Posture and Lifting Weights:

Is posture important when doing resistance training? You better believe it! If you have read any of my articles on shoulder injuries, you know that I learned about proper posture the hard way - by partially tearing my rotator cuff and excess (unnecessary) wear and tear on my shoulders.

I recently talked briefly with a 65 year old gentleman who had done a weight training exercise and felt something happen to his shoulder. I asked him if he was doing lat pulldowns behind his head and he replied yes.

I told him it was the exercise that did it and that the particular exercise may be okay for an athlete in their 20's, but not most people over 35. Personally, I don't think that anyone needs to do that exercise as the risks aren't worth the potential benefits.

Actually, the extreme shoulder position that the exercise demands is called the "at-risk position" for the shoulder, as it puts the shoulder at extra risk of injury.

As I said earlier, I learned this the hard way, causing damage to my own shoulder. This exercise wasn't the only reason, I had posture problems that contributed to my injuries. My point is, whatever you think of that exercise, someone over 35, who may have some postural issues going on has no business whatsoever doing that exercise.

It is much better to sit straight upright, reinforcing good posture, and pull the bar straight down in front of your head and not behind. You can do pulling and rowing exercises at various angles to strengthen the muscles of the mid and upper back, instead.

Same thing with sit-ups and crunches....... for most people over 35, this exercise will likely contribute to or reinforce poor posture. Since most people spend the majority of their day sitting or standing in positions of flexion, they don't need to do exercises that cause them to flex their bodies forward.

The muscles of the low back and abs need to be trained in a neutral position to properly support(stabilize) the spine. So instead of core strength, most people need to be doing more core stability - training the midsection to keep the lower back stable while the arms and legs are moving.

I get about two questions a day on this blog about situps causing someone's low back pain. In fact, a world-reknowned spine expert, Dr. Stuart McGill, believes that repeated flexion (sit-ups and crunches) put the discs of the spine at risk of injury.

His research shows that many of these positions put unnecessary pressure on the spine. So some people may do these exercises without any problems, but others may see injuries and others may see some problems further on down the road, in their later years.

So some exercises may be okay for some people, but put unnecessary risk on those with past injuries or posture problems. Make sure to work with a fitness expert who knows the difference.

By the way, for a cyclist who puts in hours on their bike in a forward flexed position, the last thing they should be doing is sit-ups.

Click here for more info on the "at-risk" shoulder position.

Click here for examples of core stability exercises in the neutral position.

Massage Therapy for Shoulder Pain:

Went to a massage therapy seminar on how to work with shoulder problems. It was a good seminar that served as review for techniques that I had learned before. You always pick up something new or are reminded of something you used to do and forgot about. As far as the shoulders, it was a strong reminder that where pain is felt isn't necessarily where the problem is.

For example, many people will have soreness or pain in between the shoulderblades. However, many times the cause is related to too much tightness in the muscles that attach to the front of the shoulder, and too much stretch to the muscles in back. The muscles being stretched are actually weak and need to be strengthened.

This gets back to the balanced body approach where you need to focus on good posture and make sure that the muscles on the front and back are working correctly. Because most of us work with our hands out in front of our body, whether typing, driving, or whatever, these muscles in front are prone to becoming tight and throwing this balance off.

So you need to be sure that you are doing something to keep these muscles flexible, while ensuring that you keep the muscles on the opposite side of the body strong.

This should also serve as a reminder that just because you feel pain somewhere, this might be the effects and not the cause. I have worked on many who complained of one-sided back or hip pain/tightness, when I checked the other side to compare, was just as tight or worse.

They may have been compensating for the side that wasn't moving properly and caused pain on the other side. Problems can also occur at another joint on down the line.

Such as an elbow problem that stems from a shoulder restriction, where there is a loss of movement in the shoulder, the elbow can become stressed over time, as it seeks to pick up the slack (lost shoulder motion).