I love it when I have a new or potential client and I've taken their posture photos we are evaluating their posture together. I might point out that they have shifted their right hip out to the side which shows they aren't loading both hips and have a hip disparity. They then say, "That's just the way I was standing" like they don't really have an imbalance they just "happened" to be standing in such an imbalanced way. At that point I usually point out that right that instant they are standing the exact same way.
The way you stand on a regular basis is both a reflection of your muscle imbalances and a preview of how you will perform movement. Take this woman for example from an online exercise tutorial. She is doing her power pose before showing viewers how to perform a lunge.
The way you stand on a regular basis is both a reflection of your muscle imbalances and a preview of how you will perform movement. Take this woman for example from an online exercise tutorial. She is doing her power pose before showing viewers how to perform a lunge.
Many people including her might say "that's just how she was standing" with her right hip shifted laterally and rotated forward and not really a reflection of any posture and muscle imbalances in her body. I don't agree. I think how someone stands is always a reflection of their posture and muscle balance or imbalance. Let's take a look at this woman doing lunges.
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Notice how different she looks when lunging with her left leg forward compared to lunging with her right leg forward. With her left leg forward her hips stay relatively square and her upper body is balanced vertically and her arms are pretty straight. When she lunges with her right leg forward, everything changes. Her right hip shifts out to the right, her right hip rotates forward, her upper body leans to the left, and her right arms swings wildly to the side to try to help her maintain her balance. These are the same imbalances we see in her standing posture. Coincidence? No.
How you stand is how you move. It's a preview of coming attractions.
The only way to improve your movement patterns is to improve your standing posture. All humans share a blueprint of normal anatomical standing posture. Standing posture will show your imbalances and is those imbalances are what create movement dysfunction.
Related articles/videos:
Bad standing posture equals bad running form
Form follows function in the human body and movement
Egoscue posture alignment exercises for pain free driving
CrossFit: How to survive injury free and achieve success
How you stand is how you move. It's a preview of coming attractions.
The only way to improve your movement patterns is to improve your standing posture. All humans share a blueprint of normal anatomical standing posture. Standing posture will show your imbalances and is those imbalances are what create movement dysfunction.
Related articles/videos:
Bad standing posture equals bad running form
Form follows function in the human body and movement
Egoscue posture alignment exercises for pain free driving
CrossFit: How to survive injury free and achieve success
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