Any of the four common postures that I describe below will make it difficult to use correct form while training and may lead to pain in normal daily activities. Have you ever experienced lower back or neck pain? In today’s society, the majority of people do. These imbalances can be corrected through proper strengthening and lengthening of your muscles. Correct posture also makes you look instantly thinner, and more confident!

The first step towards correcting your posture is to understand and be aware of your body and to become more aware of the activities that helped to create these imbalances, like sitting at a desk hunched over. The second, and most important, step is to improve the alignment of your body though stretching and strengthening.

Remember that a strong spine is a curved spine. The problems arise when those natural curvatures are either exaggerated, or flatten out.

There are 4 common postural type(s):

• Cervical Lordosis, or Forward Head Posture
• Thoracic Kyphosis, or Hunchback Posture
• Lumbar Lordosis, or Donald Duck Posture
• Sway Back, or Flat Back

Cervical Lordosis or Forward Head Posture

Cervical means neck, and lordosis means curve. The Cervical lordosis postural imbalance is when the chin is pushed forward, causing the cervical spine to be out of alignment. It may also be referred to as “forward head posture” and can result in neck pain. When you walk through a doorway, what part of you enters it first? If it is your head and not your chest, then you are dealing with forward head posture.

Hyper Thoracic Kyphosis or Hunchback Posture

In this posture, the curve of the thoracic (middle) spine is inflated. The muscles of the upper to mid back become weakened and lengthened, while the muscles of the chest tighten and shorten. This creates a rounded shoulder posture and hands rotate inward, which can inhibit proper breathing, and makes you look shorter, heavier and more tired than you really are.

Lumbar Lordosis or Duck Posture

This is when there is an inflated curve in the lumbar (lower) spine. In this posture, the pelvis is tilted anteriorly. It looks like your butt is sticking out like Donald Duck.  It is a common precursor to lower back pain.

Sway Back or Flat Back

In this posture, the pelvis is tilted posteriorly, making it look like your butt is flat. In the flat back posture, there is no curve to the lumbar (lower) spine. It can give you lower back pain, and make you look shorter and thick around the stomach. Your ribcage may press forward and your upper back may “sway” creating imbalance and poor coordination.

To determine what posture you are have a friend to read this article, then get that person watch you walk unexpectedly. This will determine your’ posture when relaxed. You will get a better idea of your real postural alignment. Once you have started initial feed back from your fiends observation, then it is time to take pictures. Ideally, it is best to take a photo standing from all sides. This includes a shot from the left, right, front and back. This will allow visible feedback on your posture. This also makes it much easier for you to re-assess your postural needs in the future. To begin the assessment, stand in a relaxed way with feet hip distance apart. View the posture first from one side and then the other. Draw an imaginary line down the center of your side. When the body is aligned properly, the line will pass through the following points:

• The center of the earlobe
• The tip of the shoulder
• Mid way through the chest
• Slightly behind or at the hip joint
• The back half of the knee joint
• The ankle bone