okay round about

keeping wrists around our shoulder

height

from there

knees

up to the sky so we're looking about 90

degrees

roughly

from there we're going to drop down to

one side

and then we're going to drop

down to the other side

of course the box is in the way

again

left to right

simply working through

20 reps

as you come down

you'll feel

once you're here nice stretch

through your lower back on the opposite

side

now

we can do that two or three times over

again depending on how that feels now

it's very simple in terms of the next

we're going to stay on the ground we're

going to switch from working on just

getting that gentle stretch from your

lower back

and instead start working on getting a

bit more of a core activation exercise

to help teach your body to use your core

better and strengthen your muscles in

the right position to control your

pelvis better and stop that anterior

tilt so in the same position here

i'm simply

going to

go arms straight up

knees in our hips so about 90 degrees

with me if i don't hit my to do it with

me

from here before you even move all i

want to do

is

press your lower back into the ground

you should be able to talk you're not

bracing you're staying in control as you

do this

from this position

we're simply

going to extend one arm

one leg

come back to the top

other arm other leg come back to the top

what we're doing here is we're creating

a longer lever as you let the armor leg

go

under control

which your body then has

to control if you're unable to control

this lengthening lever then what happens

is as you

get lower your lower back will start to

lift off the ground

it's your abdominals

that should be controlling

your lower back position your core

position

your pelvic position

and if you're able to control it

you won't feel the lift

now we'll work through 20 seconds to

begin with and over time we have 30

seconds 40 50

60. once you comfortably do a minute

that's where

we then look to start doing multiple

reps so you turn it down for 30 seconds

again and do perhaps three rounds or 30

seconds and then build that up within

three sets in one minute

but that makes sense now

the last

part of this

is you then starting to again focus on

your glutes

and your hamstrings now always we talk

about glutes and hamstrings and their

different functions etcetera in this

instance we need to do the same thing

with both of them we need to start

strengthening our glutes and teaching

our body how to be able to hold the

pelvis in our position

to properly use your joints so then we

talk about the table from the handshakes

we start out

heels in towards your butt what i don't

want you to do with a bridge

is simply jam your hips up in the air

feel that you're going as high as you

can

feel there's an arch in your back feel

that maybe i'm getting a bit of good

work done

but not really

instead what i want you to do

is heels in towards your back gently

lift your toes slightly off the ground

and then

think about the same kind of

positionings we'll be using with those

dead bugs

so tilt the pelvis

press the lower back into the ground

from there feel that as you draw your

core in naturally you start to squeeze

your blood muscles feel those blood

coming to engage then you simply hinge

at the hips you probably won't come as

high

but once you're at the top as far as you

can go without letting the lower back

take over that will just hold that for

10 seconds

i'm just going to do 10 seconds

holding

and then come down

i'm going to repeat that through 10

times over

so then again it's

gently tilt the lower back plate to the

ground draw bend bottom squeeze glutes

hinge at the hip

and again

squeeze

hold for ten times

once you've got that once you've done

ten times ten second holes and doing

that two or three times through is

pretty easy we can switch

and we can do that

to one leg

okay

from here

we can either go things behind or

fingers over the top of the knee either

spine

this

leg pray along this position helps the

posterior tilt the pelvis and hold the

pelvis in our position as we're going to

focus on the leg

that's grounded

so we come up

and we hold

we're going to hold again for 10 seconds

you know where we're going with this

10 second hold

feeling those glutes squeeze should be

feeling this in the hamstrings at this

point

okay the hamstrings by having such a

short position at the knee i.e by

pulling your heel into your butt

we're pretty much disadvantaging the

hamstrings and stopping them from being

able to take over just mechanically and

position their in

it's all about

glutes in this position pushing through

the heel

hips high

again 10 times 10 seconds hold on each

two or three times through

you should take a time to do that now if

we're talking hamstrings on the other

hand we do need to get into a position

where the hamstrings are the main muscle

we're going to work in this particular

an isolated glute sorry isolated bridge

type position so

we're going to get back into a position

where we can use our box or our um

in this instance bench

and we're going to work with a bent knee

but in the big scheme of things in

comparison to this quite a straight leg

okay i know that's a bit of a little

contradiction but what i mean is i don't

want this type of straight leg okay so

we're maintaining the bent knee

now

this is going to force our hamstrings to

work as soon as

we really start to cue in the drive down

the heel and it's almost like you're

going to try and flip the bench back on

top of yourself but before we do that i

want you to guess what

engage your core squeeze your glutes

posterior to the pelvis feel the lower

back engage into the ground

from there

like i said

pull the bench in towards you and the

harder you push those hamstrings

the more you'll feel

or hardly pull with those hamstrings the

more you'll feel your hips rise up into

the sky

pull pull pull the wall

10 seconds

and then

you'll come down

okay once you've done 10 times 10 second

holds with these

then of course

well do two

or three rounds or ten times ten seconds

with these but then of course you can

move into doing this single leg which is

quite a challenge trust me

okay so just do two of these and i'll

show you the single leg variety

and down

so single leg exactly the same idea

what we can do

is we can

again position the pelvis nicely by

creating this cradle

draw in

field ground squeezy glutes

again we're going to go in ten seconds

of this

you'll really feel this back of the

thigh feel those hamstrings working do

not allow your leg to suddenly stretch

and that if you haven't controlled the

knee

then

what you'll feel is that you

just drop back

and we don't want this is that sort of

doing much of your hamstrings at all the

knee bend really will put the emphasis

onto those hamstring muscles

okay again positioning everything don't

be feeling like you're overly arching

your back

that will start to deal with some of the

weakness

and some of the kind of strike

lengthening in terms of position for

those hamstrings i had to deal with over

time it will deal with the fact that

your body's not so used to holding

itself in this anteriorly tilted

position that your glutes again have

come forgotten how to work

and what you'll end up with is

and it's a situation where you're

creating a lot more muscular balance

around your hips and pelvis your body's

learning to hold the pelvis in a more

neutral position because we're no longer

tyson overactive titanium active these

are calming down

these are getting stronger

and that anterior tilt will be much

better under control and over time it'll

just disappear so

that is how you get rid of anterior

pelvic tilt if you want to know more

about how to use your glutes more

effectively how to retrain your glutes

if you've been told by a physio that

aren't working properly

from basic through to advanced i've got

a whole set of exercises for you in the

video right over here so check that out

next and i'll see you right over there

in our next video