How to fix bad posture | Body language 101
Good body language is powerful, however, might be one of the most underutilised tools by people during social interactions. Many guys want to improve their body language but have no fucking idea about where to start. In my experience, the easiest and quickest fix of body language comes by fixing one's posture. In this post, I will be giving you tools to ensure that you always have correct and powerful posture. But first, let’s discuss why body language might be more important than what you think.
VIDEO POST/ Instructions
Sub-Communication is king
When you are in a social situation you might erroneously assume that what you are saying (the words coming out of your mouth) is the most important determinate of how people will perceive you. You would be wrong. Our brains are more adapted at picking up on sub-communication more than anything else. Sub-communication being things such as:
• Posture
• Facial Expression
• Eye-Contact
• Feet Stance
• Hand gestures
This is because the part of the brain that is used to understand language is relatively new, unlike the part of the brain that picks up on these subtle sub-communication cues. Try talking to a baby and it won’t have any clue about what you are saying until perhaps the age of two or three. We only gain a proficiency in language after many years of trial and usually through education. We, however, are never taught to read body language, it’s in the blood. A kid is never taught to read an angry face or a sad face yet most kids are capable of doing this. If you can master good body language you are tapping into something powerful and primal.
Fix yo shit (Posture)
Our posture gets all fucked up from years of sitting in chairs wrong, standing with our shoulders rolled forward and necks out. Most people are never taught good posture so are continuously unaware until bad posture becomes their default state.
In order to have good posture, there are a few things you can do (explained visually in the video).
Method one: Retract Scapula
First, retract your scapula until you can feel a little bit of tension in your upper back. To retract your scapula do the following:
1. Raise your shoulders up slightly like you are shrugging
2. Pull your shoulders back from the shrugging position
3. Depress your shoulders down (lower shoulders) while maintaining the slight tightness in your upper back.
4. Maintain this slight tightness as you walk ( your shoulders should be leaning slightly back)
5. Ensure that your chest is raised slightly ( not in an obnoxious manner )
Method 2: Chin laser of dominant posture
Another technique you can use to help you maintain good posture is to envision a horizontal laser coming from your chin. This laser should be perfectly parallel with the bottom of your chin. During an interaction, if the line from the laser is hitting the other person and looks level, you most likely have good posture. If this laser is not level for example hitting their chest(assuming they are around the same height as you) it means that your head is down and your shoulders are most likely rolled forward indicating bad posture. Just pay attention to the laser and you will be alright.
Method 3: Puppet Master
Imagine that there is a string attached to the top of your head like a puppet. Now Imagine that the puppet master has now pulled on this string and made it taut, how would you stand? Maintain this posture as you walk, the puppet master has good intentions, he wants you to display a powerful dominant posture.
Become aware of your posture
Now that you know what good posture is, the next step is becoming more cognisant of it throughout the day. Your bad posture is a habit; however, habits can be broken with awareness and repetition. During the preliminary stages of trying to fix your posture set up your alarm so that it rings every 30- 60 minutes. When it rings check and see if your posture is good. If your posture is incorrect adjust it and try to become more aware of it.
You don’t have to use this protocol forever; you only need to do it until good posture becomes a faculty of your subconscious mind. Keep at it and you won’t ever have to worry about it again in your life. Checking your posture can also be seen as an exercise in mindfulness, hence you are actually improving your overall awareness as you do it. It’s a win-win situation.
The Only Exercise You Need
Many people will recommend that you do some bullshit stretching exercises to fix your posture. I always tell people to cut the bullshit and do some deadlifts and front squats. Exercises you should already be doing because they are fucking awesome. Many men have muscle imbalances from bench pressing and training arms all day. These imbalances often lead to their shitty posture. To counteract this we must strengthen the muscles on our posterior chain:
• Rear deltoids
• Trapezius
• Erector Spinae
• Latissimi dorsi
• Hamstrings
• + More
These muscles will support you as you stand and will help you maintain good posture. Deadlifts are the best bang for your buck. Getting stronger on them (with correct form ) will help you develop the muscles you need for that dominant posture. Front squats are good because of the location of the bar forces you to stay upright, tearing your core and upper back up! This is perfect for developing good posture.
I have done these exercises for years and have noticed a difference in how I stand; I use to stand like Gollum from Lord of The Rings. With my posture enhanced, and back bigger from deadlifts, I stand in social interactions with the dominance of a Greek God. That’s the post, now fix your shit!
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