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Tips for combatting climber's posture?

Jon Zucco · · Denver, CO · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 245
rgold wrote:One of the components of bad posture for climbers and gymnasts and body-builders is that overdeveloped pectoralis muscles pull the shoulders forward. In spite of that, you get a bunch of recommendations that will only increase this imbalance by developing the pecs even more!
This is a great point. And another reason why stretching is key. I've found that focusing on the pectoralis group has actually broadened my chest and straightened my back on the horizontal axis. As for the vertical axis, I'll agree that lower and mid back exercises are essential, as are core intensive exercises.

I guess, my point is, it takes a well-balanced program to produce a well-balance muscle/skeletal system. This includes resistance training, stretching AND a general mindfulness of posture at all times (including sleep).

I am by no means a card-holding physical trainer or anything, so maybe my advice is moot, but from my experience, developing the chest is not an impediment to posture...
Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175
rgold wrote:One of the components of bad posture for climbers and gymnasts and body-builders is that overdeveloped pectoralis muscles pull the shoulders forward. In spite of that, you get a bunch of recommendations that will only increase this imbalance by developing the pecs even more! Oh well, its the internet, you get what you pay for. In any case, correcting the shoulder hunch by itself won't fix bad posture, as you can tell by slouching and then drawing your shoulders back---you're still slouching. Some posture problems are related to weak abdominals, but this is unlikely in climbers and entirely absent in gymnasts and lifters. If exercise is going to fix your posture (it won't), then the thing to concentrate on are the muscles that straighten up your spine, the erector spinae. The cobra pose in yoga is such an exercise, but probably the best thing for this are back hyperextensions done on a roman chair. Health clubs have all kinds of fancy machines that typically involve sitting in a chair and pushing back against resistance. A very simple exercise is to simply go from a slouching to erect posture repeatedly while holding dumbells in each hand. If your back is weak or if, for any reason, you feel the need for a gradual start, this exercise can be done in a chair at first. You have to concentrate on keeping the pelvis tilted forward while doing this; arching the back while contracting those muscles often leads to more problems than the ones you are trying to solve. Of course the usual caveats about being careful, working in full control, and not overdoing it apply to back exercises in spades. Personally, I never go anywhere near the lifters prized but often misguided momentary muscular failure when doing any kind of back exercise. Light fatiguing of the muscles in question is the most I want to do. In any casse, exercises by themselves won't correct bad posture, which is also a physiological habit. Changing any habit is devilishly hard, and this goes for posture as well. The first thing to understand, I think, is that the position of the head controls posture. If the head is forward, everything slouches over. Move the head back and everything straightens up. This does not mean you squash your chin into your neck like a soldier at attention; you have to look in a mirror in profile and see where your head should be in order for your posture to be erect but unstrained, and then have to self-consciously work on trying to keep your head in proper alignment, recognizing that you have spent years training yourself to position your head "incorrectly."
Climbing friend,

I too make great effort to remain "erect but unstrained!!!!" Perhaps you should be doing the wall slides, myah? I do them constantly as well as external rotationionings, but still can hardly keep the hunching and slouching at bay. I would very much like standup desk, but then I would have to move my old one out somehow of beautiful condo.
Jody Jacobs · · NE, GA · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 210

Hey John...the rumor running around UGA is that you're tearing it up at the Red.

With the dumbells, I'd go for the rotating shoulder press; also known as the Arnold press, yep because it's a bodybuilders move.

bodybuilding.com/exercises/…

Also, I like dumbbell bench presses better than pushups. You can rotate your hand position to take the stress of the front off your shoulders and can use controlled, progressive weight. The flys are good too. An exercise ball can be substituted for a bench.

I wouldn't overdo it, 2 or 3 times a week.

Stretching and yoga also good additions, as previously mentioned.

chrysanthemum desir · · New Haven, CT · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 3,727

Just to reiterate what others have said: climbers back is caused by overdeveloped internal rotators like the chest and lats (and upper traps which aren't internal rotators but they do bring your shoulder blades towards the front of your body) and underdeveloped external rotators/shoulder stabilizers like the rhomboids, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, lower traps, etc.

Doing push ups or any other chest centric things will make the problem worse. Anything that works your, rhomboids and lower traps will help (bent lateral raises, certain types of pull ups...). Also working the external rotators of your rotator cuffs will help. Also stretching your chest and lats. Aside from that you have to develop the habit of "packing" your shoulders which is to bring your shoulder blades down and back.

The "push vs pull" distinction that many climbers and trainers use is misleading. All muscles pull, and your ability to "push" (as in a push up) of "pull" (as in climbing a steep wall) often involve the same muscles. The chest is one of the main muscles used in steep climbing so it is not underdeveloped in most climbers. If you want to do push ups for "balance" then you should do them with your arms very close to your body to focus on your triceps which are seldom used in climbing (relative to the bicep).

rorschah · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 0

Some of the best info I've seen is at T-Nation, which looks on the surface like some dumb bodybuilding site but is actually full of really details writing from sports therapists, professional coaches and professional physio folk. Check out the "Neanderthal No More" series by Eric Cressy, which is about diagnosing exactly the source of your hunch problems and prescribing specific regimens to fix. It seems like an overwhelming amount of data at first, but it helped me a lot with my horrific level of hunch.

t-nation.com/training/neand…

reddit.com/r/Fitness/commen…

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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