I’ve maintained for a while now that posture is essential in chest development and that poor posture was a major contributor for why I developed my PE in childhood. Indeed, it was after I fixed my posture that I started noticing lasting results from my program.
Each of our ribs attaches to two vertebra on our spine, therefore it’s no surprise that our spine can greatly influence our rib cage. Try it out for yourself. Stretch backwards as far as you can and observe how your rib cage changes.
The picture above shows how one’s chest might be affected by one’s posture.
On the left we have proper posture, and we see that the sternum is pushed outwards, the upper ribcage is pushed out and up and the lower rib cage is pulled inwards by the abdominal muscles.
On the right we have improper (slouching and anterior rotation of the pelvis) and we see that the sternum is compressed inwards, the upper rib cage is pushed down by the weight of the shoulders and the lower rib cage is pushed outwards by the diaphragm, causing rib flaring.
Imagine putting all the weight of your upper body on a single flexible bone like the sternum for years or even decades. Add a genetic predisposition to PE (like a connective tissue abnormality, Marfan Syndrome, etc…) and it’s very likely that the bone may collapse inwards.
After all, Wolff’s law pertains to all forces applied to the bone, not just external.
If you do have poor posture, it’s time you start fixing it today. It costs you nothing and will last you a lifetime.
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