Why we need to straighten up

All though you might not have heard of “Upper cross syndrome” before, the condition is more common than you think and it could be having a very real and significant impact on your training and life in general.

By Suzana Talevski

Paul Bulatao, National Vocational Education and Training Manager at fitnessU, explains it like this: The Upper Cross syndrome is “the number one common condition of desk workers who display the symptoms of tightness of the traps, shoulder, headaches, tension headaches, shoulder pain, upper back, and neck pain.”

Presenting at FitEx , the conference for the fitness and exercise industry in New Zealand, Bulatao said “from the beginner to the advance client, it is essential that you address how each client holds their posture both at the gym and outside the gym. Without this assessment, you may be exacerbating further conditions and/ or not prescribing the most effective exercise program to both your client’s postural, health and fitness goals.”

“It’s a matter of balancing the imbalanced.”

Bulatao says addressing poor posture is a key in reducing the likelihood of injuries.

 

 

“Fitness professionals need to identify exercises or activities that may further exacerbate any postural variance. The neck, traps, chest and upper back muscles interplay with each other.

It involves identifying joints, muscles and connective tissues that may require strengthening and or stretching,” he says.

Bulatao says a postural assessment should be part of any fitness appraisal.

“The information gleaned from a postural assessment will not only guide exercise selection but it then allows a person to change the way they sit, stand and carry on their day to day activities whether at work, home or at the gym.”

So what are some general recommendations for helping “balance the imbalance?”

 

 

Do more:

·         Strengthen lower traps and posterior chain muscles

 

·         Stretch and open the thoracic cage (chest, shoulders) more often 

 

·         Take walks/ stand up from desk

·         Yoga/ Pilates

Do less:

·         Overhead exercises. e.g. shoulder presses.

·         Any exercises that may switch on or over activate the traps. e.g. shrugs, shoulder exercises, chest exercises, lat pull down, chin ups, cycling, rowing.

 

"Being a personal trainer is more than just having the knack for doing the right fitness exercise or giving the suitable program to your clients," says Bulatao.

 

You also have to be appropriately educated and qualified in aspects of anatomy and physiology."

 

For more information about a career in fitness visit www.fitnessu.com.au