by Dr. Clay Hyght
Wanna look sexy? Of course you do!
There's more to looking sexy than just being attractive. We all know people who are certainly attractive, but there's something missing. So what's this missing ingredient?
It's confidence!
Sure, having lean, symmetrical muscle is an important factor in looking extraordinarily good. But there's nothing that beats the visual and psychological appeal of a woman who carries herself with poise and confidence, looking the world right in the eyes.
Think Valerie would look this incredible if her shoulders were slumped forward?
While the roots of confidence are anchored in the mind, looking confident has its foundation in the musculo-skeletal system. When the body is statically and dynamically aligned, visual appeal is maximized.
Whether you're really confident or not, I'm going to show you how to appear confident by having Sexy Upper Body Posture. As they say, "fake it till you make it."
Warning: there are side effects to improving your posture. You will feel and perform better than you have in a long time. And you'll have to fight the men off.
Let's first take a look at how to identify optimal and faulty upper body posture. Then we'll discuss methods to correct and/or prevent faulty body mechanics.
Ready? Let's go!
Starting at the head and working our way down, let's look at the three major postural flaws in the upper body.
Note: to more accurately identify faulty alignment, it's best to take pictures of the subject. This is especially true if you are the subject.
Let's first look for something called "Forward Head Carrying." To identify this, look to see if the cheek bones are jutted forward in relation to the thorax.
Good Head Carrying Posture Forward Head Carrying Posture
Specifically, a vertical line drawn down from the zygomatic arch (marked in red) should be no more than 1 ½ inch forward of a vertical line drawn superiorly from the sterno-clavicular (SC) joint (where the clavicle connects to the sternum; marked in blue).
Forward Head Carrying Symptoms
If the head is carried forward, excess stress is placed on the posterior neck muscles and the suboccipital muscles under the base of the skull. These poor muscles are forced to work overtime to keep the head up so that Ms. Poor Posture is not always staring at the ground.
The almost constant state of contraction causes chronic hypertonicity (tightness) which often leads to neck pain, headaches, and cervical dysfunction.
Ever have tightness in the back of your neck that seems to run almost from your shoulders up to your head? As that tightness worsens, you end up with a headache that seems to start at the base of your skull, though it may ultimately cause pain "behind" your eye.
Do you also find that your cervical range-of-motion is sub par? You can't turn your head to the left or right as far as you should be able to. Nor can you bend your head forward as far as normal, at least not without pain.
What I just described is a classic description of a tension headache caused from poor posture of the head and neck.
On the other hand, when the chin is retracted and the head is balanced atop the cervical spine as it should be, far less stress is placed on the posterior neck musculature and the joints of the cervical spine.
If a forward head carrying posture is identified, it's vital to immediately begin undoing the damage and working towards restoring a proper head carrying position.
Forward Shoulder Posture
Not a term that you'll find in biomechanics texts, I use the phrase "shoulder posture" to refer to the position of the shoulders in relation to the thorax.
With good shoulder posture you'll see that the chest is up, the thoracic spine is extended as opposed to rounded forward, and the ball and socket joint of the shoulder (technically the gleno-humeral joint) is situated over the back half of the thorax.
When the shoulders are carried forward, you'll see that gleno-humeral joint is situated forward in relation to the body. This will allow you to see more of the posterior deltoid, and less of the anterior deltoid, when viewed from the side.
Normal Shoulder Posture Forward Shoulder Posture
Likewise, with forward shoulders the scapulae will be protracted, with the medial border farther away from the spine than is normal. The scapulae may even be winged, with the medial border sticking out away from the rib cage.
Forward shoulder posture leads to pain and dysfunction in the upper back. This is largely due to the excess length and tension of the scapular retractors (i.e. middle and lower trapezius and rhomboids.
The scapular retractors also suffer from a lack of tonicity and strength. This is due to the fact that the antagonistic muscles (i.e. the pecs and anterior delts) are hypertonic and shortened. This neurologically inhibits and weakens the aforementioned upper back muscles.
Additionally, the hypertonicity and shortening of the anterior muscles like the pec minor, can lead to numbness, tingling, and weakness in the upper limb due to vascular and/or neural compromise.
As if that weren't enough, forward shoulder posture causes faulty movement patterns in the shoulder complex. This dramatically increases the risk of things like tendonitis and bursitis due to shoulder impingement.
To summarize, if your shoulders are carried forward, sooner or later you'll have problems with your shoulders and/or upper back. If avoiding pain and dysfunction is not enough to motivate you, then consider the fact that having forward shoulders is not sexy!
When the shoulders are carried forward, it virtually always follows that the shoulders (actually the humerus) are internally rotated.
Ideally the palms should face the sides of the legs. But when the shoulders are internally rotated, the palms will face more toward the rear and the thumbs more toward the middle.
Normal Shoulder Rotation Internal Shoulder Rotation
Note: there's still a little bit of internal rotation in the "Normal Shoulder Rotation" picture, but it's WAY better than the degree of rotation in the other pic.
I'm not gonna blow sunshine up your skirt; it will take some time to restore your cervical spine and shoulders back to their optimal positions. However, working to improve this posture will ultimately save you time and money — time you would've spent at your chiropractor's office and money that would've went toward his vacation home.
Whether you have poor posture (yet) or not, you would be hard pressed to find a better, more productive way to spend ten minutes per day than working to improve your posture.
To correct faulty upper body posture, it's imperative to stretch and lengthen the hypertonic/shortened musculature.
In particular, we're talking about the cervical extensors (posterior neck muscles), lateral neck muscles like the upper traps and scalenes, the pectoral group and the anterior delts, and the internal rotators of the humerus (like the subscapularis).
The stretches and corrective positions that follow are the ones that I consider to be the best and most essential to do to improve upper body posture. Feel free to do others as well.
While sitting up straight and tall, retract your chin as if trying to lift the top of your head toward the ceiling. Use two fingers to help guide your chin posteriorly.
Perform 5 retractions, holding the retracted position for 10 seconds. For quick postural improvements, do Chin Retractions once per waking hour, especially if you sit at a desk. Otherwise, do them at least once per day.
Chin Retraction
Begin by retracting and lightly pressing against your chin with one hand; place the other hand on the back of your head. Lightly pull your head forward while keeping your chin retracted.
Perform this stretch twice, holding each one for 15-30 seconds. Perform this stretch at least once per day.
Posterior Neck Stretch Start
Posterior Neck Stretch Finish
With your chin retracted, lightly pull your head forward/sideways at a 45° angle. Keep the opposite arm and shoulder down to accentuate the stretch.
Stretch each side twice, holding each stretch 15-30 seconds. Do this stretch at least once per day.
45° Neck Stretch
While keeping your chin retracted, lightly pull your head to the side while keeping the opposite shoulder depressed.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds, performing it twice on each side. Do this stretch at least once per day.
Lateral Neck Stretch
Sit up tall with your chin retracted. Lightly retract your shoulder blades and externally rotate your arms, turning your thumbs toward the rear. Avoiding shrugging by keeping your upper traps relaxed.
Hold this position for 60 seconds. For quick postural improvements, do this corrective position once per waking hour, especially if you sit at a desk. Otherwise, do Bruegger's Relief at least once per day.
Bruegger's Relief Position
Begin by grabbing the stick a bit wider than shoulder width. The worse your range-of-motion, the wider you'll need to grab the stick.
Do not be alarmed or ashamed if you can't get the stick behind you at first. Many people can't even get to the midpoint, but the stretch is still effective. Over time your flexibility and posture will improve dramatically.
Perform 2 sets of 10 reps, holding the stretch on the last rep for 15-30 seconds. I feel so strongly about the effectiveness and importance of this stretch that I think everyone should do it at least daily.
However, if you just want to do the minimum to keep you from having a full-on Neanderthal-like posture, do this stretch after training chest and shoulders.
Stick Chest Stretch start position
Stick Chest Stretch midpoint
Stick Chest Stretch endpoint
There are quite a number of exercises that could've made the list of rehab exercises for poor upper body posture. Prone "Y" raises with dumbbells, YTL's, rope pulls, and external rotation movements are all great.
However, there's one exercise that I feel reigns supreme for strengthening and toning the upper back musculature. It's something I dreamed up one day, but since I spent my creativity currency on the exercise itself, I couldn't come up with a cool name. So I just call it what it is — Low Cable "Y" Raises.
It improves upon prone "Y" raises in that the tension is more consistent throughout the entire range-of-motion.
Begin by grasping the ends of a rope attached to the low pulley. Raise your arms up and apart to form a 45° angle with your arms. Make sure to really concentrate on retracting (and depressing) your scapulae in the top, contracted position.
Note: You may have to stand on a box (as shown) to have tension on the cable in the bottom position.
Another Note: If you don't have a long enough rope, simply slide a medium-sized towel through the D-ring on the pulley. It's ghetto-fabulous, but it works great.
Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions. If you're serious about improving your posture quickly, do this exercise on three nonconsecutive days per week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.) Otherwise, do it at least once per week.
Low Cable "Y" Raise start position
Low Cable "Y" Raise finish position
Confidence shows a mile away. It'll make you attractive to men, potential friends, and even employers. And if that doesn't have you performing one of the above stretches as you're reading this, then the desire to be pain-free for the rest of your life should!
Posture is where it all begins. Implement this simple program into your current routine and see how much better you feel — inside, and out.
Clay Hyght, DC, CSCS, CISSN has been a competitive bodybuilder for 16 years and an NPC Judge for many of those. Residing in Danville, CA, Dr. Clay works with some of the top competitors in bodybuilding and figure. For more fitness tips or to subscribe to his free newsletter, visit his website.
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