2-Step Posture Process To Relieve Shoulder Tension (plus snow shoveling advice to save your spine)

scapula position for pulling2 big take homes in today’s episode of Core Wellness TV…

FIRST…Snow Shoveling safety.

We’re getting snow dumped upon us here in Southern Indiana and a lot of people who never do any shoveling of any kind get out and clear their driveways and sidewalks…and hurt themselves in the process.

So we revisit the “hip hinge” process to save your spine when you shovel snow (or anything else!)

SECOND…An important 2-step process to help you keep your shoulder blades in good posture.

A couple of days ago at the gym I observed a well meaning personal trainer attempting to show her client how to properly work on pulling her shoulder blade down and back with a simple band exercise.

But the poor girl just could NOT do the movement!

No matter how many times the trainer coached the move, she kept shrugging her shoulders when she attempted to pull the band.

Once again, it re-enforced my commitment to teaching fundamental body awareness and helping you groove good posture and movement patterns so you don’t get hurt when you exercise!

In today’s episode I give a 2-step shoulder blade positioning process to help you get back in touch with the ideal positioning, or “set-up” so you can use your scapula properly with any pulling movement.

It can be a movement as simple as opening a door, starting a lawn mower, or using a garden rake.

Bottom line…good movement MATTERS!

Enjoy and let me know if this helps.

FYI:  The Core Wellness Institute Training Course and Coaching Program to prevent and reverse pain and unhealthy aging from Crossed Posture Syndrome is re-opening soon!  You get the same training my patients and private clients get without paying thousands of dollars or traveling thousands of miles!

Get on the Early Bird Notification list HERE

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Resources From Today’s Episode:
 

Comments

  1. I hope to make the early bird list please
    I’ve had scapula pain this last video really helpd

    I thank you so much how can I learn more

    Sincerely Judie boots

  2. Dr.Steve, this is beautiful.
    Of many concepts in this video, I want to ask you about the “lowest expiratory position” –
    so, once you’re there, then as your ribs expand on your next inhale and so on – is the ribcage to stay vertically low, basically as a way of life? And after you move your shoulders up, say, then you breathe your way back to this?
    I think you’ve been teaching us this and my ribs (and brain) are just finally getting it, duh – but, is this it?
    Thank you!

    • Ideally you should be able to keep a nice low rib cage all the time. And yes…it would consider it a way of life 🙂

      When you catch your shoulders shrugging it usually means you’re holding some kind of stress and tension. It’s inevitable, of course, but once you become aware of it, you bring yourself back to your low center of gravity again to recreate “peace physiology”.

  3. This makes so much sense… a great way to demonstrate the action to folks who may not have much body awareness.
    I love that you share these gems with us.
    thank you!

  4. If you hold the ribs in the lowest expiratory position will this not cause a constant recruitment of internal obliques as many will jam ribs down over recruiting .

    • Letting the rib cage “fall” to the lowest expiratory position is the cue I usually use. That usually eliminates forced action.

  5. Dear Doc, i`ve been following your work for almost a year, I had the typical “strong curves” upper cps and lower cps and a lot of pain in my back and everywhere basically.

    Learning to breathe correctly first, engaging the core (took me some time to really feel it while breathing right) getting the feel of pushing away and opening up. Doing the lunges opening the hips and stretching em pectoralis minor etc. Trying to learn as much as I can about the way our bodies work.

    I’ve seen some amazing drastic changes in my body ! But still cant get rid of the winging in my left scapula and a little less but still winging in my right scapula, I can see the front of the humerus going forward a bit. Even tho the way my shoulders look changed from black to bright when i try to squeeze the blades together they still wing.

    im a really huge fan of your work and the way you teach this life changing concepts, I hope i can get into the core wellness institute someday, but just by watching your videos and studying the principal concepts every day my posture went from closed tight stressed uncomfortable to open light fresh happy stronger (seriously).

    Hope you read this.

    Thank you

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