You’ve probably heard a lot of talk lately about how sitting is bad for your health. It turns out bad posture is also a habit worth breaking – especially if you lift.

Your posture matters everywhere – not just when you’re physically at the gym, but also at home, in the office, walking, driving, etc. Here’s why both sitting and standing up straight is important if you want to increase your lifting power.

BREATHE BETTER WITH BETTER POSTURE

Your lungs don’t have as much room to expand when you sit hunched over your phone or computer, which makes it more difficult to breathe. Even worse, the worse your posture is, the more your body gets used to it. You could breathe much deeper, but you don’t even know it.

Deep breathing is essential if you want to start lifting, or increase how much you lift or your lifting power. Train your body to straighten out so your lungs can do their job.

LOOK AND FEEL CONFIDENT

Physical activity is largely based on mentality. If you think you can’t lift as much as the guy before you, you probably won’t be able to do it. Confidence isn’t easy, but you can at least look and feel the part.

You can look and feel more confident just by standing up straight, shoulders back, chest out. It’s purely psychological, but it’s what you picture when you think of someone who radiates confidence. They keep their heads up – and so should you.

KEEP YOUR JOINTS AND MUSCLES IN LINE

If you’re focusing hard on your lifting game, the last thing you want to do is tear or overexert something. Believe it or not, your posture plays a huge role in injury prevention – your muscles depend on your  joints and ligaments to work efficiently and avoid strain. If everything’s where it’s supposed to be, you won’t have to use as much energy to lift the same amount – meaning you can train yourself, over time, to lift more.

Making sure all your bones and joints are aligned correctly ensures your muscles are contracting and relaxing correctly. You’re way less likely to injure yourself if everything’s in its proper place.

STRONGER BACK AND SPINE

Without a strong back and healthy spine, your lifting days are numbered. It takes strength in many different muscle groups all throughout the body to lift, but your back and spine offer the support you need to increase your power.

One of the quickest ways to cause fatigue and pain in your back is bad posture. Remember – your body adapts to the way you slouch. So to start, straighten out your spine. Keep your chin up.

Increasing your lifting power is a great goal, and if you work at it, you’ll be able to lift more in no time. Just don’t walk out of the gym with your head down. If you want a simple way to train without really doing much outside the gym, this is a great place to start.

Source

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/muscle-fitness-hers/hers-athletes-celebrities/importance-good-posture