The conventional definition of good posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension.
Posture is the manifestation of attitude and not simply a matter of muscle tone.
A poorly aligned body uses inappropriate muscle activity to move resulting in mechanically inefficient movement of the joints.
Poor muscle tone is not the root cause of poor posture; it is the mechanisms that control muscle that are at fault.
“We can control individual muscles.” We do not have direct control over individual muscles, only the movement.
What we sense is a feeling associated with that movement and not the muscle.
We cannot know if an action lengthens, shortens or even uses a muscle, only that we have performed a movement we associate with the feel of it.
One exercise system to improve posture even goes to the extreme of instructing participants to engage the postural muscles in each exercise to twenty-five percent of its strength! This level of control is just not possible.
Following injury, the actions of the muscle to prevent movement of the damaged area or to compensate for temporary loss of mobility become habit.
“The problem is with the muscle.” Posture is the manifestation of attitude.
Exercises designed to strengthen the perceived weak postural muscles do not get to the cause of the problem.
If a muscle is weak, it is most likely through lack of use if not activated due to a faulty movement pattern.
What are we trying to achieve if we do not know what is the correct tone for each muscle? In recent years there has been a move toward ‘functional exercises’ designed for a specific sport.
The theory is that each sport will place demands on a particular group of muscles so exercises can be used to strengthen those required by the athlete.
In order to perform corrective exercises it is assumed an individual knows how to use the muscle in question with the appropriate amount of tension.
Good posture is an indication of poise consequently poor posture is a sign of lost poise.
The athlete without poise uses inappropriate muscle action in all activities, including the exercises prescribed to correct posture.
Exercises for developing specific muscles do not promote the balance and integration required for poise.
Promoting Poise Poise is not acquired through conventional exercises that generally concentrate on the muscle.
As discussed earlier in this section, many exercises lead to loss of poise through the piecemeal approach to developing individual muscles or muscle groups in isolation.
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