What is Athletic Posture? by Dr. Michael McGraw

What is Athletic Posture?

Athletic posture is key to maintain balance in our everyday lives. Specifically, our posture is derived from how we hold our body and the alignment of our spine, joints, and head. Correct alignment effects bio-mechanical and bio-motor abilities, which is a key factor in preventing injury. For any current or aspiring athlete, posture is the foundation all athletic movements. Unfortunately, because our bodies are so versatile, when posture is misaligned or something is mechanically incorrect, the body compensates for it. This compensation, is inefficient and thus our muscles begin to work overtime.

One common source of poor athletic posture comes from sitting too often. As modern jobs transition from labor intensive to more desk oriented, we are sitting more than our ancestors. Additionally, due to COVID-19, we may be working from home more often, extending the frequency and length of our sitting sessions.

When we sit, our spine, glutes and hamstrings are compressed. And what’s more, common strength training regiments or athletic conditioning usually strengthen specific muscles like the quadriceps and not strengthen others like the hamstrings. This leads to an uneven ratio of quadriceps-to-hamstring strength, which in turn pulls the front of the pelvis down. This is known as anterior pelvic tilt (APT).