Listen Up! Great Posture is Not Just Another Thing for Your Mom to Keep Nagging You About.
Practicing great posture as part of your fitness routine targets the chronically underdeveloped muscles of your lower abdominals meaning you get a slimmer waistline for the rest of your life. For the athlete, it’s a matter of performance. Great posture gives you a physical advantage making your entire body capable of generating more force.
The first part of having great posture is often described as "Engaging Your Core". Well, how do you do that? For most of us it does NOT come naturally. But regular practice of the Ultimate Body Press posture technique for even a short period of time teaches you how to "Engage Your Core". It is like an isometric workout you can do all the time, whether you are sitting in the office, walking down the street, working out or playing sports.
You may also notice that while you are practicing our technique you look thinner and more attractive because your stomach is flat and your chest is out, but these benefits can be made permanent. We have included key exercises in all our workouts that will help you develop new strength and muscle memory in these areas so you will look sexier, run faster and feel better for the rest of your life! The first exercise in all our workouts is the Stationary March and it is your best opportunity to practice the posture technique. But these exercises will not work unless you choose to make excellent posture a part of your workout plan.
Making Excellent Posture a Part of Your Workout Plan
The Technique
1. Suck in your stomach, pulling your belly button towards your spine. We don't mean for you to hold your breathe all the time, but sucking in your stomach is the easiest way for you to feel for yourself what it is like to contract your lower abdominal muscles.
2. Rotate your hips and lower back forward by contracting your hip-flexors and glute muscles.
3. Keep your shoulders back but also into a low and relaxed position.
Our Posture Technique can be summed up in two phrases “Suck & Tuck” and “Back & Relaxed”. These two phrases make it easy for you to remember this simple exercise. "Suck" in your stomach, "Tuck" your butt underneath your hips and keep your shoulders "Back and Relaxed" for excellent posture that brings your whole body into alignment and stabilizes your upper body for greater speed and agility.
You can also think of our posture technique as its own exercise. Practice great posture though out day by performing the “Suck & Tuck”, “Back & Relaxed” Exercise three times a day for two minutes at a time. Contract your muscles using the two phrases as your guide and hold them in isometric contraction for 2 minutes. Try it while walking, sitting and standing. It is also very helpful to practice while running. In just a few days and you will experience the benefits first hand as you develop new strength and muscle memory in your lower abdominals, hips and back.