Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

Assess to Impress
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know if your right arch is more flattened than your left or if your right shoulder
is anteriorly rotated. These visual cues help determine which muscles could use
some soft tissue work by a masseuse or yourself, or it can also tell you what to
correct throughout the day while standing and moving.
For example, if your left shoulder is anteriorly rotated, meaning your left palm
naturally rests more anteriorly on your thigh than your right, work on keeping
your left shoulder pulled back throughout the day. The goal is to see an improvement
over the weeks and months in your relaxed standing posture, indicating an
improvement in structural alignment. The good news is that once you know how
far you stray from ideal posture, which we’re about to cover, you can correct the
difference simply by practicing good posture throughout the day—no physical
therapy or chiropractic visits necessary.
Standing Static Posture Assessment
To assess your standing static posture, have someone take the following photos
of you wearing nothing but snug shorts, with your feet bare.
Front and Rear Views
Stand completely relaxed with your arms hanging
down at your sides. Get photos from the front and
rear views, which is the frontal plane. Ideal posture
consists of eyes, shoulders, and pelvis parallel to the
ground and an equal arch on each foot; a vertical line
can be drawn through the center of the eyes, sternum,
and pelvis (see figure 1.1).
There are postural compensations that make the
subject fall out of proper alignment in the key areas
just mentioned. Common causes of stiffness or
weakness that correspond with these compensations
from top to bottom are as follows:
•
Tilted or rotated head position: stiffness in the
sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, or suboccipitals
•
Elevated or depressed shoulder position: stiffness
in the upper trapezius or levator scapulae
(elevated) or latissimus dorsi (depressed)
•
Flattened (i.e., pronated) foot: weakness of the
posterior tibialis or stiffness of the lateral shin
muscles
FIGURE 1.1 Frontal plane
ideal posture.
Right and Left Side Views
Stand completely relaxed with your arms hanging down at your sides. Get photos
of the right and left side views, which is the sagittal plane. Ideal posture consists
of physical alignment that allows a straight vertical line to be drawn from the
center of your ear through the center of your shoulder, hip, and knee and through
the posterior portion of the lateral malleolus (see figure 1.2).