We’re going to define Static Posture as how we choose to carry ourselves. Whether standing or seated, our static posture can be a basis for identifying muscle imbalances. Performing a static posture assessment can be a powerful tool in optimizing performance and fitness.
As we grow and live our lives, many factors contribute to our posture. Our lifestyles, jobs, hobbies, previous injuries, and habits all affect our posture over time. Being able to recognize variations in optimal posture can identify muscle dysfunctions, weakness, and overdevelopment.
The concept of “optimal” static posture is somewhat arbitrary, however, and static posture is just a stepping stone towards asking the right questions. When a person is completely at rest they are subject to the simple law of gravity and your body will take the path of least resistance towards the ground.
Static posture provides clues we can follow to identify weakness. The Static posture assessment is a great tool to use in conjunction with other assessments to help paint a bigger picture when assessing performance.
What is a muscle imbalance?
Front view of the kinetic checkpoints. Even shoulders, aligned hips, and legs.
Lateral view of the kinetic checkpoints. Appropriate pelvic tilt, aligned head, torso, feet.
When we separate the body into 3 sections, it becomes manageable to identify dysfunction.
The Janda approach is a commonly utilized method which segments the body to identify issues. Upper Crossed Syndrome, Lower Crossed Syndrome, and Pronation Distortion Syndrome are all derived from the Janda Approach. In a dysfunctional posture or movement, our muscles are in a sub-optimal shortened position, while opposing muscles are in a lengthened position.
Solutions Table:
Lower Crossed Syndrome: Forward weight shift, excessive lower back curvature, butt sticking out. Common in athletes who train lower back often, people who sit often during the day.
Pronation Distortion Syndrome: Flat feet, knees bowing in. Leads to many conditions such as shin splints, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis, low back pain.
*Solutions Table from NASMs guide to Corrective Exercise and are for educational purposes only