Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Discussion
Anyone on here managed to reverse this and got back to neutral posture?
I'm thinking a stand up desk should help along with regular foam rolling and stretching of hip flexors and quads, while trying to strengthen glutes, hamstrings and lower abs.
I got called fat at the weekend due to my protruding stomach. Bit hard to be fat when you're under 8% body fat
I'm thinking a stand up desk should help along with regular foam rolling and stretching of hip flexors and quads, while trying to strengthen glutes, hamstrings and lower abs.
I got called fat at the weekend due to my protruding stomach. Bit hard to be fat when you're under 8% body fat
A sedentary lifestyle. Sit down at a desk all day, work out for an hour (with bad posture no doubt) and then sit down in front of the TV. Hip flexors and quads become strong and incredibly tight, glutes become weak and inactive and hamstrings are in a lengthened state but still vulnerable to strains and pulls.
stew-S160 said:
Lots of folk have over come this condition, but it can take time. Just keep doing those exercises and stretches you've already said about. Try also spending less time sat down.
The main thing I'm struggling with is how to work this in/around current weight training. Everything I've read says you want to drop quad dominant exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Deadlifts and weighted lunges seem a bit of a grey area as they can be great for glute development if you are recruiting the glutes properly. Would something along these lines be a decent starting point bearing in mind I'm still a bit of a beginner so do full body workouts rather than split:
Workout A
Weighted Lunges
RDL
Dumbbell chest press
BOR
OHP
Pull ups
Calf Raises
Workout B
Barbell Step Ups (unsure if too quad dominant)
Some other ham/glute exercise
Then same final 5 as above
On non workout days I'll be doing a fair bit of core work (planks, hanging leg raises, reverse crunch, bird-dog etc) and some bodyweight glute activation such as hip thrusts and glute bridge
Juanco20 said:
The main thing I'm struggling with is how to work this in/around current weight training. Everything I've read says you want to drop quad dominant exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Deadlifts and weighted lunges seem a bit of a grey area as they can be great for glute development if you are recruiting the glutes properly.
Would something along these lines be a decent starting point bearing in mind I'm still a bit of a beginner so do full body workouts rather than split:
Workout A
Weighted Lunges
RDL
Dumbbell chest press
BOR
OHP
Pull ups
Calf Raises
Workout B
Barbell Step Ups (unsure if too quad dominant)
Some other ham/glute exercise
Then same final 5 as above
On non workout days I'll be doing a fair bit of core work (planks, hanging leg raises, reverse crunch, bird-dog etc) and some bodyweight glute activation such as hip thrusts and glute bridge
Muscles that have become "tight" aren't neccessarily always "strong". It just means the muscle has become shortened and has difficulty reaching it's proper maximum length and/or shortens too readily (ushc as when asleep in bed). A tight muscle should still be exercised - it needs stretching and strength exercises - it kinda needs to learn to be a muscle again.Would something along these lines be a decent starting point bearing in mind I'm still a bit of a beginner so do full body workouts rather than split:
Workout A
Weighted Lunges
RDL
Dumbbell chest press
BOR
OHP
Pull ups
Calf Raises
Workout B
Barbell Step Ups (unsure if too quad dominant)
Some other ham/glute exercise
Then same final 5 as above
On non workout days I'll be doing a fair bit of core work (planks, hanging leg raises, reverse crunch, bird-dog etc) and some bodyweight glute activation such as hip thrusts and glute bridge
As for fixes, you should drop weight training and concentrate of fixing your posture first. Building other muscles when your skeletal system isn't straight will just build them up in the wrong way and you may even find the wrong muscles are used to do the job weaker/imbalanced ones should. So work on your posture 3 times a week, probably for 2 - 3 months, depending on how bad it is.
Good exercises for your Glutes and Hams will be straight leg deadlifts and good mornings. Do loads, to them heavy/low rep and do them light/high rep. Also don't rule out walking, particularly straight-leg walking and inclined straight-leg walking. I walk about 75km a week on average and my Glutes are as pert, hard and sexy (so I'm told
). I don't do much else except occasional Romainian deads on a rare bulking month. Most if it is all through walking... and I still do a lot of sitting during the day.And in terms of sitting, you need to learn to slouch. Bit hard to explain without a demo. Try this link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=36520306690...
^ Not sure if that works without a Facebook login.
(NB: Glute arrows are wrong and should be pointing inwards, not outwards. Haven't had the time to get round to correcting that yet...)
Don't do things like leg raises though, this could make your problem worse. You need to strengthen your Abs to help pull your gut in (although the underlying fasica may be stretched beyond repair). Stuff like planks are good, declined Abs crunches to 30degrees, Frog crunches, Dragon Flags (negatives only). The latter three work to turn-off your hip flexors (a bit), but it's generally tricky to work your Abs without hitting your hip flexors somewhere.
There are two superb hip flexor stretches that will work wonders. I can't find them on the net atm, it's a bit of a secret apparently... erm... but anyway, you need to stretch all your shortened muscles at least twice a day - when you get up in the morning and before bed.
Worth considered getting a plumbline posture assessment done too, so you can see how far out your pelvis is.
Whereabouts do you live?
Edited by mattikake on Wednesday 27th March 17:11
mattikake said:
Muscles that have become "tight" aren't neccessarily always "strong". It just means the muscle has become shortened and has difficulty reaching it's proper maximum length and/or shortens too readily (ushc as when asleep in bed). A tight muscle should still be exercised - it needs stretching and strength exercises - it kinda needs to learn to be a muscle again.
As for fixes, you should drop weight training and concentrate of fixing your posture first. Building other muscles when your skeletal system isn't straight will just build them up in the wrong way and you may even find the wrong muscles are used to do the job weaker/imbalanced ones should. So work on your posture 3 times a week, probably for 2 - 3 months, depending on how bad it is.
Good exercises for your Glutes and Hams will be straight leg deadlifts and good mornings. Do loads, to them heavy/low rep and do them light/high rep. Also don't rule out walking, particularly straight-leg walking and inclined straight-leg walking. I walk about 75km a week on average and my Glutes are as pert, hard and sexy (so I'm told ). I don't do much else except occasional Romainian deads on a rare bulking month. Most if it is all through walking... and I still do a lot of sitting during the day.
And in terms of sitting, you need to learn to slouch. Bit hard to explain without a demo. Try this link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=36520306690...
^ Not sure if that works without a Facebook login.
(NB: Glute arrows are wrong and should be pointing inwards, not outwards. Haven't had the time to get round to correcting that yet...)
Don't do things like leg raises though, this could make your problem worse. You need to strengthen your Abs to help pull your gut in (although the underlying fasica may be stretched beyond repair). Stuff like planks are good, declined Abs crunches to 30degrees, Frog crunches, Dragon Flags (negatives only). The latter three work to turn-off your hip flexors (a bit), but it's generally tricky to work your Abs without hitting your hip flexors somewhere.
There are two superb hip flexor stretches that will work wonders. I can't find them on the net atm, it's a bit of a secret apparently... erm... but anyway, you need to stretch all your shortened muscles at least twice a day - when you get up in the morning and before bed.
Worth considered getting a plumbline posture assessment done too, so you can see how far out your pelvis is.
Whereabouts do you live?
Thanks for the detailed responseAs for fixes, you should drop weight training and concentrate of fixing your posture first. Building other muscles when your skeletal system isn't straight will just build them up in the wrong way and you may even find the wrong muscles are used to do the job weaker/imbalanced ones should. So work on your posture 3 times a week, probably for 2 - 3 months, depending on how bad it is.
Good exercises for your Glutes and Hams will be straight leg deadlifts and good mornings. Do loads, to them heavy/low rep and do them light/high rep. Also don't rule out walking, particularly straight-leg walking and inclined straight-leg walking. I walk about 75km a week on average and my Glutes are as pert, hard and sexy (so I'm told
). I don't do much else except occasional Romainian deads on a rare bulking month. Most if it is all through walking... and I still do a lot of sitting during the day.And in terms of sitting, you need to learn to slouch. Bit hard to explain without a demo. Try this link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=36520306690...
^ Not sure if that works without a Facebook login.
(NB: Glute arrows are wrong and should be pointing inwards, not outwards. Haven't had the time to get round to correcting that yet...)
Don't do things like leg raises though, this could make your problem worse. You need to strengthen your Abs to help pull your gut in (although the underlying fasica may be stretched beyond repair). Stuff like planks are good, declined Abs crunches to 30degrees, Frog crunches, Dragon Flags (negatives only). The latter three work to turn-off your hip flexors (a bit), but it's generally tricky to work your Abs without hitting your hip flexors somewhere.
There are two superb hip flexor stretches that will work wonders. I can't find them on the net atm, it's a bit of a secret apparently... erm... but anyway, you need to stretch all your shortened muscles at least twice a day - when you get up in the morning and before bed.
Worth considered getting a plumbline posture assessment done too, so you can see how far out your pelvis is.
Whereabouts do you live?
Edited by mattikake on Wednesday 27th March 17:11
I'm in Huddersfield, work in Leeds
I can never seem to get the form right on sldl, any tips? Any reason for sldl over rdl? When you say heavy and low reps, plus light and high reps, do you mean in the same session? Or one day heavy, one day light? So you think I should even drop the upper body work?
Any chance of PM'ing a walk through of these hip flexor stretches?
As for the slouching, I assume standing is still the best option?
Try Pilates:
http://www.pilatesfoundation.com/newsite2/what-is-...
Regular classes have improved my posture, strength and flexibility considerably and now, in my 50s, I can stand all day (for example at a circuit) without getting backache - I couldn't do that even when I was a teenager!
Find a small class so that you can get personal attention: I started at my local leisure centre in a 30-strong class and it was relatively useless as the instructor couldn't get round to everyone to check that you're using the right muscles / in the right position etc.. Now I go to a class of 8 people, the instructor can see where my weaknesses are and directs my exercises accordingly.
HTH
http://www.pilatesfoundation.com/newsite2/what-is-...
Regular classes have improved my posture, strength and flexibility considerably and now, in my 50s, I can stand all day (for example at a circuit) without getting backache - I couldn't do that even when I was a teenager!
Find a small class so that you can get personal attention: I started at my local leisure centre in a 30-strong class and it was relatively useless as the instructor couldn't get round to everyone to check that you're using the right muscles / in the right position etc.. Now I go to a class of 8 people, the instructor can see where my weaknesses are and directs my exercises accordingly.
HTH
Driller said:
You sure you haven't just got a bloated stomach from gluten/dairy? If you tighten your stomach muscles is it still squishy?
When I tighten my abs it is rock hard. I know it is APT because my belt points towards the floor rather than straight ahead and i've got a promintent curve in my back. If I tighten my glutes and abs then I've got a neutral posture, so it would seem it is possible but it just a case of working on it so that it is natural rather than forcedI'll post a couple of photos up later to show what I mean
Brent Brookbush - I speak to this guy regularly on linkedin. He has been doing this stuff for a lot longer than me and has more letters after his name than I have letters 'in' my name...
These hip flexor stretches are a bit of the hidden secret I was talking about, as you can tell from the lack of views: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8NJRCSyb4
btw for general hip flexor stretching and problems through sitting you probably want to do the traditional one which stretches TFL (outside of your leg) and primarily Rectus Femoris (the only quad muscle that crosses your hip), because you haven't had proper diagnosis. - assume all your hip flexors are tight.
Basically the simple rule with stretching is; if you do the TFL/RF stretch and the Psoas Major/Illiacus stretch he details later, and you feel a stretch sensation (in your thigh), then you need to do the stretch. If you don't feel a stretch and you're doing it right, generally, the muscle doesn't need stretching.
Do these, 10-30 seconds each stretch, when you get up in the morning and before bed, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Realistically the only time you should stop doing the stretches is if you stop sitting down for hours a day (6 hours of sitting easily undoes 2 mintues of stretching, unless of course you do the 'slouch'. Did that link work btw?).
Also one VERY important point. If you're sat down and you have back ache, NEVER stand up and touch your toes, as most people do. This relives the pressure on your lumbar spine by hyper-contracting your hip flexors, but this only makes your tight hip flexor problem worse as they tighten up again. Makes me cringe every time I see this bad habit. Instead do the hip flexor stretch for relief (and it will feel much better afterwards than touching your toes) or if too many people are watching, stand-up, put your hands on your hips and bend as far backwards as you can.
These hip flexor stretches are a bit of the hidden secret I was talking about, as you can tell from the lack of views: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8NJRCSyb4
btw for general hip flexor stretching and problems through sitting you probably want to do the traditional one which stretches TFL (outside of your leg) and primarily Rectus Femoris (the only quad muscle that crosses your hip), because you haven't had proper diagnosis. - assume all your hip flexors are tight.
Basically the simple rule with stretching is; if you do the TFL/RF stretch and the Psoas Major/Illiacus stretch he details later, and you feel a stretch sensation (in your thigh), then you need to do the stretch. If you don't feel a stretch and you're doing it right, generally, the muscle doesn't need stretching.
Do these, 10-30 seconds each stretch, when you get up in the morning and before bed, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Realistically the only time you should stop doing the stretches is if you stop sitting down for hours a day (6 hours of sitting easily undoes 2 mintues of stretching, unless of course you do the 'slouch'. Did that link work btw?).
Also one VERY important point. If you're sat down and you have back ache, NEVER stand up and touch your toes, as most people do. This relives the pressure on your lumbar spine by hyper-contracting your hip flexors, but this only makes your tight hip flexor problem worse as they tighten up again. Makes me cringe every time I see this bad habit. Instead do the hip flexor stretch for relief (and it will feel much better afterwards than touching your toes) or if too many people are watching, stand-up, put your hands on your hips and bend as far backwards as you can.
In fact this guy almost concurs with me up word for word in terms of the causes and reasons, and not to do strength training while you have this problem! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&...
His bridge exercise is about Glute strength not hip flexor stretching. I wouldn't reccommend without a trainer present though as form is paramount, as you can see from his detailing of it, and if you have weaknesses already you will probably really struggle for good form. i.e. I bet you can't get your lumbar spine flat on the floor by yourself for a start.
His bridge exercise is about Glute strength not hip flexor stretching. I wouldn't reccommend without a trainer present though as form is paramount, as you can see from his detailing of it, and if you have weaknesses already you will probably really struggle for good form. i.e. I bet you can't get your lumbar spine flat on the floor by yourself for a start.
mattikake said:
In fact this guy almost concurs with me up word for word in terms of the causes and reasons, and not to do strength training while you have this problem! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&...
His bridge exercise is about Glute strength not hip flexor stretching. I wouldn't reccommend without a trainer present though as form is paramount, as you can see from his detailing of it, and if you have weaknesses already you will probably really struggle for good form. i.e. I bet you can't get your lumbar spine flat on the floor by yourself for a start.
Funny you link that, I was watching that this morningHis bridge exercise is about Glute strength not hip flexor stretching. I wouldn't reccommend without a trainer present though as form is paramount, as you can see from his detailing of it, and if you have weaknesses already you will probably really struggle for good form. i.e. I bet you can't get your lumbar spine flat on the floor by yourself for a start.
I can get my spine flat on the floor when I contract my abs and have no issue with the anterior and posterior tilting of the hips so I think I should be able to get the form right with a bit of practice. Will watch the other video you linked when I'm home as there is no sound at work.
didelydoo said:
Heavy kettle bell swings (done properly) will correct your issue within a week.
Just reading up on swings and it looks like they target everything I need to hit so would be a good addition I've been contemplating buying a kettle bell or two for a while now. I remember someone posting up a link to an online shop that had them for sale at a good price, any ideas what site that was?
When you say heavy, what weight are you talking? Bear in mind I have yet to deadlift over 100kg, bench is around 50kg for 8 reps, BOR about 50kg and OHP around 35-40kg
Juanco20 said:
When I tighten my abs it is rock hard. I know it is APT because my belt points towards the floor rather than straight ahead and i've got a promintent curve in my back. If I tighten my glutes and abs then I've got a neutral posture, so it would seem it is possible but it just a case of working on it so that it is natural rather than forced
I'll post a couple of photos up later to show what I mean
Fair enough, have google APT and am now educated, without being insulting bit of a strange one that, never heard of it before! Good luck with getting it sorted.I'll post a couple of photos up later to show what I mean
Juanco20 said:
Just reading up on swings and it looks like they target everything I need to hit so would be a good addition
I've been contemplating buying a kettle bell or two for a while now. I remember someone posting up a link to an online shop that had them for sale at a good price, any ideas what site that was?
When you say heavy, what weight are you talking? Bear in mind I have yet to deadlift over 100kg, bench is around 50kg for 8 reps, BOR about 50kg and OHP around 35-40kg
I don't really know what's heavy as it's all relative, something that makes you work to do 20 reps though. I've tried every stretch under the sun, and every glute activation type thing I could find to correct anterior pelvic tilt- kettlebell swings are the most effective thing by miles (for me)- really make the glutes work, and they just pulled everything back into line. Felt the difference after only doing them once.I've been contemplating buying a kettle bell or two for a while now. I remember someone posting up a link to an online shop that had them for sale at a good price, any ideas what site that was?
When you say heavy, what weight are you talking? Bear in mind I have yet to deadlift over 100kg, bench is around 50kg for 8 reps, BOR about 50kg and OHP around 35-40kg
Juanco20 said:
The main thing I'm struggling with is how to work this in/around current weight training. Everything I've read says you want to drop quad dominant exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Deadlifts and weighted lunges seem a bit of a grey area as they can be great for glute development if you are recruiting the glutes properly.
Would something along these lines be a decent starting point bearing in mind I'm still a bit of a beginner so do full body workouts rather than split:
Workout A
Weighted Lunges
RDL
Dumbbell chest press
BOR
OHP
Pull ups
Calf Raises
Workout B
Barbell Step Ups (unsure if too quad dominant)
Some other ham/glute exercise
Then same final 5 as above
On non workout days I'll be doing a fair bit of core work (planks, hanging leg raises, reverse crunch, bird-dog etc) and some bodyweight glute activation such as hip thrusts and glute bridge
I'm sorry but correctly performed squats (low bar) and deadlifts are definately not quad dominant movements.Would something along these lines be a decent starting point bearing in mind I'm still a bit of a beginner so do full body workouts rather than split:
Workout A
Weighted Lunges
RDL
Dumbbell chest press
BOR
OHP
Pull ups
Calf Raises
Workout B
Barbell Step Ups (unsure if too quad dominant)
Some other ham/glute exercise
Then same final 5 as above
On non workout days I'll be doing a fair bit of core work (planks, hanging leg raises, reverse crunch, bird-dog etc) and some bodyweight glute activation such as hip thrusts and glute bridge
Anterior pelvic tilt, "gluteal amnesia", "tight hip flexors", etc are all almost always caused by being sat down for ages, every day. I can think of no better preventative measure than squatting properly and forcing the hip joint to go through an entire physiological and functional range of motion. Or stand upright more often with good posture.
Driller said:
Juanco20 said:
When I tighten my abs it is rock hard. I know it is APT because my belt points towards the floor rather than straight ahead and i've got a promintent curve in my back. If I tighten my glutes and abs then I've got a neutral posture, so it would seem it is possible but it just a case of working on it so that it is natural rather than forced
I'll post a couple of photos up later to show what I mean
Fair enough, have google APT and am now educated, without being insulting bit of a strange one that, never heard of it before! Good luck with getting it sorted.I'll post a couple of photos up later to show what I mean
APT is better known as Lordosis or "The Duck" and is ridiculously common with people who have desk jobs or women who walk around in high heels all the time (the women who frequently complain that they have a big rse and assume they have Lordosis because they have a big rse. Wrong. You have a big rse because you have Lordosis!). I can walk round an office and spot 10 people with it in seconds.
Anyway, I can't suggest more than I already have. Swinging a big heavy KettleBell (traditional between leg swings I assume?) may help strengthen your Glutes but it's not going to stretch the hip flexors, so it's only half the job. For the man attitude of just load up and push, I offer one simple line of reasoning; it's probably that exact attitude that has caused/exacerbated your APT in the first place...
An unstable foundation will only be made worse with heavy load.
mattikake said:
In fact this guy almost concurs with me up word for word in terms of the causes and reasons, and not to do strength training while you have this problem! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&...
His bridge exercise is about Glute strength not hip flexor stretching. I wouldn't reccommend without a trainer present though as form is paramount, as you can see from his detailing of it, and if you have weaknesses already you will probably really struggle for good form. i.e. I bet you can't get your lumbar spine flat on the floor by yourself for a start.
I used this guys videos to cure my pelvic tilt. HE has other on the same subject. The key is first releasing your glutes from being so tight and then focusing on strengthening them.His bridge exercise is about Glute strength not hip flexor stretching. I wouldn't reccommend without a trainer present though as form is paramount, as you can see from his detailing of it, and if you have weaknesses already you will probably really struggle for good form. i.e. I bet you can't get your lumbar spine flat on the floor by yourself for a start.
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