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 seem…
Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
51–60 of 125 posts
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#52When 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…
May I ask what your age is? Also, when you got the RSI did you have symptoms before that you ignored or was it a binary affair (ie. it just hit you hard one day and you had RSI). I ask since I am 38 now and have been using computers (gaming and coding mostly) multiple hours per day since I was 12 or so. However, I have always listened to my body and naturally get breaks by getting a glass of water every 30 to 60 minu…
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#53When 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…
Lactic acid it not produced in any significant quantity during 'normal operation' of your body.
Your cells break down glucose into a molecule called pyruvate in a process called 'glycolysis'. This yields some 'energy' (in the form of ATP). This process requires some energy, so the net gain is only two ATP. It also requires a couple NAD- ions, which pick up some spare hydrogen protons that get kicked out. Those NAD- get turned into NADH, are are used later in the process (and turned back into NAD-, so they can facilitate more 'glycolysis').
If the cell has enough oxygen, it can then oxidize the pyruvate in the Citric Acid Cyle (aka the TCA cycle, aka the Kreb's cycle), gaining many times more ATP (34, in total).
If, however, the cell doesn't have enough oxygen, it can't run the TCA cycle. This isn't a big deal in the short term. Your cells can keep running through that glycolosis process to produce energy as long as they have enough glucose to break down, and enough NAD- to grab protons. The glucose isn't generally a problem. Your body keeps a fair amount of it in the blood, and the liver can release more pretty easily.
The problem is the limited number of NAD- ions in your cells. Once those are used up, glycolosis stops. Fortunately, your cells can 'free them up' by using them to turn pyruvate into lactate. This produces the 'milk acid' you talk about, but it frees up the NAD- for more glycolosis. The cell hangs on to the lactate for a while in the hopes of getting more oxygen it can use to turn it back into pyruvate and run it through the TCA cycle, and if that doesn't happen, it eventually diffuses out into the blood where it ends up in the liver, which uses it to build up its glycogen stores for the next time there's a sudden demand for a lot of glucose.
So, in short, unless you're exercising hard, your body will have no trouble meeting its oxygen demand, and no lactic acid will be produced. This has been an overly simplified (but mostly accurate) description of this process. I'd encourage you to do your own research to learn more (the search terms 'cellular respiration' 'glycolosis' and 'citric acid cycle' should all be useful)
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#54Interesting, some of the exercises are new to me. However I have yet to come across a resource that presents both exercises and references to scientific papers/resources proving that such and such technique is beneficial in medium to long-term. Mere "common sense" can be really backfiring when it comes to your spine. Does anyone know of such resource?
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#55Some of the claims are just plain wrong. "Heavy lifting" doesn't make your posture worse. If you squat with good technique, working up to heavy loads, you'll have rock hard lower back stabilizers - cause otherwise, you won't be able to squat heavy.
I agree with you that if you squat with good technique and if you work up to heavy loads, you will do fine. But if you have bad posture, and your flexibility is limited as a result, you will be unable to squat with good technique, and you will either not even try to lift all that heavy (certainly not doing full squats with all that much weight) or hurt yourself. A tight posterior chain, for example, prevents a lot of…
Now I round my squats at 1.5x bodyweight, but not before... working on it.
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know these are looked down on, but this is a +1 comment. Break program saved my ass, having been told by a doctor that I'd have to give up programming as a career. I had tried all sorts of other stuff (DataHands keyboard, a vertical keyboard, wrist rest, bla bla bla), but the enforced breaks were the game changer.
Sometimes a break program will make things worse. When you are under (time) pressure and the break program is blocking your PC you will get stress. And stress is one of the main reasons for getting RSI.
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#57Interesting, some of the exercises are new to me. However I have yet to come across a resource that presents both exercises and references to scientific papers/resources proving that such and such technique is beneficial in medium to long-term. Mere "common sense" can be really backfiring when it comes to your spine. Does anyone know of such resource?
The science, roughly speaking, doesn't exist. In fitness, the coverage of science is generally very poor, and the wisdom and experience of trainers is valued over the few, usually poorly-designed small-n papers that exist.
Perhaps this is what you meant and just didn't word it well.
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#58Also this PDF just ripped images off the Internet. I recognized some of them from youtube videos and books I have. The fact this was hastily put together is another reason to question its accuracy or the (uncredited) author's authority on the subject.
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#59and a great video http://www.magnificentmobility.com/
Re: Fixing the computer guy posture [pdf]
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
The science, roughly speaking, doesn't exist. In fitness, the coverage of science is generally very poor, and the wisdom and experience of trainers is valued over the few, usually poorly-designed small-n papers that exist.
That's not true. Yes, there are plenty of areas that have limited research or small studies but overall there is more than enough to form scientifically based methods of fitness. The best trainers know this and base their methods on research and adjust as new research is published. Perhaps this is what you meant and just didn't word it well.
Are there some interesting studies? Yes, a few, and some trainers are aware of those. (I challenge you/anyone to provide a list of 5 great fitness papers! For funsies, I'm not saying it can't be done.)
However, in general, we're all flying seat of our pants.
I'd love to see some examples of the bedrock research that you believe trainers rely upon.