Building A Strong Foundation For Great Posture

Having good posture has a certain presence to it. You don't have to be a pompous jerk or look down at someone in order to have good posture but it is important to have muscles that give you that solid look that grabs people's attention. Great posture is built on having a strong core and a mighty back with the shoulders pulled back and having the chest up.

How you breathe determines your posture as well, some people breathe through their chest, others through their diaphragm, i'm thinking why not do both and master them so when the occasion calls for it you know how to apply them. Some people actually believe diaphragmatic breathing makes a person lazy and weak while the chest breathing makes them super strong, for me that's a crock because from the diaphragm, it is a natural instinct that we as humans have had since we were born. How can you ever say something natural is an automatic outlook of weakness? There are many ways to breathe incorrectly but there are others that breathe with efficiency and power. Look to Paul Bragg's book on Super Power Breathing For Health on this subject.  

An ideal outlook on developing poor or bad posture is how you apply certain exercises and if there's too much or too little of what developes that posture. One thing you don't want to do is do too many exercises that require a ton of pushing that brings out that hunched over look. There are many people that love the bench press and do so much of it that it destroys their ability to have solid posture because the shoulders are too far forward, chest is caved in and looking like a hunchback. Now push-ups, bear crawls, crab walks and Isometric pushing really helps the opposite but it is valuably important to do a great amount of pulling which strengthens the back, powers up the core muscles and pulls back the shoulders. Lately due to more observations on my lower back issue, I instinctively learned to do more specific ab and back training. I do more of my pushing training through animal exercise but at the same time I realized I needed to open up the core and back more using specific equipment to target those areas without isolation. I use the TNT Lifeline Cables for back training doing curls, rows, pulldowns and stretching pulls while using the Power Wheel for strengthening the core muscles. Just after only a few times my posture and lower back have gotten way better.

Muscle Control is another powerful method for developing posture as you apply the flexion and relaxation of the muscles being performed whether individually or as a group. Some of the strongest athletes of the early 20th century had tremendous posture and it helped them live a long life. One of the best was George Hackenshmidt the wrestler and weightlifter from Estonia that lived until the age of 90. He emphasized the application of exercise using the best methods possible that went beyond just strength. Posture is what separates you from the pack.

Make it the best you can and strengthen your body with purpose and health, not just for vanity.