TheBroBrah's Guide To Correcting Excessive APT.

[TheBroBrah]

For those of you who don't know, APT stands for "Anterior Pelvic Tilt".

I recently fixed my APT, i had it pretty bad, definitely a lot worse than most people. How did i get it? Playing video games 24/7 for 2 years straight. Sedentary lifestyles are the biggest cause of APT. Jobs where you are seated all day is a good example.

Here's a picture of when i had APT at it's worst:

As you can see, It's not very pretty.



Here's a picture after i corrected my APT:




Timespan: About 2 months


What are the symptoms of Excessive Anterior Pelvic Tilt?

-Dat Ass

-Lower Back and Knee Pain (In Some Cases Shoulder Pain as well)

-Lack Of Activation In Glutes. Meaning, when you do say... Deadlifts, you don't feel your glutes working at all. Mainly just your lower back. Dead Lifts shouldn't be a lower back exercise, contrary to popular belief. They should involve your lower back, glutes, and hammies, a little quads as well.

-Exaggerated Curve In The Lower Spine

-Distended Gut (Detrimental To Aesthetics)

-Weak Hamstrings (I made the mistake of neglecting hammies)

-History of Hamstring Pulls

-Shortened Hip Flexors

-Elongated Abdomen

-Neck Pain


What is Excessive Anterior Pelvic Tilt?

Anterior Pelvic Tilt plays a major part in ruining your upper body aesthetics. The amount of arch in your lumbar spine is controlled by your pelvis. When your pelvis tilts to far anteriorly, the curve in your lower back becomes more prominent. And so does your back pain, lolz. When the lower back curves, you will also develop forward head posture as well (Kyphosis).

APT is a common cause of joint and muscle dysfunctions. When you sit in a chair all day, your hip flexors shorten, which in turn pulls your pelvis forward.

Can you compeletey correct APT?

No. Everyone has a little bit of APT, and it's natural, so don't freak out if you have a little curve in your spine. Also, women tend to naturally have more of an arch (Hence, Dat ass) and it's because of their bone structure. But yes, they can still have excessive APT as well.

The ideal measurements are 1-5 degrees for men, and 7-10 degrees for women.

How long will it take to correct my Excessive Anterior Pelvic Tilt?

Think of all the time it took you to develop it in the first place. Don't expect to fix it as fast as i did unless you have the dedication and time to fix it. If you really dedicate yourself, you can expect to see results in a week or two. The time to correct it will also depend on how excessive your APT is.

Steps to fixing APT:

Step 1: Buy a foam roller and follow this guide: http://www.performbetter.com/catalog...FoamRoller.pdf

I would suggest buying one online, as it will most likely be cheaper than buying it at a store. I bought mine here: http://www.performbetter.com/detail....=230&kbid=4170

It does not matter if you buy the 1', or the 3' one. Just make sure you buy the full one, not the half.

Foam Rolling is probably the most important aspect in correcting your APT. Don't skimp out on this.

Step 2: Static Stretching

You will need to static stretch (AKA Lengthen) the following muscles:

-Hip Flexors and Psoas:


-Lower Back (This is not imperative)


-Quads


Do not stretch the hamstrings, i repeat, DO NOT! Stretch the hamstrings. But i can't even touch my toes you say? Well this is because of the position of your spine, once you fix your APT you will magically be able to touch your toes again (Or just be able to stretch farther).

Also, this hip flexor mobility exercise will help a lot.



Step 3: Strengthen Weak Muscles

Muscles to strengthen:

Glutes (These are the most important): Glute Ham Raises, Lunges, ATG Squats, Or Deadlifts with light weight (Any exercise where you can feel the work being done mostly in your glutes)

Hamstrings: Glute Ham Raises, Lying Leg Curls

Abdominals: Weighted Planks are the best for fixing APT i find.

Obliques: Weighted Planks (Try to use exercises that work both the obliques and abdominals)

Also try to stay away from quad dominant exercises while trying to fix APT.


Step 4: Practice Good Posture

Squeeze your glutes as often as possible during the day, even when your walking. Eventually it will become natural.

Pull your shoulders back, chest out (Don't over exaggerate it though and look like a tool)

Try to do this all day, and get into a habit of doing it. It becomes a second nature after about a week.



You must foam roll and static stretch every day!!!! As well as practice good posture.

Hope this helped, and hopefully some of you guys can fix your APT as well.

[Ironlife]

Wow, real good read.. im going to start static stretching everyday i like my foam rolling too! 5 stars good write up kid

[jamie93]

is it possible to have this even thought i can touch my toes fairly easily?
i have been wondering why my back has been like this for years, thought it was just my build. I do have dat ass (not in a good way imo), but my posture is good?

i dont know if i have this or it is just my build

[TheBroBrah]

is it possible to have this even thought i can touch my toes fairly easily?
i have been wondering why my back has been like this for years, thought it was just my build. I do have dat ass (not in a good way imo), but my posture is good?

i dont know if i have this or it is just my build

Post pics from a side view and i will evaluate (no homo)

Wow, real good read.. im going to start static stretching everyday i like my foam rolling too! 5 stars good write up kid

Thanks, appreciate it! I static stretch every day now. Never again do i want APT.

[-Lucifer]

Why shouldn't you stretch your hamstrings? Nice thread, by the way.

[TheBroBrah]

Why shouldn't you stretch your hamstrings? Nice thread, by the way.

Because your hamstrings are weak, which means they are loose and long. If you stretch them it will make them even longer, which is counter productive. This only applies to people that have APT. If you don't have it stretch your hammies all you want.

[-Lucifer]

Because your hamstrings are weak, which means they are loose and long. If you stretch them it will make them even longer, which is counter productive. This only applies to people that have APT. If you don't have it stretch your hammies all you want.

Yeah, I do have a little APT. Thanks for the info.

[Sevenstrings]

Why are you red, brah? Good post, repped

[TheBroBrah]

Why are you red, brah? Good post, repped

Mod negged (for talking about drugs). And thanks

[Mr.NoPrint]

I probably have this to a degree. I know ive got kyphosis/scoliosis back again. ****ing annoying and uncomfortable. Chuck in upper cross syndrome and im a walking knot.

Need to acquire a foam rollers and get back on my prehab/rehab again!

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Mod negged (for talking about drugs). And thanks

Not to mention your history of giving lousy forum advice.

BTW,

Sweet cut N paste job, brobrah.

[TheBroBrah]

Not to mention your history of giving lousy forum advice.

BTW,

Sweet cut N paste job, brobrah.

Cut N paste? lolz k.

[-Lucifer]

Sweet cut N paste job, brobrah.

Even if it's a copy/pasta, he took the time to put together all that information, along with the appropriate videos. So I repped him. Such threads are a boon for lazy people like me.

[Ironlife]

Even if it's a copy/pasta, he took the time to put together all that information, along with the appropriate videos. So I repped him. Such threads are a boon for lazy people like me.

Lol yeh putting it all together is a decent effort i thought, a lot better than the normal threads of ''whats better, squat or leg press''?

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Even if it's a copy/pasta, he took the time to put together all that information, along with the appropriate videos. So I repped him. Such threads are a boon for lazy people like me.

Lol yeh putting it all together is a decent effort i thought, a lot better than the normal threads of ''whats better, squat or leg press''?

Dr. Bro/brah at your cervix.

[MWheatley]

Dr. Bro/brah at your cervix.

lulz

[Ulysse]

Good thread. Will start streching and foamrolling today.

[Tyciol]

I wonder, if we wore reverse heels, could this help to fix it?

I've read that women get ridiculously bad APT from wearing heels, so if we elevate the balls of our feet, we have to lean forward to avoid falling back, the opposite of leaning back to avoid falling forward.

Tony Little was marketing a version of this, you can see at:
http://www.tonylittlestore.com/cheekslss1.html
http://www.tonylittlestore.com/tolichhesawi.html

There's also videos that automatically play on:
http://www.tonylittlestore.com/cheekexercise.html
http://www.tonylittlestore.com/tolichfaexsa.html

It's about a 3 degree incline, and the heels women wear have ridiculous declines. I mean heck, even normal shoes often have a bunch of heel badding which might be like mini-heels so wearing incline sandals like walking uphill might be a helpful balance.

I think it's different from climbing stairs because when we climb stairs we don't always let our heels sink down and make contact so we may not be dorsi flexing and getting that forward lean necessity.

[jdjprimer19]

While foam rolling may seem beneficial prior to a workout, there is no evidence that long-term use will help correct any muscle imbalances or help with overall flexibility. So, your copy-paste article was only partially correct.

[MWheatley]

While foam rolling may seem beneficial prior to a workout, there is no evidence that long-term use will help correct any muscle imbalances or help with overall flexibility. So, your copy-paste article was only partially correct.

So being primed before a workout, and working out contusions post workout, wont lead to better progress down the line huh

I dont need some study to tell me something i have already learned from my own experience.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Now the thread is getting good.

[jdjprimer19]

So being primed before a workout, and working out contusions post workout, wont lead to better progress down the line huh

I dont need some study to tell me something i have already learned from my own experience.

So you can determine that X causes Y? Experience doesn't equate to research methodology.

[medjen]

T Nation has a slew of good articles on anterior pelvic tilt.
Pain-Free Lower Body Posture.

And a little more technical/biomechanical look here.

The Neanderthal No More series is also very good.

Decent info OP, but fairly easy to find around the web. Glad you found something that worked for you.


(Also, there's a typo in your write up. "Can you complete correct APT?")

[MWheatley]

So you can determine that X causes Y? Experience doesn't equate to research methodology.

Lets see, i lift harder and with more confidence feeling fresh. I have less energy and motivation if i feel like sh!t. I dont workout as frequently if i feel like sh!t. You have a lower risk of injury if inflammed areas are taken care of. Id say its common sense.

You keep to your ways and ill keep getting bigger.

[TheBroBrah]

I never copy and pasted anything Except the first picture and the videos.

Also, once i added foam rolling into my program everything started changing. So believe it or not, it worked for me.

[ltbs]

Foam rollers and tennis/lacrosse balls should be mandatory in every gym, hanging from the walls ready to inflict beautiful pain, along with screens showing this blog --> http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/

[jdjprimer19]

Lets see, i lift harder and with more confidence feeling fresh. I have less energy and motivation if i feel like sh!t. I dont workout as frequently if i feel like sh!t. You have a lower risk of injury if inflammed areas are taken care of. Id say its common sense.

You keep to your ways and ill keep getting bigger.

There is no harm in foam rolling, & if you choose to do it that's your prerogative. I was suggesting that from what evidence is available, foam rolling hasn't been established to show any long term efficacy on flexibility. As I mentioned in my previous statement, experience cannot establish causal relationships. There are too many factors involved to assume X caused Y. It's not as common sense as you think.

[DJAuto]

Good thread. APT is a common issue for many.

[grindle]

Great thread, I appreciate the information. I wasn't aware there was really a name for this condition which I 'suffer' from.

I am going to try out your tips and see how it goes. Unfortunately I do have a desk job which obviously doesn't help - sitting up straight for me as well as standing is a glorified version of your first picture; something I really have to work on. Always go to the Dr. about my shoulder, maybe I should be talking to him about this as well!

[BoutTreeF1ddy]

nice guide. My pelvic tilt is bout tree fiddy.