Has anyone here had success in fixing forward head posture?

Jamez said:

So many overwhelming possible solutions, you guys are very helpful

F1 seems to be working well at fixing my posture...

Bipocni said:

F1 seems to be working well at fixing my posture...

Yes, I'm not surprised; I will admit that F1 and H1 have been improving my posture. Today I actually noticed my posture was the best it has been in awhile, however that could be because I'm more conscious of fixing it now.

This is the result of consciously trying to fix my posture.

Jamez,

I wouldn't worry about the shape of the back so much, the more muscle you put on the rounder it will appear. What you should really be looking at to get an indication of where the spine is at, is the angle that the neck leaves the torso. it should be basically straight up, I can see in your picture that its leaving the torso on a forward angle and then you're just pulling your head back (you can see your neck muscles heavily engaged). The neck should be relaxed and sitting on top of the spine for a posture that is efficiently stacked against gravity.

Work on opening your chest more.  Think of the ribs on your chest like an accordion that is trying to open up.

@Craig, thanks for pointing that out for me. I'm hoping that the combination of F1, H1, your guy’s information and Kit Laughlin's new book will fix my posture. 

I'm not sure to understand "the angle that the neck leaves the torso. it should be basically straight up" correctly. The spine has to have *some* S shape, and I did not find any picture where its top goes straight up!?

Christoph said:

I'm not sure to understand "the angle that the neck leaves the torso. it should be basically straight up" correctly. The spine has to have *some* S shape, and I did not find any picture where its top goes straight up!?

Don't think of pulling the neck back, think of pushing the head up.

To add to this Jamez if you really want to improve your posture you have to devote time to it. I have complained about mine for years but not until recently have I given it the attention it needs. And I already see it improving

Christoph is right that the spine has a natural S shape to it and the thoracic spine (our main issue) is naturally rounded forward.  However in our case it is much more than the normal amount of spinal curve. Will attach a picture. I also think that if one held their shoulders back and down with correct posture it would almost look like a straight line. 

It is my personal belief at this point that it is more important to develop flexibility and mobility in the thoracic spine area (actual spine, muscles, and surround tissue) than strength. Once you are able to get into the posture position you want I believe strengthening the area is necessary to help maintain good posture. 

Out of all the exercises recommended I really feel I'm getting the best results from shoulder dislocates.  I like holding the dislocate in a stretch position when the bar is behind you level with your shoulders. In this position my shoulders are all the way back. My chest is being stretched wide open. While in this position I like to think of what Bipocni says. Think of pushing the head up or even imagine a string is tied to the very top of your head and someone is pulling on it. Also i like doing neck rolls in this position. My neck muscles are very tight from being hunched over and looking down all the time.  Currently I am using a stick that is 44 inches long. As you can tell from that my flexibility is not that good. I have no doubt if I get it down to 1.5 times my shoulder width  my posture will be corrected. 

Take a look at this youtube video from Kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mPbEggRY_k

I'm trying to accomplish the same thing without a partner. Everything he mentions we are trying to achieve. Open chest, shoulders back. Its amazing when the guy puts his foot right in the thoracic spine area and tries to straighten that area out more. I don't know if its possible for the thoracic spine to curve the opposite way (hyperextend) during a stretch but I think that is the visual cue you should be think of. 

Also take a look at this other video from Kit. Same ideas behind it. Opening up the thoracic spine area. Not the lower back but the upper spine. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaRt2WML3LA

Forgot here is a picture to give an idea of the rounding in the thoracic spine area. 

I just found this video and thought it looked very interesting.  Apparently a lot of people having success with this method.  Stimulating the nervous system is certainly on the right track from my understanding, so I'm going to give it a crack and see if mine improves (I've got a slight issue when I'm not thinking about it but I'm nice and straight when I'm mindful of my head position - going to see if this helps the non-mindful periods):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oExUdlZuZSg

Unfortunately the user took the video down. What was the method called? Maybe I can just google search it to find out some info? 

thanks

jay

Rachid Tahri said:

'Training back more' is too general because the lats are a major part of the back, and training (weight training) lats 'more' will also make them more tighter and your overhead motion WILL be restricted by the lats. Imagine wearing a tight suit and trying to move your arms overhead. I would advice: train those upper/lower traps more, and especially if you have very strong/overactive lats lower the volume of pull ups (and other lat work) for a while. When your mobility and posture is 'ok' (again), then you can off coarse continue the pull ups.    

Actually my general statement is more than adequate, since there are more muscles in the back than in the upper chest.  In the back there are the spinal erectors, the rhomboids, the rear deltoids, the trapezious muscle, the latissimus dorsi, the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, the teres major/minor. In the upper chest we have the pectorials major, the serratus anterior, and the front deltoid.

Be my guest and pick another muscle group in the back to work.

Here is my current chest workout:

1.Push Ups:  Variations: Pseudo Planche, [With a static hold on the way up. (Standard, Diamond, Incline)]

2.Deep Dips  Variations: Single Bar (Underhanded, Overhanded,  Korean) Parallel Bar [With a static hold on the way up (Standard, Russian, Bulgarian.)]

Here is my current back workout:

1.  Pullups in L-sit with a static hold on the way up : [6 sets (Reps: As many as I can do without swinging my body)]   Variations; False Grip, Close Grip, Wide Grip,

2. Yewkies- Flat Back tuck [6 sets (Reps: As many as I can do without excess swinging)]

3. Shrugs

4. Lower back extensions

To top it all off, I have dreadlocks. Which by the is just wind blown hair that has never been brushed out. The average human head is about eight pounds. The longer my dreadlocks get the heavier my head gets. I have to have a strong neck and back to keep from having head aches in the future.

should i stop with my current deadlift routine while trying to fix my posture?

mojka said:

should i stop with my current deadlift routine while trying to fix my posture?

I'm not an expert, but I found the deadlift improved my posture.

mojka said:

should i stop with my current deadlift routine while trying to fix my posture?

so long as you do not hyperextend your neck while at the bottom and brace as you lift and keep everything consistent, lift the dead to your hearts content

This is what I needed, thanks you all