If you have developed a hunch back and poor posture, your weight training routine may be to blame. But before I explain how, let me tell you a short story.
At 16 I began weight training for one reason…
To impress the girls.
And because of that, I focused mainly on the muscles you could see, namely my chest and arms. Like many young men just starting out on the quest for muscle and might, I read every issue of Muscle and fiction Fitness from front to back. I marvelled at the stunning muscularity of the professional bodybuilders featured in every issue.
With raging hormones and testosterone to spare, I hit the weights, doing countless reps of bench press and bicep curls. It didn’t take long before I reaped the benefits of all my hard work. My arms grew and my chest filled out nicely.
And although I looked better in a sleeveless shirt, I would pay a price much greater than the adoration of a few teen-age cuties.
My focus on the all-important “show me” muscles resulted in significant muscle imbalances that, over time, caused my head to protrude forward, my back to round over and left my arms unable to straighten when hanging at my sides – something I wouldn’t really notice until shopping for my wedding tuxedo years later.
In other words, my quest for booty left me with a caveman’s hunch back and posture problems that resulted in…
- Frequent headaches.
- Near constant neck and back muscle tension.
- Sore knees.
- Inflexible shoulders – as I found when I started taking diving lessons with my daughter.
- Problems breathing through my nose.
What Causes Muscle Imbalances and Posture Problems?
No part of your body moves independently. Even the smallest movement requires the coordination of various muscles. Your back muscles help keep you from flopping forward. Your stomach muscles help keep you from flopping backwards. Together, they help you stand up straight.
The thigh muscles straighten your legs, while the hamstring muscles bend the legs. Together, they allow you to walk, run, stand up, sit down, jump and squat.
Muscle imbalances occur when one set of muscles becomes shorter, stronger, tighter – or all of the above – than the opposing or complimentary muscles.
When you train one set of muscles, say the chest, without strengtening the opposing back muscles, the chest muscles become shorter and tighter, pulling on the back muscles. The result? Rounded shoulders and poor posture.
The same goes for the lower body.
Most people focus on the front of the leg – the part you see in the mirror – doing squats and leg extension. Without paying equal attention to the hamstrings by doing exercises like the romanian deadlift, your hip flexor muscles will pull forward on the pelvis, resulting in low back pain and knee problems.
So my neanderthal friend, before you do another isolation curl, perhaps it’s time to take a good look at your workout routine and rid yourself of that hunch back posture problem?
One of the very best, in-depth articles I’ve found on how to correct poor posture with weight training is called…
Neanderthan No More: The Complete Guide To Fixing Your Caveman Posture by Eric Cressey and Mike Roberson.
It’s a five part series that will show you how to evaluate your weak points and then gives a complete workout routine to correct it. Here are the links to each part:
- http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_i
- http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_ii
- http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_iii
- http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_iv
- http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_v
I’ve also found an inexpensive program called Posture Confidence by Dr. Natalie Cordova, a Chiropractor and posture expert. It includes an ebook that addresses other causes of poor posture as well as detailed stretches and exercises you can do to alleviate the condition.
Dr. Cordova was kind enough to allow me to review the ebook and the bonus material. While I’m disappointed that it didn’t involve more strength training exercises, I feel it’s worth the asking price. Check out Posture Confidence here.
I am a 51 and female. I excercise 3 times a week and weight train 2 times a week with free weights. I recently noticed that my shoulders are curving and I appear to have a hunched back! I always practice good posture and correct form when working out. I am in good health and have no vitamin defiency such as D or calcium. 10 years ago I was involved in an car accident that left me with no visible injuries but I did feel sore and had to have physical therapy to relieve the soreness in my neck. Now I am having neck pain and stiffness and limited movement in the right arm. when I receive a massage once a week these symptoms disappear! I feel no pain while working out, should I seek other professional opinion?
go to a Biophysics chiropractor. They specifically handle postural issues and help restore optimal spinal curvature. It is a peer-reviewed research technique that corrects aberrant posture. So go to idealspine.com and try to locate one nearby. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Occasionally you read an article that gives you insight into a health condition that provides a cause for which someone may not have considered. As in this case of bodybuilding and posture problems.
That’s what makes this such a valuable and informative article.
Working with nutrition for 14 years I’ve gotten to know several Chiropractors very well. especially Dr. Tom Zorich. I would think it advisable based on this article that anyone engaged in bodybuilding should most likely see a chiropractor on a fairly regular basis to check for problems before they get out of hand.
This article also points to the general good advice of keeping your body and habits in balance.
I do a lot of training for hockey and I’ve noticed myself starting to hunch a little bit. I never really thought about it as a muscle imabalance thing but I guess it makes sense! Good article. Thanks!
My father-n-law is starting to get a really bad hunch back. When he drives in the car he has to sit hunchbacked, because his back is starting to be this way all the time.
I’m 13 years old, i have a hunched back, and i have knee problems especially a second bump under my knee cap which only hurts when it bangs into something really hard. I’ve been sucking in my stomach for 4 years now since i never eat balanced diets (yet im not fat, theres just some extra fat). I’ve tried doing pilates to get a fitter body, (though im not unfit at all.) and i also wear a belt for straightening my back which i dont think will help me in the future at all. Is there anything you can to do help me?
To add to my message i also forgot to say i’m female.
I’m 13 years old, i’m female, i have a hunched back, and i have knee problems especially a second bump under my knee cap which only hurts when it bangs into something really hard. I’ve been sucking in my stomach for 4 years now since i never eat balanced diets (yet im not fat, theres just some extra fat). I’ve tried doing pilates to get a fitter body, (though im not unfit at all.) and i also wear a belt for straightening my back which i dont think will help me in the future at all. Is there anything you can to do help me?
Dear Anonymous, I cannot help you. You need to seek professional help…whether it be a doctor, or a counselor. I wish you all the best. Take care.
Nice article – poor posture can manifest itself into a number of different health issues over time if not corrected. Good posture should be checked and practiced each day. There is a wall test you can do – stand with your head, shoulders, and back against wall and heels about 5-6 inches forward. Draw in your lower abdominals, decreasing the arch in your low back. Push away from the wall and try to maintain this upright, vertical alignment.
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SEE A SPINAL BIOMECHANIC SPECIALIST! They are the ONLY people who know how to correct abberant spinal postures and restore proper form and function…….You spine is really more important than you think!