Weekend Challenge: Isometric Posture Corrector - Save Our Bones

This week we’re targeting posture with an exercise that flattens the upper back and counteracts forward head posture (FHP). All you need to perform this exercise is a wall. It’s an isometric exercise, which means that most of the time you’ll remain in a static position with the goal of activating postural muscles to promote proper, bone-healthy posture.

Why:

Savers surely understand the importance of good posture in maintaining and improving bone health and strength. Good posture helps to preserve balance, thereby decreasing the chances of falling. And when your posture is correct, gravity is your friend rather than your enemy. That’s because gravity applies healthful stress on your bones, stimulating them to grow and rejuvenate. But if your skeleton is misaligned, as in the case of poor posture or FHP, gravity pulls in all the wrong places, causing pain and inflammation instead.

In other words, poor posture forces your bones and muscles to fight against gravity, whereas good posture makes use of gravity to promote skeletal alignment and strength.

One of the keys to improving posture is to activate the postural muscles, which become weak and disengaged when you practice FHP or slumped posture on a regular basis. Unfortunately, most people in modern, Western societies do tend to succumb to chronic poor posture habits. This is primarily due to our “sit-down lifestyle” and many hours spent peering at a screen.

Getting back to postural muscles – let’s take a closer look at them and how they differ from another type of muscle group known as the phasic muscles.

Postural Vs. Phasic Muscles

Back in the 1960s, a Czechoslovakian doctor by the name of Vladimir Janda drew a distinction between postural and phasic muscles. Postural muscles, he discovered, exhibit “anti-gravity” behavior, meaning they respond to gravity on a nearly constant basis. Phasic muscles, on the other hand, are available “on demand” and do not work against gravity. To give an example, the pectoral muscles and the upper trapezius are postural muscles, while the middle and lower trapezius belong to the phasic category.

Dr. Janda further discovered that these two types of muscles simultaneously work against and with each other, creating a state of “imbalanced balance.” The muscles’ inequality is actually advantageous with the postural muscles exhibiting entirely different characteristics that create a functioning whole.

For example, postural muscles tend to become short and/or tight when not engaged, whereas phasic muscles tend to “turn off” and/or become weak. Postural muscles also atrophy less quickly than phasic muscles.

This setup can mean, however, that compensation is all too easy; when a postural muscle is short or tight, then nearby phasic muscles will attempt to do their job. This creates muscle dysfunction on both the postural and phasic levels.

That is where exercises like the Isometric Posture Corrector come in. This move “wakes up” the postural muscles and properly disengages the phasic muscles, preventing them from compensating.

How:

  1. Sit down on the floor with your back against the wall. Scoot back until your bottom, shoulder blades, middle back, and the back of your head are against the wall.
  2. Straighten your legs so they are straight out in front of you, perpendicular to the wall. Note: if this causes an uncomfortable stretch in your hamstrings or is otherwise too uncomfortable, you can bend your knees slightly. Each time you do this exercise, try to straighten your legs a bit more.
  3. Tuck your chin down and back so that your face is looking directly forward and not tilted up or down. The back of your head should still be touching the wall.
  4. Hold this position for one to three minutes, longer or shorter depending on how difficult this is for you. It may surprise you how challenging this can be!
  5. Repeat this exercise as often as you like through the day.

We suggest you follow up with these other Weekend Challenges:

These simple but highly effective postural exercises make excellent additions to the exercises in the Densercise™ Epidensity Training System, which also contains posture-related moves among its more than 50 bone-building exercises. Correcting and maintaining proper posture are essential parts of building bones through exercise. And as we get ready to usher in the New Year, what better time to resolve to exercise regularly?

Take Exercising For Your Bones to the Next Level!

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I hope you enjoyed this weekend’s challenge, and I wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

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Comments on this article are closed.

  1. Lorinna Davies

    I am so glad to read your saveourbones site all natural cures for a problem that so many women (and men) have yet till recently if you go to your MD they would tell you to take dangerous drugs, so thank you vivian. I started eating right thanks to SOB and also as Sob recommends I started weight walking with a weight vest by nyk
    so far I feel amazing look better and cant wait to get my bone scan
    I know I am doing well . thank you again and happy new year!

  2. Carol

    Happy New Year to all savers and thank you Vivian for all your helpful articles and exercises. May the coming year bless us all with good health in abundance.

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      You are welcome, Carol, and thank you for being a loyal Saver. May you have a fantastic New Year as well!

  3. Bev

    Thank you for all the helpful hints, ideas, visual exercises!!! I look forward to every new email!!!

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      You are welcome, Bev!

  4. Betty

    My doc wants me to see an endocrinologist because my bone scan has worsened in the last three years by 6 per cent.i do not take meds and fo;;ow your book.what can Zillow do

    • Claire

      I was also referred to an endocrinologist for the same reason. It turned out that I had a parathyroid tumor, which was removed in Tampa, FL. Their excellent web site is parathyroid.com.

  5. Betty

    A very happy and blessed New Year to you and all your family Vivian.
    Thank you for all the helpful information you give to us including today’s. As an older person in my eighties I will do my best to work through this one! I’m very conscious of my FHP problem and need all the help that is going! God bless.

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      Keep up with the exercises and positive attitude, Betty. And our best wishes of health and happiness for the coming year!

  6. June from down under

    Thank you Vivian for this wonderful exercise. It looks easy until you do it and stretch the legs out as far as possible. This is a great exercise and easy to remember as well.

    As we all seem to sit at a computer or in front of a screen I have found that to prevent the “slump” if you place a few thick books under your feet to raise your legs your back straightens up against the back of your chair. Adjust until you get the right position, I hope this helps others.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR to you Vivian and all the Savers, may 2018 bring more Peace and Harmony to this world of ours, we can all do our bit, like ripples in a pond.

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      Keep improving your posture and taking care of your bones, June. Wishing you and yours a happy and rewarding new year!

  7. Lucieanna ThompsonThank

    Thank you. Your exercise helps me tremendously as l have arthritis. I enjoy reading
    what you send me.

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      You’re very welcome!

  8. Joan

    Hi Vivian just would like to say thank you for the last year it’s being great.
    Would like to wish you @ your family a very happy 2018
    All the best.
    Joan.

    • Joan

      Hi Vivian I was minding 3 grandchildren last night.I came down before them sat down to do this excresize the peace I had for 10 minutes was brilliant would recommend it for time out love it thank you

      • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

        Glad you liked this weekend’s exercise, Joan! We wish you a blessed and healthy year.

  9. Lidia

    Thanks Vivían for all your help, I wish you and family happy new year 2018

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      You’re very welcome! And we wish you a wonderful year to you and yours, Lidia.

  10. Suzy

    Thank you for all these great challenges, Vivian! Love them ALL! 🙂 Just a note, though. The three suggested challenges you mention — their links — all take you back to the same page as today’s. So there’s a wee glitch. 🙂 These are the links, but they don’t work properly. Thank you for all your work!

    Anytime, Anywhere Posture Improver
    Easy Forward Head Posture Corrector And Preventer
    Kyphosis Tester And Preventer

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      Thank you, Suzy! We will get the glitch taken care of.

  11. Mae

    Happy New Year! Thanks for your continued research on bone Health. I was scheduled for hip surgery a year ago and cancelled my appointment. I have begun to do my own research in conjunction with reading your research information and I see much improvement. Thank you.

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      You are welcome, Mae, but the person you need to thank the most is yourself! It’s obvious you weren’t afraid to take your bone health into your own hands and gather as much information as you could. Keep learning and researching!

  12. Marlene

    Good morning Vivian,
    I like this exercise, easy to remember.
    Thank you very much for sharing, and helping us
    to reverse our bone loss as well as our over-all
    health through nutrition, exercises and to equip us
    with knowledge based on research.

    I’m very grateful, blessed, and encouraged since
    I came to know your website three years ago.

    May GOD bless and continue to encourage all
    of us as we look forward for the coming year
    regardless of our circumstances.

    Advance Happy New Year 2018.

    Have a wonderful day.
    Marlene

    • Vivian Goldschmidt, MA

      Thank you so much, Marlene! Best wishes for this upcoming year to you and your family, too.

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