Scapular Retraction Exercises and Pec Stretches WON'T Fix Your Posture - Here's Why (And SOLUTIONS)

Scapular Retraction Exercises and Pec Stretches WON'T Fix Your Posture -Here's Why (Plus Solutions)
At some point in your life, chances are that someone has told you to pull your shoulder blades back and/or to stretch your chest out.
In fact, some of the most beloved and famous KZbin physical therapists probably have several videos that utilize these recommendations.
And while this can provide some temporary relief, it is really a method that fails to deliver long-lasting results. This method is based on outdated and oversimplified science that regards the human body as little more than a collection of muscles and bones.
When we take a step back and think about what actually influences the position of the shoulder girdle, we see that the foundation upon which the shoulder girdle rests is in fact the rib cage.
When we ask ourselves what contributes to the position and shape of the rib cage in space, we see that airflow, pressure management and position with respect to the center of mass are much more important than an arbitrary position of the muscles and bones.
When we can improve our ability to manage pressures, airflow and position in space, posture returns towards the ideal and we can sustain these changes with less and less effort the more we learn to sustain these skills under duress.
If you want to see if you are a good fit for my Movement Coach program, where we discuss these and many other topics, head over to chaplinperformance.com and fill out an application to apply or book a strategy session.
00:00 - Intro
00:33 - Rationale Behind Pec Stretches and Scapular Retraction Exercises
02:17 - Why Do Traditional Methods Fail?
04:06 - Better Solution Explained
07:18 - Demonstration of Example Exercises
09:39 - How To Get Results to Stick
10:48 - Video Recap

[@ByGraceoftheHolySpirit]

Thank you for helping us out.

[@saminasaeed8497]

Great video I ever watched. 😍

[@PauletteTheory]

Amazing video, thank you !

[@ChaplinPerformance]

You are very welcome!!

[@maryjomagar7154]

Using the skeleton was very helpful (to me) for demonstration because when you demonstrate, even though you are very clear in what you are doing, you nonetheless have form (musculature, skin, clothing), whereas the skeleton is literally "bare bones." The mind-body connection is so strong! When in crowded places, feeling vulnerable, I start to round myself forward, like those insects that roll into balls. I have had to learn to consciously interrupt this tendency, not always easy! Wishing you a very Happy Holiday weekend (much deserved)!

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Thanks so much Mary Jo!! Rounding forward is definitely a tendency of mine too, especially when in a protective mindset. Frequency reminders work great, but old habits can be hard to kick! Hope you have a great new year!!

[@joshsarangal9486]

Awesome content.

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Thank you very much!!!

[@jaypatel-um5zn]

Hi, great video. Have question. How much time keep holding in this position and how many time need to do per day?

[@rahmatoutall6560]

Wow you’re awesome. Thank you!!

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Thank you very much!!

[@aadhithya-kr4hu]

Hey Greg can you make a video where you explain how to implement these exercises properly ? Is the all fours version the same as belly lift exercise ?.

[@paulam9911]

thank you! I agree! I just wrote a book that talks about that among other things. The current approach of squeezing the shoulder blades is not working, or retracting the head. Paula

[@shadowtman27]

Hi, are there names for the exercises shown? I'm trying them but not sure if I'm doing them correctly. Thanks

[@NA.l.F]

Great video! Thank you! So clearly and simply explained. How do you feel about static hanging?

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Thanks for watching. Static hanging can be cool. It feels good and can help unweight the shoulder girdles. It isn't really something you can progress with but isn''t bad for off-day mobility work.

[@NA.l.F]

Thanks so much for your response! I will keep that in mind…

[@cinnamongirl3070]

Wow. I have been doing Y raises, supine pec stretches, face pulls, scapular retraction, seated thoracic extension, neck stretches...too many to name. And while I have definitely been able to keep more space between my clavicles and am able to do many twisting yoga poses that were once a real struggle, my rounded shoulders and forward head always return. Going through life, I just can't think about my posture 24/7. And...my left shoulder is higher than my right shoulder. I always thought it was due to my scoliosis. But this is totally worth a shot. I will incorporate these moves more into my daily routine. I already perform these 2 poses regularly when practicing yoga, so it will not be difficult to add more. I just watched your video about avoiding belly breathing. That video and this one have probably been the 2 most eye-opening ones I have seen from you. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Subscribed!!

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Thanks for watching. Glad you are finding the videos helpful!

[@stmav01]

So it's been 9 months, did it work? Or not really and it returned?

[@Honeymifffin]

Try fascia release with a ball against the wall, every sore spot push and hold for 30 seconds, front and back of shoulder and even side of the arm. My rolled shoulder is nearly gone after doing these. Also strengthening exercise for muscles.

[@tishguerrero]

Great video! Skeleton provides a wonderful visual & understanding the underlying system influences everything. I vote new name Frankie😊, Jimbo is great too.

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Frankie, Jimbo, or Chappy?

[@catherinemurray2211]

Excellent I so need you ❤

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Glad you found it useful! Thanks for watching!

[@pdr_2703]

WHY IS LIVING SO DAMN HARD

[@ChaplinPerformance]

It is hard only if you think it is hard.

[@pdr_2703]

@@ChaplinPerformanceSo I have problem X. Someone says I should do Y to fix It... Then someone else says that I have to do Z and that Y won't help me.... And then another person goes "nah, Z will make It worse, do Y." In the end I can't do any of It properly and just stay living with the problem, lmao.

[@lauraciocia6507]

I get what you’re saying. There seem to be so many possible explanations for chronic pain / postural issues that you could literally spend a lifetime trying them all and still not be sure you’re barking up the right tree

[@pdr_2703]

@@lauraciocia6507 Exactly. Apparently that happens with anything related to health, from nutrition to treatments.

[@andrewrae8064]

real

[@polinalll6816]

i’m a layman and i was researching on the tightness/ pulling feeling in my epigastric area which i have since i remember myself and therefore was overwhelmed by how on earth to find out what is happening there. it took me good 2 hours to get here starting my google adventure with “i feel tight in my upper belly” and i am very happy now, it feels like it’s the most helpful video i have ever seen on the internet 🤓 worth mentioning separately the efficient no bullshit straight to the point way of presenting the information ♥️

[@ChaplinPerformance]

I super appreciate you sharing this with me. I’m so glad I could be helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@bilalmalikcoaching6273]

Whens the educational website coming. You teach this stuff so well. Pri principles and all 💪🏽💪🏽

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Thanks so much for the kind comment! I am hoping that by Q3 2022 V1.0 of an educational program will be up so keep your eyes peeled. Happy new year and thanks for watching!

[@amybutler8337]

Would these positions by themselves help the problem? Or do I need to do something extra like practice the breathing exercises from your other videos while in these positions? Thank you for your wonderful content!

[@ChaplinPerformance]

The two work best when combined for sure! But it all depends on the specific needs of the individual. For some people, the breathing is a big component but for others the movement is a much bigger piece. And for others, mindset is just as if not more important than both of them! It really comes down to going through the process to learn how much of which ingredient your body needs at any given time!

[@glamgirl3632]

Can you make a video about a rib flare with anterior pelvic tilt? I think it's known as "open scissor posture" as well. I have a rounded shoulder on my right dominant side and a forward head posture. When I use my abs to pull my ribs down I also notice a kyphosis in my back. I have no clue where to get started with fixing this

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Hi yes... I have something like that in the works. Many times pulling the ribs down exaggerating a "kyphosis" is more of a sign of using too much rectus abdominis, which pulls down the sternum instead of pulling the lower ribs in towards midline

[@jverheul2]

very helpful video! but i missed the part where you tell us what to do haha Do I hold these positions like a plank for a coupple minutes everyday? How should the 'exercise program ' look like? :)

[@ChaplinPerformance]

This will vary by the individual… this is an explanation video, not an implementation video. That’s not usually something you’ll get for free

[@sammisaylor2173]

For one arm cable pushes that works the serrated right? Is the point of that to keep the shoulder blade attached? I think you demonstrated this in the forwards head video

[@ChaplinPerformance]

It’s that the shoulder blade wraps around the rib cage and away from the spine

[@BlackMesaTrainee]

Then why are my lower traps and lats weak and inactive and my pec minors so tight and tender? All because my ribcage is out of place?

[@jimbofraggens]

I approve the official use of the name Jimbo for your new skelly

[@ChaplinPerformance]

This has now climbed to the top of the leaderboard across all surveys to this point

[@mimictmi3802]

TBH, I did these exact exercises, but it helped only a bit. My problem was tight rear shoulder muscle and tight pec, and this was only a issue in left side. After upper chest mobility stretches and pec stretches instantly(well 1 week) my bench press became painless.

[@ChaplinPerformance]

That’s awesome. Sometimes the basic stretches work!

[@bg147]

Year ago in the early 90s, I had pain down my right arm and in the chest/shoulder due to adding muscle and probably scoliosis..... which nobody ever mentioned at the time. A vascular surgeon went ahead and removed part of my right pec minor. There was a release some months later which resulted in the rib cage rotating forward and dropping on the right side and the opposite occurring on the left, obviously. The pain went away but I have tightness in my back on the left now. So, I have been trying to strengthen my right pec minor while stretching the left pec minor to reverse the surgery to some degree to arrive at a happy medium. Does any of this make sense? Thank you.

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Very hard to say without assessing you.

[@bg147]

@@ChaplinPerformance Thank you. I might see someone for an assessment.

[@daqingsun758]

Can this strategy also cure hunchback?

[@ChaplinPerformance]

I wouldn’t say “cure.”

[@lakebum]

If you had a cue for correct posture instead of 'pull shoulders back' what would that be?

[@ChaplinPerformance]

I’d challenge you to second-guess your belief that a “correct posture” exists

[@AlejandroGonzalez-wo5fk]

Tuck your tummy in and SQUEEZE your glutes. Thats a solid posture to adopt

[@jrnmrsgn5089]

i find it hard to breathe whenever i fix my posture, will this video help me fix it?

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Not sure without assessing you

[@2fastnfurious4u]

maybe you're not really fixing your posture, just compressing your thorax in order to be more upright.. just practice exercises from this channel

[@maryjomagar7154]

Whatever name you decide upon, I think he will be "Chappy" to me: a fine chap, exceedingly minimalist, and a homolog of his movement coach.

[@ChaplinPerformance]

What a great suggestion. This was actually our family nickname. Every chaplin was called chappy as a kid. This might actually be the best suggestion thus far.

[@ryanburch3092]

Do you do appointments via Skype?

[@alexparker5590]

got any studies to back this up?

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Great question! Probably be hard pressed to find any studies that say “rounded shoulders are the result of rib cage shape.” But if you simply look at the range of normal resting scapular IR and ER positions, you’ll be left with the question as to what influences those factors. There’s a solid amount of biomechanical studies that make this observation and others that describe how this influences scapular movement. Do you blame the train for where it goes? Or do you blame the tracks? Scapula = train Rib cage = tracks

[@vdj6298]

I'm unclear on what to do. Maybe I missed it (my apologies if so), but I have no idea what these exercises are called ( to research further), or how often to do them , number of reps...etc... What would be useful is minimize the skeleton demo, and the rest with a human doing the exercises along with clear information on how often to do the exercise, how long to hold the pose, how many repetitions....etc....

[@ChaplinPerformance]

I’m afraid that what you are asking for is information that would depend on context and the needs of the individual. The theory will give you a framework to understand what’s going on mechanically. If you’d like a program tailored to you, feel free to book an assessment via my website.

[@2fastnfurious4u]

I guess this is the reason why pushups ruin my already slouched posture

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Push-ups tend to be pretty compressive to an already compressed rib cage. I have this same issue with push-ups. Funny enough, slightly inverted push-ups can work a little better if you have some upper body strength and can get a decent amount of expansion with the regular inversion based drills

[@davidheer1471]

We were thinking over the name Frank but....didnt want him to have the same name as everyone else....

[@ChaplinPerformance]

I’ve gotten the suggestion Chappy, which would give the skeleton only the same name as everyone in my family

[@WantOxide]

lmao this guy charges 400$ each visit

[@ChaplinPerformance]

You legit have no idea what you are talking about