Well who is the modern human? Well generally speaking I would say the vast majority of us walking this earth, certainly in the more developed worlds, where most aspire to office desk jobs would fit into that category. Not knocking your desk jobs, I’ve had one for a few years in the past. However as technology becomes great, our fitness levels become weaker. This can lead to success for your career but problems with your body.
But this is not where the problem actually starts. Well it starts first thing in the morning. Modern Human wakes up with just enough time to get a shower and jump into the car to set off to work, missing out breakfast (the all important meal of the day). Once the modern human is at work, sat in front of his/her computer that is where they sit for the following 8 hours or so. Moving out of their desk during lunch to grab a sandwich and then returning to their desk to check the facebook, myspace, bebo or some other social network on the net these days. That is if you are not on it through the day, on the sly. At the end of the day it’s back in the car for that drive home and slump on the sofa in front of the 32 inch or 50 inch plasma TV that you worked so hard for. This will probably coincide with some concoction of fast take away or microwave meal. I apologise for painting such a bleak picture of the modern human.
So to conclude the modern human tends tends to have a very kyphotic posture (rounded upper back/protracted shoulders, internally rotated humerus), an excessive lordotic curve in his lower back (anterior pelvic tilt). He also exhibits a forward chin posture, shoulder pain from all that darn typing, and he feels very restricted when he has to bend over or sit down. This can and will lead to even bigger problems down the road. Some of the biggest problems that occur when sitting in a desk day in and day out can take time to manifest, but when it happens, it can make everyday life very uncomfortable. Some of the biggest problems that will occur due to prolonged sitting and poor posture are neck pain, tension headaches and lower back pain/stiffness.
In a nutshell, modern human is in rough shape.
Modern Human in the Gym
Oh some of you are probably up in arms at this stage and probably saying that is not me I go to the gym and eat good food. Food part we’ll tackle at another stage, but lets tackle the Modern Human in the Gym. I have spent a fair time in techno savvy gyms of today and observed what goes on. Guys: Bench Press (incline, decline, regular, pec decs...), arm curls (oh the all important guns), lat pulldowns, leg presses, leg curls, crunches and more bench; Ladies: well cause they are so scared of getting big they avoid the weights section all together but spend time in spinning classes. The vast majority of these exercises promote a forward flexed position or compressive/shear force on the spine. All this just reinforces all the aberrant motor patterns that causes bad posture and eventually injury. Generally speaking due to the seated work posture all the training in the gym also happens with a rounded back which makes is just pouring fuel to the already raging fire.
Fucking STOP...
Okay the modern human has to work for a living for, the social status, the car, the house, the trophy girlfriend/boyfriend, the plasma TV, to feed your baby, and provide your children good schooling. I get that.
Remember there is only one you. So here is my plan for the modern man.
Wake up and move. Allow plenty of time for breakfast. Gentle stretch is not a bad idea. When you are work take regular breaks where possible. Basically move and visit the water station more regularly. In the gym start with a dynamic warm-up that prepares the body for movement in those areas that are less mobile, i.e., hips, scapulae, thoracic spine, and ankles. Dynamic warm-up also do a great job at stimulating your nervous system.
This goes for both modern man and modern woman; men avoid fixed machines and women do not fear the weights room, honestly it will help you get toned (strength and fat loss). Base your work-out around multi joints exercises: Front Squats, Lunges, Straight Legged Dead lifts, Dead Lifts, Glute Ham Raises, Dumbbells Bench press (this is a compromise as I know it is asking to much especially of men not to perform Bench Press), Pull-up, Rows, Over head Squats, Stability Shoulder exercises, Wood chops, Reverse crunches (these crunches help correct the trunk flexion and promotes hip flexion). Doing this in a circuit style training with very little rest, will also promote fat loss in both men and women and give you are great cardio session without spending ours on the treadmills.
While I commend anyone exercising and staying active there are some obvious flaws in some of the exercise choices. Hopefully I have shed some light in the dos and the donts. Stay tuned for videos on “how to” perform these exercises outside the gym and further information on overall appearance.
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