Hunch Back and Posture Problem? Your Weight Training Program May Be To Blame

If you have developed a hunch back and poor posture, your weight training routine may be to blame. But before I explain how, let me tell you a short story.

At 16 I began weight training for one reason...

To impress the girls.

And because of that, I focused mainly on the muscles you could see, namely my chest and arms. Like many young men just starting out on the quest for muscle and might, I read every issue of Muscle and fiction Fitness from front to back. I marveled at the stunning muscularity of the professional bodybuilders featured in every issue.

With raging hormones and testosterone to spare, I hit the weights, doing countless reps of bench press and bicep curls. It didn't take long before I reaped the benefits of all my hard work. My arms grew and my chest filled out nicely.

And although I looked better in a sleeveless shirt, I would pay a price much greater than the adoration of a few teen-age cuties.

My focus on the all-important "show me" muscles resulted in significant muscle imbalances that, over time, caused my head to protrude forward, my back to round over and left my arms unable to straighten when hanging at my sides - something I wouldn't really notice until shopping for my wedding tuxedo years later.

In other words, my quest for booty left me with a caveman's hunch back and posture problems that resulted in...

• Frequent headaches.
• Near constant neck and back muscle tension.
• Sore knees.
• Inflexible shoulders - as I found when I started taking diving lessons with my daughter.
• Problems breathing through my nose.

What Causes Muscle Imbalances and Posture Problems?

No part of your body moves independently. Even the smallest movement requires the coordination of various muscles. Your back muscles help keep you from flopping forward. Your stomach muscles help keep you from flopping backwards. Together, they help you stand up straight.

The thigh muscles straighten your legs, while the hamstring muscles bend the legs. Together, they allow you to walk, run, stand up, sit down, jump and squat.

Muscle imbalances occur when one set of muscles becomes shorter, stronger, tighter - or all of the above - than the opposing or complimentary muscles.

When you train one set of muscles, say the chest, without strengthening the opposing back muscles, the chest muscles become shorter and tighter, pulling on the back muscles. The result? Rounded shoulders and poor posture.

The same goes for the lower body.

Most people focus on the front of the leg - the part you see in the mirror - doing squats and leg extension. Without paying equal attention to the hamstrings by doing exercises like the Romanian deadlift, your hip flexor muscles will pull forward on the pelvis, resulting in low back pain and knee problems.

So my neanderthal friend, before you do another isolation curl, perhaps it's time to take a good look at your workout routine and rid yourself of that hunch back posture problem?

One of the very best, in-depth articles I've found on how to correct poor posture with weight training is called...

Neanderthal No More: The Complete Guide To Fixing Your Caveman Posture by Eric Cressey and Mike Roberson.

It's a five part series that will show you how to evaluate your weak points and then gives a complete workout routine to correct it. Here are the links to each part:

• http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_i
• http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_ii
• http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_iii
• http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_iv
• http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/neanderthal_no_more_part_v

I've also found an inexpensive program called Posture Confidence by Dr. Natalie Cordova, a Chiropractor and posture expert. It includes an ebook that addresses other causes of poor posture as well as detailed stretches and exercises you can do to alleviate the condition.

Dr. Cordova was kind enough to allow me to review the ebook and the bonus material. While I'm disappointed that it didn't involve more strength training exercises, I feel it's worth the asking price. Check out Posture Confidence here.