Oksu
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Oksu's Guide to Anterior Pelvic Tilt (APT) Long-time reader, first-time poster, and I thought I would take the opportunity to write about a condition which not only has a profound negative impact on personal appearance, but the occurrence of which affects and is likely visible on EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. Anterior Pelvic Tilt (APT), to some degree, is perfectly natural. APT to the degree that most people suffer it, however, is both unnatural and unbecoming.
***** What is Anterior Pelvic Tilt? APT is a postural condition that affects virtually all sedentary adults. It is caused by the tightening of your hip flexors and the consequent forward-tilting misalignment of your hips. APT is the reason your gut and your butt stick out, the reason your clothes don't fit as they should, and the reason your lower back hurts in the morning. Unless you are Vida Guerra and your livelihood depends on your protruding booty, your APT is something that you will want to correct. Symptoms of Anterior Pelvic Tilt include: * Protruding posterior * Lower Back and Knee Pain (In Some Cases Shoulder Pain as well) * Lack Of Activation In Glutes (butt muscles) * Exaggerated Curve In The Lower Spine * Distended Gut (Detrimental To Aesthetics) * Weak Hamstrings (I made the mistake of neglecting hammies) * History of Hamstring Pulls * Shortened Hip Flexors * Elongated Abdomen * Neck Pain (Information obtained via BroBrah's popular Guide to APT at Bodybuilding.com)
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Incorrect (APT):
(Images obtained via Swolept.com's Fixing Anterior Pelvic Tilt Guide) ***** How to Correct Your Anterior Pelvic Tilt Fortunately, your APT is highly correctable with a disciplined practice comprising the following three activities: (1) Static Stretching (Strategic) (2) Strength Building (Strategic) (3) Myofascial Release Massage (accomplished, most commonly, by Foam Rolling) In order to understand the logic behind each of these activities, it is necessary first to understand the concept of "forced couples" as it relates to your muscles. When you strengthen a muscle in your body, or when you isolate one muscle above others in your day to day activities, it shortens that muscle. To compensate for the shortening and attempt to maintain skeletal balance, one or more additional muscles will "lengthen." This lengthened state weakens those compensating muscles, and ultimately, failure to maintain balance between one set of muscles can contribute to a misalignment between a multiple of coupled muscles in your body. Stretching a shortened or tight muscle lengthens it, and strengthening an elongated muscle similarly shortens it. This "push and pull" will be the essence of your recovery. (1) Static Stretching The following muscles will need to be stretched: [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]* Hip Flexors[/COLOR][/COLOR] Man is not built to spend his life in a seated position, and indeed, doing so greatly tightens the hip flexor. The stretching of your hip flexor is the first step to correcting your APT. The Hip Flexor Stretch is easy to do, and is best demonstrated by this graphic:
Rest on one knee, and pull the other leg forward to a 90 degree angle. Lean forward and let your hips sink. You should feel the stretch in the hip flexor of your trailing leg. If you have any issues understanding, I highly recommend searching YouTube for a more detailed guide to the stretch. [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]* Quads[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]The stretch you've been doing since Junior High. Make sure to keep your glute (butt) muscles flexed when you do this stretch. Your glutes are likely not used to being activated and it is easy to compensate during your stretch just as you have in other facets of your life, which has partly caused your APT in the first place. You can also do this stretch lying on, for example, a bench at the gym. Again, I highly encourage you to check out Quad stretches on YouTube.[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933]
[/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933] [/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]* IT Band[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]The IT band (running across the outside of your upper leg) is the third shortened muscle that you should tend to. However, at least from my experience, it is not necessary that you perform dedicated stretches. Foam Rolling will be enough. If you would like to stretch your IT, however, a YouTube or Google search will yield results.[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000](2) Resistance Training (Static Strengthening)[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]* Abdominal Muscles[/COLOR][/COLOR] Any form of resistance training, for the most part, will work your abs. Dedicated ab exercises, especially crunches and planks, will also do the job. A comprehensive list of ab exercises is available [COLOR=000000]here[/COLOR]. [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]* Glutes[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]Glute Bridges. Learn them. Love them. Learn to activate your cheeks again. It's been too long and you know it.[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933] [/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]* Hamstrings[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=CC9933][COLOR=000000]Don't overdo your hammie exercises. It's probably more important that you NOT stretch your hammies than it is that you resistance train with them. Training will help in moderation (see guide), but more importantly, hold off on stretching your hammies and focus on stretching your quads.[/COLOR][/COLOR] (3) Foam Rolling Buy a foam roller, and learn to love it. They hurt a bit at first, but ultimately you will come to regard your roller as an inexpensive deep tissue massage, and it will be the first thing you do when you get home each day.
Many people agree that THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP TO CORRECTING YOUR APT. I highly recommend investing in either a High Density Foam Roller or a PVC based roller like the Grid (I use the Grid 2.0, best priced at Amazon.com). Anything less than high density will misshape relatively quickly once you begin regular use. Foam Rolling is not complicated, but it is worth learning. You will want to roll out your quads, your glutes, and your IT bands especially. You can also use a tennis or lacrosse ball to achieve myofascial release at your hip flexors and psoas. There is a bevy of information available on YouTube and in dedicated guides to foam rolling across the internet, but again, it is fairly intuitive. Get past the initial pain (and it will hurt at the beginning), and you will be so glad you added this product to your life. *(4) Practice Posture I didn't list this as one of the three steps, but it does bear writing. Walk with your gut sucked in (Google stomach vacuum if you are not sure how to do this) and your butt tucked in, and you are most of the way there. Hold this posture whenever you remember, and you are well on your way to correcting your APT. ***** Cliff-Notes/Summary: To fix your Anterior Pelvic Tilt, stretch your hip flexors and quads as often as you can remember, and walk with your stomach and glutes activated as often as you can remember. When you visit the gym (or have a few minutes at home), choose exercises that work your abdominal muscles and activate your glutes (especially glute bridges). Do not stretch your hamstrings. At least once a day, if possible (work your way up to this), use a foam roller on your quads, glutes, IT band, and anywhere else that you desire. There is no set timetable for correcting your posture, and it will vary from one person to the next. Remember, it took you your whole life to get it to where it currently is. You'll need to patiently and persistently work to undo it. Much thanks to the previously mentioned BroBrah guide and other internet resources dedicated to correcting APT, and to those responsible for producing the pictures and videos linked above. There is a wealth of information online that expresses much of this better than I can and have. I encourage you to consult it. You've taken the first step towards being a better looking person in better fitting clothes - Godspeed!
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