There is a trend today to identify muscular imbalances in static positions and seek to correct them. Once again these supposed “imbalances” are measured statically. What happens to these “imbalances” when the athlete is asked to move? We must remember that the body is fundamentally asymmetric. It is unrealistic to think of muscular balance right to left or front to back. The body is just not designed that way. We must think of proportionality rather than symmetric muscle balance. From a historical perspective it is valuable to see where the idea of posture as a static quality originated. Just as in muscle function, it was derived from studies of cadavers. As we are well aware, cadavers don’t move, but that did not seem to bother those people who were looking for a “normal standard” to measure against. We need to get away from the concept of the “ideal posture” and think in terms of individual needs and adaptations. “… the postural pattern is that of many small parts moving definite distances in space, in a scheme perfectly timed, and with the exact amount of effort necessary to support the individual weights and to cover the time-space movement. These delicate, accurate and intricate regulations are made in the substrata, below the ‘threshold of consciousness.’ Through such adjustment man preserves his unity and copes with his world.” (Todd, page 22) That was written over eighty years ago! Mabel Todd did not have the benefit of the sophisticated evaluation methods we have today, she had to rely on a feeling for movement in the context of the desired outcome of the activity.
Basically, posture allows the body to maintain normal length – tension relationships of the muscles relative to the activity being performed. The test of good dynamic posture should be easy transition to the next posture. Each posture in movement is a momentary alignment of body segments. Successful movement is determined by the ease of movement into the next posture. Unfortunately much of the visual imagery in athletic movements is derived by still photos of static positions. This reinforces the mistaken notion of posture as a still position. Therefore when we assess posture and subsequently train posture it should be in motion, not in stillness. Static postural measurements are a non-functional baseline. It can potentially red flag things to look for, but I have found over the years that static posture has very little relationship to movement unless there is some clearly evident pathology or deformity. Once the athlete begins to move, especially in their chosen skill pattern, everything seems to smooth out and even up. If it does not smooth out, if there are breaks in the movement, a lack of rhythm, then there is a problem. It is also important to point out that posture is highly dependent on strength, flexibility, balance, and fundamental movement skills. Any deficiencies will result in compensations. Great athletes are very good compensators, that is why you see them get away with some of the movements they do and avoid injury. Sometimes the athlete can overcome and succeed in spite of compensation, at times the compensations can come back to haunt you, especially as the athlete gets older or in a fatigued state. A good sound strength training program coupled with an individualized flexibility routine can go a long way toward correcting any postural deviations that could interfere with efficient movement.
The strength training programs that enhance a good functional posture incorporate multi-joint and multi – plane movements that put the body into positions that will enhance its ability withstand the force of gravity and meet the strength needs of the sport. A good distribution of pulling, pushing, and squatting movements will accomplish this task. The body must be put in positions that force it to work against gravity in postures similar to the sport. Therefore an overemphasis on work in a supine and prone position will not transfer to dynamic postural improvement. Obviously work on the anti gravity muscles are a key element of any sound strength training program. Although in many cases this work is quite transparent because it is accomplished in the context of total body large amplitude movements. It is very easy to see the results of improper strength training on the body and its effect on posture. A common error is overemphasis on the bench press which causes in a round shouldered posture. This round shouldered posture is caused by tight pectorals which coupled with upper back weakness leads to shoulder problems. In the lower extremity an overemphasis on quad work can have many negative connotations. The glutes and hamstrings are more important in many ways, but tend to be neglected because they can’t be seen in the mirror. Basically proportional muscular development is rewarded. That is achieved by focusing on movements, not individual muscles. For movement to be efficient, muscles must be recruited in patterns that allow for optimum firing frequency and patterns as demanded by the activity.
Because the core is so important in postural integrity and transition through the various postures it must be trained daily. It should be incorporated as part of warm-up to wake up the core muscles. It should have a distinct module within the actual workout itself and it also can addressed as part of cooldown. The majority of core work should be done standing and moving to enhance the transfer to postural improvement and activate the muscles of the core as they are used in movement,
Tight muscles can contribute to poor dynamic posture, therefore a sound program of functional flexibility that addresses the target muscles must be part of the athlete’s daily routine. Starting from the ground up stretch the gastroc/sloeus group, if this group of muscles is tight this will lead to the inability to properly reduce and produce into the ground. The psoas must be stretched daily, a shortening of the psoas will have a profound negative effect on the ability to go through the postures necessary to perform. The lats as the connecter of the hip, to the shoulder must be stretched and the pectorals must be stretched.
Training to enhance dynamic posture is all of this is part of a sound well rounded athletic development program. Dynamic posture is a major contributing factor to athletic performance so it must be considered daily in training. The actual work to improve posture is quite transparent, it is an integral part of the overall training program. Remember we are training to move, not to stand still.
References
Logan, Gene A. and McKinney, Wayne C. Kinesiology. Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers. 1970
Todd, Mabel E. The Thinking Body. Princeton Book Company Publishers. Highston, NJ. 1937