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A bout 10 years ago I attended a weeklong seminar on evaluatingand correcting posture. One ofthe interesting tools we were shownfor correcting round-shouldered posture

was a harness that strapped across thetorso and had an electronic devicepositioned between the shoulder blades.Every time the wearer slumped forward,the device would generate a mild electricshock. It was an interesting, if drastic,concept (and, I confess, hilarious to

watch), but we can permanently correctround shoulders without resorting to

Practical suggestions for correcting acommon postural problem in athletes

Squaring

Round

Shoulders

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT

BY KIM GOSS

AFTER

BEFORE

BEFORE AFTER

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electrocution. When we talk about round

shoulders, were referring to a posturecharacterized by an exaggerated curva-ture of the upper portion of the spineand excessive forward positioning of theshoulders (and often the head). Those who spend a lot of time at computersare likely to display this condition, as are

tall individuals (perhaps because theyare always looking down on everybodyelse). Swimmers, wrestlers and gym-nasts often display this type of posture, while Olympic weightlifters and diversare among those athletes least likely todisplay this condition.

Because rounded shoulders arebecoming increasingly common (as we

spend more and more time infront of computers and as ourlifestyles become increasinglysedentary), I decided to see

what could be done about it.I sought out the advice of the

best postural correction coachI know, Canadian strengthcoach and posturologist PaulGagn.

Gagn has been givingseminars for the past decadeon how to correct posture,and his success in this area hasattracted numerous profes-sional athletes. His clientsinclude golfers Michelle Wie,Michael Campbell, JustinRose, and Charles Howell III,

along with more than 50 NHL and 20CFL players. In December he plans toopen a massive sports training facility forelite athletes and high-profile clients inMontreal, Quebec.

From an athletic standpoint, saysGagn, playing a sport without appro-priate strength training often causes

muscle imbalances that contribute toround shoulder posture. In addition,athletes whose workouts focus on thebench press at the expense of othermuscle groups are susceptible to havinground shoulders due to the overdevelop-ment of the pectorals and the anterior(front) deltoids, muscle groups that canpull the shoulders forward. Further,

sports that focus on

development of the upperback muscle called thelatissimus dorsi (lats) alsocontribute to this condi-tion because one of theprimary functions of thelats is to internally rotatethe upper arm bones.

Round shouldersare especially commonin competitive swimmers

and gymnasts because they start theirsports very young and develop stronglats from their sport-specific training,says Gagn. Further, because youngathletes are commonly not involved instrength training programs at a youngage and therefore do not have the ben-efit of exercises that could correct muscle

imbalances, their postural problemsoften become extreme and harder to cor-rect later in life.

From an injury standpoint, saysGagn, round shoulders cause the upperback muscles known as the infraspi-natus and teres minor and major to bestretched, internally rotated and undercontinual tension. The more round-ing, the more tension. This unnatural

condition makes the shoulders moresusceptible to injuries. Further, becauseflexibility is reduced in round shoulders,the shoulder joint is more susceptible todislocations. Impaired flexibility leadsto problems with overuse injuries amongbaseball pitchers and could be relatedto shoulder impingement syndromes inswimmers, says Gagn.

Structure dictates function, so ifyour structure is changed because of

From Bodybuilding Anatomy by Dr. Nick Evans, Human Kinetics Publishers.

Examples of traditional isolationexercises to help round shoulders.

Gymnasts often develop round shoulders from per-forming rope climbing exercises at a young age.

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TRAINING & EQUIPMENT

overuse of certain movements, yourfunction is going to be changed, saysGagn. Thats why one of my primarygoals in training athletes is to get themback into a normal posture so their bod-ies can function most efficiently withoutmodifying the structure. One problem with sports such as figure skating andgymnastics is that the athletes often

develop unnatural postures that, overtime, develop into overuse injuries andother problems that can cut short theirathletic careers and cause arthritis andchronic pain in later life.

The Hips Need to Be SquareNow that weve reviewed how

individuals develop round shouldersand why this is an important issue to

address, especially for athletes, lets lookat how to get the shoulders back, as theysay, to square one.

Although this article specifi-cally addresses round shoulders, Gagnbelieves that you cant adequatelyaddress the condition without looking atthe posture of the entire body. For ourpurposes, that means beginning fromthe bottom up, addressing the feet first.Those who have round shoulders often

have problems with the feet as well,especially with valgus [flat] feet, whichshift the body forward,says Gagn. The resultis that the muscles of theupper body are alwaysunder excessive tension,fighting gravity. Such ten-sion makes it even more

difficult to stretch andstrengthen the upper bodymuscles that contributeto round shoulders. Tocombat this forward lean,an individual can useorthothics or, as, Gagnrefers to them, posturalinsoles.

Once the body

is shifted to a more upright posture a posture Gagn calls the criterionof normality the next step is to selectthe appropriate corrective exercises.Essentially, this means stretching themuscles that are tight and strengtheningthe muscles that are weak.

Among the most importantmuscles to stretch to correct roundshoulders are the pectorals, as tightnessin these muscles will contribute to pull-

ing the shoulders forward, says Gagn.There are many ways to accomplish

this, such as the traditional staticstretches used in most health clubexercise classes, partner-assistedstretches, and PNF stretches thatuse resistance. However, Gagnprefers to use a more aggressivetype of stretching called myofas-

cial stretching, which involvesprolonged muscular contractionsand which stretches not justthe muscles but also the fascia,

which is the covering aroundand between the muscles. Itsnot that you cannot achieve thedesired results with traditionalmethods of stretching, but Ivefound that myofascial stretching

to be a much faster and more effective way to achieve the results. Another area to focus on when

stretching, says Gagn, is the upper (tho-racic) spine, as excessive curvature in thisarea encourages round shoulders. Even

with the foot correction, there may bechronic tension in the middle of theback that will affect your ability to cor-rect round shoulders, says Gagn. Andin some cases it may even be necessary to

Dramatic improve-ment in just threeweeks!

After just ve workouts, 14-year-old gymnast Chloe Van Tussen-broek showed excellent form inthe snatch, a great compoundexercise that helps prevent roundshoulders.

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