Posture and Shoulder Exercises

Here's a couple simple exercises to reinforce good posture and help protect your shoulders at the same time. Proper alignment will place your shoulders in the best position to increase mechanical efficiency.

This db row variation is great for strengthening your posterior shoulder and between your shoulderblades. Besides being great for your posture, it will help protect your rotator cuff. Also, adding some thickness here makes you look better from behind, giving you more of that V look. Nothing wrong with looking good and functioning better.

I've done damage to my shoulders in the past, in part, due to lifting with rounded shoulders and lack of mobility in my thoracic spine. These exercises might have prevented some of that damage.

Some people may need some in person help from a professional to see optimal results. Don't forget to work on your abdominal breathing, either - very important for proper core function, and thus your alignment.

Check out my previous article and video, if needed.

Chiropractic Combined with Posture Training

I recently started receiving chiropractic care that involves posture reeducation, including standing on a vibration platform while wearing a weighted "hat."

A couple months ago, I met a chiropractic husband and wife team at a local wellness fair. I had my own vibration platform there and we talked briefly about the benefits, including stimulating the postural (anti-gravity) muscles through the reflex muscle contractions.

They agreed with me and told me that they include posture training in their clinic. Having worked in two different chiropractic clinics, I was curious to see what they did. I recently started receiving adjustments from them, along with the re-education process.

They took x-rays of my neck, which showed that my cervical spine (neck) isn't what it should be. Too much time sitting and bike riding have apparently done a number on me. I haven't been doing enough joint mobility work, either.

In any case, they seek to restore the proper curve of my neck, so that my nervous system is functioning at an optimal level. This includes stretching for my neck and the work on the vibe plate.

This has me standing on a vibration platform for about four minutes while wearing a "hat" with two pounds of weights in the front. The object is to hold my head in proper alignment while the vibrations stimulate numerous muscle and joint receptors, helping to correct your posture.

I have to say, I do notice a difference in my alignment and I think that there is a lot of promise to this concept. Of course, having my own vibration platform in my studio, I believe strongly in the benefits of this type of training, especially for those with past injuries, who may have difficulty exercising with more traditional methods.

I also recently received some quality deep tissue massage, which has also helped and I have been doing more joint mobility movements to further enhance my health.

The position used at the chiropractic clinic works on static posture in a standing position, while mobility training teaches you to move with proper alignment - posture in motion.

I think that they probably compliment each other, where the combined effects are greater than just one or the other. In any case, I think that you will be seeing more of this in the future.

I still believe in quality soft tissue therapy and proper strengthening exercises, for optimal function. One thing is for sure, in an era that has most of us being very sedentary in our daily lives, programs like this are needed now more than ever.

Get moving!

Brian

Whole Body Vibration for Osteoporosis and Fall Prevention

Let’s take a look at how vibration training can affect building bone mass and preventing falls. Whole body vibration(WBV) platforms such as the Power Plate have been reported to increase or maintain bone density.

These types of platforms were created in the mid to late 90’s in Europe, with the original intention of osteoporosis prevention. Soon after, people realized that they also were beneficial for rehab and general fitness training.

A study reported in the American Journal of Bone and Mineral Research(2004) involved 70 post-menopausal women over a 24 week period. One group used the Power Plate for their training and another used conventional resistance training.

The women doing vibrational exercise saw a 1.5% increase in bone density at the hip, while the other group saw no significant increase. If these exercises were done in a sitting or lying position, that shouldn’t be surprising.

A more recent study again compared vibration training versus a resistance training group. In this case, the strength training group used “functional training”, which can mean different things, but likely involved exercising in standing positions.

This would place greater stress on the bones than doing isolation exercises done while sitting or lying down. This would also have more carryover to doing activities of daily living, as most of our daily movements occur while standing.



Both groups saw an increase in bone density at the spine and maintained bone mass at the hip. The group using WBV had a significant decrease in the number of falls versus the control group. The hip and the spine are vulnerable to bone loss and potential fracture.

If bone loss occurs here, it is also likely that resistance training isn’t taking place, which can cause muscles to weaken, probably increasing the risk of falling and/or loss of mobility.

I have my clients do exercises in a standing position both on and off the vibration platform to build a combination of strength and balance, as well as working on coordination. Its basically a use it or lose it situation.

Squats and stepups are the types of exercises that put the necessary stress on the bones and muscles to get these results. These types of movements involve multiple muscles and joints, making them very efficient.

A further study saw 89 post-menopausal women between the ages of 58-74 increase not just their leg strength with WBV, but their speed of movement. Muscle power is usually decreased with aging, and thus is very important to train.

How fast your muscles contract (react) can be the difference between losing your balance and falling, or not.

Different wellness studios and clinics have incorporated vibration training with their over 50 clients and I think that this is wise. One in particular, are the Stand Strong Clinics, which are aimed at seniors.

A Pain Management Program for Fibromyalgia:

I just put together a new report on the components of a program to help manage fibromyalgia pain. It involves vibration training on a whole body vibration (WBV) platform, gentle movements such as joint mobility work, and using deep breathing and other exercises to help reduce stress.

I also include some natural methods of reducing inflammation in the body - which may be affected by eating certain types of food. In my opinion, the different components will have a synergistic effect, where the combination of some of these is more powerful than only doing one or the other.

I haven't put all this to a test yet, with actual clients, but I think you will find this information interesting none the less. Preliminary studies have shown decent results by using vibration training.

Click here for the fibromyalgia pain management report.