Is posture correction and fitness personal training useful?

For the vast majority of ordinary people with posture problems, reliable correctional personal trainers are really useful, but the probability of getting into trouble is not small. It is not possible to lie down and straighten by paying money.

I have been working hard in the fitness industry for almost 6 years, and there are many friends around me who have solved the problem of high and low shoulders and forward head through corrective personal training. There are also many people who call it an IQ tax. Not long ago, I met a little girl who runs a public account. Her rounded shoulders stretched forward 10 degrees, and her trapezius muscles were swollen like a small steamed bun. I followed online tutorials for half a year to practice the swan arm and shoulder opening movements. Not only did it not improve, but my shoulders often hurt when I raised my hands. The personal trainer I found later was certified in sports rehabilitation. In the first class, she was not allowed to touch any equipment. She was first taken static posture photos from the front, side, and back, and was asked to walk a few times to test her gait. Finally, she said that her problem was not her shoulders at all, but that her left foot was born with a slight flat foot. When she walked, she exerted force on the outside, which caused the entire pelvis to tilt and the spine to compensate, causing her shoulders to be higher and lower. Later, according to the plan given by the personal trainer, I first adjusted my gait, and then trained the gluteal muscles on the weak side and the middle and lower obliques. After two months, not only the upper and lower shoulders were mostly reduced, but the pain in my waist that had been sitting for a long time was also much better.

But you said this personal training is 100% effective? Neither. I have seen many personal trainers in gyms selling classes in the name of "posture correction". In fact, they have never systematically learned about rehabilitation and only follow fixed procedures. A member with round shoulders came to see me, but the personal trainer didn't do any evaluation. He just asked me to push my chest hard, saying that if I tightened my chest muscles, I could pull the shoulders apart. As a result, after a month of training, my round shoulders became more serious, and I also had the problem of acromion impingement, and it hurt when I raised my arms. Isn't this just a scam? Some members are not interested in it themselves. They go to practice once a week, and spend the remaining six days sitting on the sofa for more than ten hours every day scrolling through their mobile phones. Their necks are stretched out like a big white goose. No matter how good the personal trainer is, they can't stop you from dragging down your posture for 23 of the 24 hours a day. The little effect you get after practicing is not enough.

In fact, you can basically get a good idea of ​​whether it is really reliable or not by taking a trial class. As soon as I got started, I kept telling you how serious your problem was, and buying a 30-session package was basically a scam. A personal trainer who really knows how to correct the problem will first ask you whether you have any old injuries, whether you sit for a long time or whether you like to exercise. They will even pick up the shoes you often wear to see where the soles are worn, and they will be more detailed than the person who inspects the source of the problem when looking for the root of the problem. When adjusting your movements, I won't ask you to put on the weight right away. They will first help you relax your tense muscles and find the strength of the weak muscles. For example, to practice shoulder sinking, I will first use a fascia ball to roll you up the oblique for ten minutes, and then hold your shoulder blades to find the strength to sink. Instead of giving you two dumbbells and letting you lift blindly.

To put it bluntly, posture correction is actually like adjusting the rim of a bicycle that is running off track. If you try to fix it yourself, it will either not work or it will go over the edge. A reliable mechanic can straighten it for you in a few clicks. But if you ride on potholes every day, the rim will be crooked no matter how straight it is. If you only have a slight breast entrainment, you can adjust it by paying more attention to your standing and sitting postures, and it is not worth spending this money. However, if you already have obvious shoulder height and head extension, or even pain in your back and shoulders, instead of going to the hospital and spending more money after practicing blindly, it is better to spend more time and choose a reliable personal trainer, which will be more cost-effective.