Rounded shoulders

[carpediem]

Question...

I have been lifting since February and have made some good gains and I'm very happy with my goal attainment to this point. The only concern I have with my overall physique, is with my shoulders. Genetics, and a relatively sedentary lifestyle, have left me with rounded shoulders. I have always slouched and my family has a history of rounded backs and shoulders. It always looks like my shoulders need to move back more.

I don't have access to a digicam right now but I think that most of you should have a good idea what I'm talking about.

It has improved some but not enough...

Common sense tells me that I need to strengthen my upper back and shoulders to take care of this situation (at least take care of it as much as genetics will allow). Currently, this is the area that I'm concentrating in:

Chins
Upright row
Bent dumbell row
DB Shrug
Military press
Lat raises

Will this help correct the problem?

Any suggestions?

[Richie]

your common sense is right.
personally i think your exercise selection is good although if your trying to correct your posture then i'd also throw in something for you rear delts (to pull your shoulders back) and also lower back and abs.

upright rows should be done with a wide grip to hit more side & rear delts.

don't go to crazy with heavy weights. your trying to correct a situation so train with lighter weights and train the muscle to FEEEEEL the work and build your weights & intensity up slowly.

also try and make a point of using good posture in everything you do during the course of the day. it's hard to remember at first but after a month or so it'll be just second nature to you.

good luck. Richie

[carpediem]

Thanks Richie...

I'm definately doing lower back work (dead lifts) but I'm not sure what I need to do to work the lower lats. I'm probably not doing enough for my abs either... I usually do abs on my cardio days and lately I've been slacking on the cardio (concentrating on bulk).

I'm a computer programmer so I spend my days trying to make myself sit up straight. Actually I have my outlook set to remind me every hour to "Sit up SLACKER!!!"

Thanks for the advice...

[Richie]

never slack off on doing abs. i suffered a burst disc due to slacking off on abs which creates a muscle imbalance between the abs & lower back.
your whole mid-section MUST be strong.

i wouldn't worry about lower lats for the moment. they don't really do much for the situation you're concerned about.
just stick to the upper lats, rear delts, traps & shouders.
check out an anatomy book. it may help you on your road to correcting your posture.

if you're sitting in front of a computer for a job then maybe get yourself an exercise ball and sit on that instead of a chair. it's much easier to keep yourself upright than on a chair.

also you may want to look into a specific stretching routine for your condition. it's very underrated and should be mentioned a lot more when referring to postural problems.

Richie

[AJbuilder]

Originally posted by Richie
if you're sitting in front of a computer for a job then maybe get yourself an exercise ball and sit on that instead of a chair. it's much easier to keep yourself upright than on a chair.


Richie

Wouldn't it be odd for him to sit on an exersice ball in front of all the people in the office?

[scott_donald]

Originally posted by AJbuilder
Wouldn't it be odd for him to sit on an exersice ball in front of all the people in the office?

na i know plenty fo people who do and even compaies who do thet instead of seats...

[AJbuilder]

Originally posted by scott_donald
na i know plenty fo people who do and even compaies who do thet instead of seats...

interesting.

[carpediem]

Like the folks in the office don't already think I'm a bit off my rocker... They would probably just glance at me sitting on a big ball, maybe look again, then go on their way :c)

[Richie]

Originally posted by AJbuilder
Wouldn't it be odd for him to sit on an exersice ball in front of all the people in the office?

he might start something and more people might get one.
like scott_donald said, i know people who work for companies who offer these balls as an option to a chair and are very popular.

although i don't have a sit down job i always use one now when i'm doing my interneting stuff.
i started getting slight pain & stiffness in my back so i switched to an exercise ball with much improvement.
you just have to make sure you pump it up to the correct height.

Richie

[TricepsNGirls]

hey carpediem,

you should also def. work on walking/standing/sitting posture. Slouching also has to do with your accustomed posture. You need to put in an effort to push out that chest and bring those arms back. Try putting your back to a wall, and line your shoulders and head to the wall. Now, after you are accustomed to the feeling, try to keep this posture wherever you go. Its very hard at first, because it feels funny, but it will help TREMENDOUSLY. You will look and feel more confident. Always have that voice in the back of your head telling you not to slouch. Soon the new posture will feel more natural.

Good luck!

[monos]

There are chairs that supposedly make your posture better. They force you to keep your back straight when you're sitting on them. I'll try to find pictures.

[carpediem]

Thanks for all the info folks...

I've been making a real effort to walk, sit, stand straighter and with better posture. It is working to a certain extent. Lifting weights definately helps in this regard because you feel stronger and more confident making it more natural to sit, stand, and walk straighter and with more confidence.

[NeonX]

Just wondering, wouldn't it be easy to roll off the ball? That would be embarassing, I know I tried doing some crunches on the ball at the gym and I almost rolled off a couple of times.

[5atanic]

I have the same problem Carpediem, its hard trying to fix it because it feels terribly awkward but just stick wif it and it will definitely help you in the long run

[johngreener]

I'm 15 and I'm just about 6ft and 145pounds (67kg) I've been lifting for about 4 months however, I have a problem with my posture, my shoulders are very rounded and I have very large shoulder blades which stick out making my posture worse, any advice would be really helpful, cheers

[batman37]

Face pulls at the end of every workout. This will work wonders.

Also make sure you are aligned properly when you do you deadlifts and rows and such.