Better Posture — Training

Back and shoulder pain can mean a lot of things. However, one of the most common culprits is overuse or strain of the rotator cuff.

The rotator cuff is a ring of muscles surrounding each shoulder joint. They’re responsible for giving the shoulders their impressive multi-directional range-of-motion. However, they are also very delicate.

Many people who have overuse injuries of the rotator cuff are athletes who often make arm motions above their heads, like pitchers and quarterbacks. However, people with physically demanding jobs like stockers and construction workers can also have these problems. Further, acute issues like sprains and strains can also impact these muscles.

A recurring theme throughout this article - and our website - is that overuse and damage can be prevented through careful strengthening and toning of the muscle groups. The muscles of the rotator cuff are no different, and strengthening your shoulders can help reduce pain.

The bad news is that they can be difficult to target effectively. The good news is that the muscles of the chest and back do most of the heavy lifting. As a result, familiarizing yourself with exercises to develop the back and chest can help to make these injuries less likely.

Power Squats are another way to work on strengthening your lower back muscles. Proper Squat form is key to avoid back pain.

Here is proper Squatting posture technique we learned from Stronglifts:

– Stand with the bar on your upper-back, and your feet shoulder-width apart.

– Squat down by pushing your knees to the side while moving the hips back.

– Break parallel by Squatting down until your hips are lower than your knees.

– Squat back up while keeping your knees out and chest up.

– Stand with your hips and knees locked at the top.

The core of your body is your foundation and is what keeps you strong, flexible, and active. Planks help by strengthening the muscle groups of your core regions, thus boosting your overall body strength; especially you back muscles.

The major muscle groups of your core include the:

-Abdominus (Abs)

-External Obliques (Next to the abs and below the ribcage)

-Erector Spinae (Mid Back)

Doing Planks regularly helps build your body’s high level of functional fitness while also reducing muscle strain and back pain. Having more control of your core improves your balance and gives you better posture.

Add Planks to your workout to strengthen your core and back muscles.

Partial crunches is a great exercise to strengthen your lower back and abdominal muscles. All you need to do is to lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Use a padded mat for a little more comfort. Put your hands behind your neck or off to the sides of your head, and slowly lift your shoulders off the floor without using your hands or elbows. Breathe out as you raise from the floor and breathe in as you lie back down. When you raise your upper back off the mat, hold this position for about a second and then return all the way back down. This repetition will stretch and utilize your back muscles by supporting your upper weight. Make sure to avoid doing the exercise if or when you have acute back pain. Perform this exercise when you don’t have a backache or discomfort.

Practicing this exercise in proper posture will build your back muscles to be stronger, thus making it easier for you to perform activities involving your back during your work routine.

At home or at the gym, start practicing partial crunches. You’ll start feeling the difference.

Taking care of your back while you train. 

If you have a 9-5 job which involves any physically activity, there is no doubt you are going to experience exhaustion with a certain level of back pain and fatigue. Back pain can drive you nuts, since it makes it difficult to perform daily chores. Therefore, you need to take ample care of your back so that you can seamlessly enjoy doing your work. Being physically fit boosts your mental health and can save you from mental disorders like add treatment and anxiety.

In the next few posts we’ll cover the 5 best training exercises to strengthen your back muscles to avoid pain and be more productive at work:

Deadlifts:

There is no doubt that deadlifts are an amazing workout technique that helps increase your muscle endurance and strengthens your entire body. If you look at the posture, and ergonomic motion of deadlifts exercises, you’ll notice that it is highly beneficial for people needing to lift heavy items or patients at work; jobs requiring repetitive squatting and lifting such as firefighters, warehouse workers, and package handlers, etc. It is also an easy workout to perform but the key is maintaining a straight back to keep your spine aligned correctly.

To perform the  basic technique:

Start by picking up a barbell from the floor, lift the bar to your knees, hold, then lower the bar and return it to the floor maintaining proper posture all the way through.

Proper posture in this position means:

• planting your feet flat on the floor,
• keeping a straight back,
• pushing off to lift with your legs,
• putting your weight on your heels,
• maintaining this posture all the way through.

Safely try the deadlifts next time you are at the gym or working out from home.