What do you think of my back and neck and how can I fix it?

B

bao3niang

New member
6’5 180lb. Training for years and struggling with consistency and mental issues. One of the main things beside seriously gaining 20lb this year is fixing my horrible posture. My back is fucked up, my neck is forward and other issues such as:
- uneven shoulders(I think my right shoulder has fallen a bit, I could see that clearly while I was watching myself on tripple mirror
- you can see my ribs how weird they are, what does that mean?
- my hips has shape, that looks like scoliosis
- also I want to bulk up my neck, fix it and also make it thicker. On monday I did only one set of neck curls with weight and wanted to throw up whole day, sickness feeling

Throughout days - either lying in bed or sitting, both in not so good positions. Mid back hurt when I walk straight, for longer periods, lumbal hurt now since I started driving(I’m flexing my lumbal part there). Also hurt it while back in mid set of pendlay rows. For fallen right shoulder I’m lifting it up daily and retracting scap

Phisios throughout years told me I have kypho-scoliosis, but told me I do not have uneven shoulders or bad neck, they did more wrong then good, put me on static exercises and that’s it

This year, I want to fix it all! All stretches, exercises, everything in my reach

Have perfect form at the gym, especially when doing back and face pulls and still walk with bad posture, like I did nothing

In case you want to see my photos they will be set up as forced straight posture-how I think my posture is-bad posture-as bad as I can go. Couldn’t get what it looks like being unconscious of it and really loose with it

Forced straight

https://imgur.com/a/Nz5WIhW
neck flexion
https://imgur.com/a/dICIYqH
https://imgur.com/a/hQwj92v
https://imgur.com/a/KWs8nUL

rib on left side
https://imgur.com/a/glada49

< hips
Click to expand...

https://imgur.com/a/MFFxKjG
from the back
https://imgur.com/a/fGxbdid
https://imgur.com/a/ovZ68bP

straightup with clothes

https://imgur.com/a/OBq3tj0
https://imgur.com/a/9i6Yed7

conscious flex

https://imgur.com/a/zSLRNn7
https://imgur.com/a/uF6u2s4

as bad as it can get

https://imgur.com/a/02LYtkN

relaxed I think it would look like this

https://imgur.com/a/9uETV9Z
https://imgur.com/a/Klulaew
 
@bao3niang I have been working on my posture with yoga and lots of walking (3-5 miles per day with the dog) in flat shoes (zero drop). I’ve been reading Katy Bowman’s books about posture and alignment and I (think) I can see improvements only a few weeks after starting my efforts. Your posture starts with your feet on the ground and works up from there. I can’t advise for your scoliosis etc obviously, but that’s what I’ve been doing.
 
@thestandard Completely agree, would also recommend reading Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World by Kelly Starrett. Has really helped me understand the importance of joint stability.
 
@thestandard I read the Ops post and was going to reply exact same thing. I month of regular daily yoga posture and my pelvis was straight for the first time ever. After years of futile attempts to do specific physio exercises came to nothing. I really rate the effectiveness of the whole body lengthening and grounding. It’s been revelatory to me..
 
@mikeeusa Hey!
What type of yoga and what type of yoga excercises did you do specifically?
I have troubles with atp, kyphosis and forward shoulders
 
@mmoody I have been using the Down Dog app and doing 10-30 minutes daily. I think doing it every day (instead of once a week or so) has really made a huge difference.

If you’re totally new to yoga it might be good to find a yoga teacher on YouTube (Yoga with Adriene, Yoga with Tim) or attend classes live to support the daily work.

Edit: realized I had misread the comment and deleted some unnecessary info
 
@thestandard Thanks for the reply :)

Adriene is nice.

Wouldnt thank be too un-targeted, though? Im looking for specieic excercices to correct/improve posture, consider atp, kyphosis and foreward shoudlers 🤔
 
@mmoody Yes, Adriene is a generalist and I don’t think her practices alone would make a huge difference in posture. I was mostly thinking that a human yoga teacher typically does a bit more explanation about how each pose is supposed to feel as you go. So while it might not help posture exactly, it would potentially help with overall form. (A newbie might make the right “shape” with their body but totally miss the stretch because they’re not getting their inner structures in the right places)

80% of the time I have been doing Vinyasa Intermediate 1 Chest and Shoulders on Down Dog. I’m also mixing in some Glutes, Quad, and Hamstring work. Balance work is good for strengthening feet and ankles (I have collapsed arches) but for me the Chest and Shoulders does enough balancing already to feel like I checked that box (plus I try to incorporate little balancing moments throughout the day). I have a lot of flexibility in my hips already, but if your posture issues are the result of chronic sitting, doing hip flexor work is going to get you to a better place too. Hope that helps!

Edit to add: Yin yoga is probably good too, I just haven’t tried that module yet.
 
@thestandard Also which practice did you choose on the app? :)
I chose the full practice, - considered yin yoga.
Idk whats best for posture (gentle stretching/strengthening)?
Slso did you pick a focus area?

Thanks!
 
@bao3niang Zero drop shoes: most shoes (even athletic shoes) have a positive heel - that is to say, the shoe has more cushion in the heel and will raise your heel higher than your toes when you wear them. The effect is that your body is perpetually walking “downhill”. Over the long term, you subconsciously learn to balance your weight in all sorts of inefficient ways throughout your body. This can cause long term issues, including joint degradation and poor posture. Part of the “fix” is to find shoes that are totally flat and let your toes move (Google “zero drop shoes” to find them) and get started walking. Natural walking with good alignment over varied terrain will, over time, release a lot of the tension and tightness and inefficient movements that have built up over time. Katy Bowman’s book “Whole Body Barefoot” covers all of this in depth and includes transition exercises to avoid injury to long-underused joints and tissue. I would say that anyone who wants to have healthy joints and posture (so, everyone) should wear flat wide shoes and walk 3-5 miles per day.

Katy Bowman is a natural movement advocate / biomechanist who writes a blog and has now written a number of books. Her thesis, so to speak, is that our bodies are suffering from movement “nutrient deficiencies” or “diseases of captivity” caused by our modern flat, smooth environment and sedentary lifestyle. She covers natural body movement and alignment in-depth in her book “Move your DNA”. I would recommend this book to figure out the finer details of good alignment (there is a lot to it, too much for a reddit comment).

I’m not an expert myself, and her focus is a bit outside of the traditional scope of your podiatrist or physical therapist, whose focus is often on isolating a problem and targeted cure without considering the environment that caused that problem. But her explanations make sense to me and I have experienced a number of improvements using these tools.

Good luck!
 
@bao3niang I wrote an in-depth post a while ago on r/posture including a list of exercises & stretches for forward head/shoulders and APT. Look over the discussion too, it'll be informative for you

https://www.reddit.com/r/Posture/comments/dhj1z1/if_you_sit_at_a_desk_a_lot_you_likely_have_some

You're not seeing any improvements so far because you're still continuing to do the things that reinforce your posture-- that's why this work takes a lot of work & a lot of patience.

The rib thing is probably just flared ribs-- usually an indication of low resting core tension.
 
@bao3niang Didn't anyone else see the first sentence? You're a big dude in a medium sized world. At 6'5", you can afford to add 40 pounds of muscle and still be lean. Of course you have posture issues - you're constantly having to adjust to your environment, which was designed for people who are, on average, way smaller than you. I typically lean towards r/weightroom more than r/bodyweightfitness, but I definitely see the value of both. In your case? Add strength and size to that back and core. Get your form down pat with deadlifts, squats, rows, and low back extension. Start slowly, and ease your way in. Round out your overall routine to make sure you're balanced. With that frame, you have crazy potential!
 
@bao3niang
Phisios throughout years told me I have kypho-scoliosis, but told me I do not have uneven shoulders or bad neck, they did more wrong then good, put me on static exercises and that’s it
Click to expand...

Medics often only give general advice.

you can see my ribs how weird they are, what does that mean?
Click to expand...

You have kypho-scoliosis, duh.

Mid back hurt when I walk straight, for longer periods, lumbal hurt now since I started driving(I’m flexing my lumbal part there).
Click to expand...

Check for flat feet, there's a good chance it's ruining your posture. In exercises, try to keep your feet and knees together, where it makes sense.

You look okay, considering your illness you look great. Keep doing stretches, exercises, and you'll get enough strength to ignore your condition in day-to-day tasks.

On monday I did only one set of neck curls with weight and wanted to throw up whole day, sickness feeling
Click to expand...

Reduce intensity and/or stop doing exercises that make you feel like that. Revise in 3-6 months.
 
@babyblue4k
You have kypho-scoliosis, duh.
Click to expand...

Yes!

Check for flat feet, there's a good chance it's ruining your posture. In exercises, try to keep your feet and knees together, where it makes sense.
Click to expand...

Actually, I have visited couple of feet and spine specialist and rocking some insoles right now for couple of years. He moved somewhere and I haven't had any check on my situation for that time and still wearing his insoles. I didn't have flat feet

Thank you
 
@bao3niang Looks like you got a bad case of rounded shoulders plus anterior pelvic tilt. (It’s pretty common today unfortunately). Have you tried recommended routine? You can fix this by getting stronger muscles and doing stretches. Also eating more no offense but you look malnourished
 
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