What is good posture?

My second grade teacher, Mrs. Krewson, was rather militant about sitting at one’s desk with “good posture.”

One was to sit on the front half of the chair, feet flat on the floor, spine upright, and fingers interlaced with palms and forearms down on the desk. (Oh, yeah… 45 years later and I STILL can’t get it out of my head)

I was also lovingly flipped on the back of the head by my father on more that one occasion as a reminder to “correct” my more primitive posture and stand up straight.

I’ve read through a few blogs, and I’ve gotten a healthy dose of references to “neutral spine” although a consistent and useful definition is difficult to pin down.

I appreciate what everyone has been trying to do.

Mrs. Krewson wanted discipline and good behavior.

Dad probably agreed with Mrs. Krewson having been a product of military high school, but he also didn’t want me judged as a loser, slacker teenager based on my posturing.

And a broad spectrum of fitness and rehab professionals want to do what is best for their clients and patients to keep them safe, pain-free, and successful.

The problem with all of these attempts at an optimal of sorts are that they are most likely (highly likely) futile.

Why you ask?

Well, for one, we’re probably not very good at determining a standard for what is good posture, best posture, neutral posture, or whatever you want to call the perceived and understood optimal.

296 physiotherapists from Ireland, England, Germany, and the Netherlands did not agree to an optimal although the majority narrowed it down to two very different sitting postures. (Manual Therapy 17 (2012) 432-437)

Interestingly, there was a single physiotherapist in the group specifically from Ireland (I have no idea why this person was identified specifically by nationality) who stated that all of the postures evaluated were acceptable. I really like the way this person thinks and would gladly buy them a beer.

Secondly, there probably isn’t even a singular optimal posture or spinal position that is possible.

According to Gracovetsky (The Spinal Engine. Springer-Verlag/Wein. 1988. Pg. 145), “…there is no unique optimal lordosis for all tasks. Rather, a subject adjusts his lordosis according to the angle of flexion and the task to be executed.”

Finally, we probably can’t really tell what the spine is doing anyway.

Even though you may coach a client performing back squats to maintain a lordosis or a “neutral spine,” they may not be able to as a by-product of the exercise.

“The current research has shown that as soon as the 50% BW load is placed across the shoulders, the lumbar curve flattens and becomes slightly kyphotic before the subject commences the descent. This change of lumbar curve is marginal, and we suggest it would be difficult to view with the naked eye [Bill:  my bold]. Coaches using the change in lumbar curve, or lumbar flexion angle, as a determining factor, or teaching cue for good squat technique may in fact be interfering with normal lumbar movement behavior. Further, the point at which the subject loses the lumbar curve cannot be used as a cue to determine when a person should cease the descent.We suggest that kyphosis of the lumbar spine in deep squatting is a natural part of the squat movement when using loads equal to 50% BW and coaches should not prevent experienced squatters from allowing this to happen to the small extent shown in this research.” (McKean, MR, Dunn, PK, and Burkett, BJ. The lumbar and sacrum movement pattern during the back squat exercise. J Strength Cond Res 24(10): 2731–2741, 2010)

Does this mean I don’t think spinal position matters? No, that is not what that means. It simply means that there are no absolutes and what is ideal may be entirely specific to a context and the individual or it remains  an unknown. It does appear that based on Gracovetsky and the quote above that the body will adapt and choose (self-organize) what is best based on the demands of the task at hand assuming sufficient adaptability of the body in question.

I thought about quitting here. Quite the cliffhanger, eh?

How about some strategy? What do we do with this information?

If you train yourself

Observe the 15^th Commandment. Thou shalt not be stupid.

There is not one way, there are many. While this is in reference to postures, position, techniques and exercises, this also accounts for your movement capabilities. Your goal is to be capable of many different postures. The greater your movement options, the less likely any one posture will be more influential than another.

If you don’t move comfortably or lack effective movement during an exercise, you are loading your body at your own risk.

If you’re goal is to look and feel better and gain health, you have a nearly infinite choice of activities that will provide the stimulus your body needs to change for the better. Select exercises that are within your movement capabilities and non painful during or after a workout (that is excluding the normal, generalized discomfort associated with effective exercise including delayed-onset muscle soreness which should never be debilitating).

Coax progress. Do not force it. Small consistent gains over time will add up.

Consider hiring a competent professional to determine your movement needs and guide your progress at least initially. While exercising effectively is not like doing your own dental work, professional guidance may be safer and accelerate your progress.

If you’re a health or fitness professional

Just because you’ve read this blog, don’t throw out everything you’ve been doing (has anyone ever really said… Wow, that blog changed my life?).

Understand the limitations of your current model and processes. Recognize that there are probably many more considerations than any of us can know. That means no one has all the answers, and there are still unknowns.

Become an intern, apprentice, protégé, mentee, or volunteer to work with an experienced coach. Reading and two-day courses only provide a limited scope and perhaps inspire you to look more deeply at a topic. Day-to-day work with real people under the guidance of an experienced practitioner is the best way to learn. Spend time with other professionals at and above your current level of understanding. It is the fastest route to expanding your model.

Whether you are just starting a career or are a seasoned veteran, we all have a representation of what is acceptable in regard to position, posture, and technique for any exercise. Your model of acceptable performance, including postures, positions, and technique, will evolve but always err on the side of safety and caution.

Program for the client. Don’t try to fit the client into a restrictive model to which they cannot adapt. Appreciate that every exercise becomes an assessment of your client’s capabilities.

Promote adaptability, not a singular rigidity.