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Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

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Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#41

Post by boothead »

I'll pitch in with one that hasn't been mentioned yet. The Egoscue method: http://www.egoscue.com/meetpete.php. In particular Pete Egoscue's book Pain Free.

I had a horribly seized neck a while ago where I couldn't look over my left shoulder. This had come on after visiting a physio for a very stiff upper back (a legacy of military service and lots of programming). I bought the book after reading about it in the 4 hour body and did 1 set of the exercises. My neck had more range of motion after 25 minutes than it had for months and several hundred pounds worth of physio appointments.

This and other information on self treating trigger points (http://saveyourself.ca/tutorials/trigger-points.php) has got my back in better shape than before I joined the marines!

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#42

Post by GuiA »

eru wrote: post #36
awicklander wrote: post #32

Same thing in fewer words: 'Do yoga.'

Western gymnastics without the religion also work well.

? I know many people who practice yoga weekly (CA), and none of them have any form of religion imbued in it - it's just gymnastics (and the postures have funny names)

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#43

Post by reedlaw »

I first came across most of this information from these two posts: http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/ewrr0/writeup_on_th... http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/exgiu/a_guide_to_fi...

I have been doing many of the exercises for some time now. Not only do they feel good, I can really notice the difference they make. Many thanks to Reddit-user troublesome.

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#44

Post by rquantz »

ohwp wrote: post #21
henrik_w wrote: post #11

When you ignore (or are unaware of) ergonomic issues for years, you can get into serious trouble (like I did). I had been programming for over 10 years without any problems (and without paying any attention to ergonomics), and 7 years ago I got Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) really bad. I tried many things to get rid of it, including lots of exercises like the ones in this post, but it was very hard to get rid of. Th…

Years ago I also got RSI. One thing that helped me a lot was to think about lactic acid. Your body doesn't have a lot of problems with repeating motion unless the milk acid can't be transported. And I think stress is the main reason why the transportation of milk acid is blocked because it make your muscles contract. I also think we are so used to stress that we don't even realize we are under pressure. That's why ex…

Any sources you can cite here?

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#45

Post by rquantz »

vidarh wrote: post #14
rimantas wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. Also: "what you do in the gym only cements what you have"—what kind of nonsense is this? If you go to a gym with a weak core and start to work out with free weights you will fix it. How do you cement something that is not even here?

It's not things like the lack of core strength in itself that is a problem. You are right that will improve. But if you for example go to the gym with a tight posterior chain, you will squat with a form that either hurts your lower back (been there, done that) or makes you emphasise the wrong muscles (been there, done that) and leave you with progressively bigger problems lifting correctly. Similarly, it is very easy…

But if you for example go to the gym with a tight posterior chain, you will squat with a form that either hurts your lower back... or makes you emphasise the wrong muscles... and leave you with progressively bigger problems lifting correctly.

Not to say that what you ended up doing was wrong, but to me this just indicates the need for a coach, or at least doing a lot more reading before you start lifting. If you have a structurally weak and tight posterior chain, you need to add romanian deadlifts to your program. Nobody (except Rippetoe) advocates blindly following a program like like starting strength. You can lift heavy while you correct imbalances, you just need to make sure the exercises you're doing are correcting the imbalances you have.

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#47

Post by bjhoops1 »

I had this kind of posture as a teenager. When I started squatting 300+ pounds, I compounded my problem and wound up in physical therapy off and on for three years. My PT had me do a lot of the exercises and stretches on this list.

In short, if you've never addressed your own posture issues, consider doing so! Back pain is worse than pain in the extremities because it is continuous and affects everything you do.

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#48

Post by bjhoops1 »

nessus42 wrote: post #19

I'm surprised that the OP didn't mention reverse flies. I developed terrible RSI and upper back problems when I hit about 30. One of the biggest problems was my posture: slumping shoulders. By the time I got to this point, I could not physically hold my shoulders in the correct position with my back muscles, as they had completely atrophied, and a huge amount of strain was being placed on my neck muscles. One part of…

Yes, I had back trouble (see my other comment) and spent a lot of time doing reverse flies to strengthen the muscles between my spine and scapula. It was pathetic at first how few I could do. One variation that was particularly hard was with my thumbs pointing to my back.

Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]

#49

Post by kennon »

awicklander wrote: post #32

Same thing in fewer words: 'Do yoga.'

Actually this brings up one concern I've had for a while. I've been doing yoga fairly regularly (2x a week) for about six years. I have no problem keeping up with advanced classes, holding plank/bridge/wheel, can almost do a full split, etc. Yet, I have pretty extreme APT. I don't really know where I'm going wrong; I've tried similar exercise and stretching regimens in the past, supplementing the yoga, but never seemed to get anywhere with them. As a result, I feel like perhaps more direct strength training (squat, deadlift, etc) might be worth a shot. Thoughts?

Also, is APT the same as lordosis or is there a medical distinction?

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