LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR

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Ross Abel Poole
5 years ago
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2 LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR Included in this ebook are three fundamental exercises for improving posture. My goal for you is that you don t just go through the motions, or hope the exercises are working my goal is that you experience a shift, right away. In fact, if you follow the steps I have outlined for you in this ebook you may be shocked and delighted at how simple it really is to make positive changes to your body. Before we get started, there are a few things I want you to know In today s world filled with modern conveniences like cars and technology, we simply do not move enough to maintain the health of our bodies. Lack of movement eventually leads to our bodies being off- -balance, and eventually we end up with pain and limitation and nobody wants that! The good news is that restoring balance and function to your body is simple, and mostly you can do the work yourself, which means less trips to the doctor, less need for surgery or painful injections, less need for drugs, and more of these in your life -> :) When it comes to fixing pain, preventing surgery, and achieving a functional body, a lot of work is required, over an extensive period, and in no way am I claiming that the exercises included in this ebook will take you all the way to your end goal. My intention in writing this ebook is to give you an immediate and powerful access to feeling and experiencing your body s own innate ability to re-balance itself, if given the right stimulus. Please keep in mind that this ebook is not intended to be a substitute for individual medical advice. It is intended to provide you with simple tools that you can put into practice yourself to start making improvements to your posture. It is possible that one or more of the exercises included in this ebook may not be right for you. If one or more of the exercises in this ebook cause pain or discomfort, discontinue the exercise(s) immediately. Use of the information contained in this ebook is at your own risk. On the pages that follow you will find a simple test that will allow you to get present to how your body is currently balanced. Most people will find that they are off balance at the time of the initial test. You will then find easy to follow instructions on three fundamental exercises that will make immediate and noticeable improvements to your posture and balance. Finally, you will be guided through a final re-test so that you can feel the immediate positive changes in your body. Flip to the next page to get started! 2

3 TEST: First, get a pen and paper handy and remove your shoes. Go ahead and stand up, march in place a few times, relax and let go of any attempt to fix your body or to hold your body in a certain position. Review items one through three below so that you know what to do before you have closed your eyes. Okay, ready? Now stand still and close your eyes. Pay attention to the weight distribution in your feet by checking for the following three things: 1. Notice if you have more weight on your left foot or your right foot. 2. Notice if you have more weight on the insides of your feet or the outsides of your feet. This might be different on one foot versus the other, for example you might have more weight on the inside of your right foot, and feel more centered on the left. 3. And finally notice if you have more weight on the balls (front portions) of your feet or the heels (back portions) of your feet. This too might be different on one foot versus the other, for example you might have more weight on the ball of your left foot and more weight of the heel of your right foot. Now open your eyes. Take note of your observations right away before you forget them. Don t over think this. Go with what you first notice. ALIGN: Now complete the following three posture exercises, in the order shown. For the best results take your time, pay attention to the small details outlined in the instructions, and breathe! When you are done, move on to the RE-TEST to feel the immediate, positive changes in your body! 3

4 Exercise #1: Standing Arm Circles 1 set of 40 reps forward, 40 reps backward Palms down, thumbs pointed forward: Palms up, thumbs pointed back: 4

5 INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Stand with your feet pointed straight ahead and hip-width apart. Take the time to set up your feet so they are hip width apart by measuring the distance between your ankle joints to be a fist and a half width apart. You will know your feet are pointed straight ahead when the inner edges of the feet are slightly angled inward and you look slightly pigeon toed. FUN FACT: You may notice it feels a bit awkward once you get your feet to be straight and hip width apart! This is because we spend so much time sitting that our feet mostly turn out as a way to compensate for tight, dysfunctional hips. Here we are starting a full body re-balancing process by re-positioning the feet along with the rest of the body. 2. Place your fingertips into the pad of each hand and point your thumbs straight out, in what I am going to call a Golfer s Grip position. This Golfer s Grip will immobilize your wrist joints and hands which will encourage your shoulder joints to do most of the work here. 3. Pull your shoulders back by squeezing your shoulder blades together and down, then bring your arms out straight from your sides up to shoulder level. 4. With your palms facing down and thumbs pointing straight forward rotate your hands up and forward in approximately 6 inch circles and continue for 40 reps keeping your stomach relaxed. TIP FOR SUCCESS: It is very important to actually relax your stomach here. Holding in your stomach interferes with your normal breathing patterns. If done correctly, with your stomach relaxed, this exercise will cause a positive shift in the alignment and function or your pelvis and hips, so let that stomach go and let your body do its thing! 5. Then reverse direction: palms should now face up, with thumbs pointed straight backward. Rotate your hands up and backward, continue for 40 reps keeping your stomach relaxed. FUN FACT: Going backwards is most likely going to feel more difficult than going forward. The reason for this is because we spend so much time with our shoulders in an internally rotated position, such as while typing at a computer, or driving a car, that when we ask our shoulders to move into an externally rotated position (the opposite of internal rotation) the shoulder joint is not used to it. TIP FOR SUCCESS: When doing your arm circles, and this goes for both the forward and the backward circles, look straight ahead and try to keep your hands out of your peripheral vision. This will encourage your body to activate the muscles along the back side of your body that keep you upright! 5

6 MISTAKES TO AVOID: 1. Don t hold tension in your stomach. Relax your stomach muscles. I know I already said this, but it doesn t hurt to have a friendly reminder. 2. Keep your shoulders and arms level. Look in a mirror while doing these to see any asymmetry in the height of your arms and shoulders. If you are not able to get your shoulders to be level, then lower your arms until your shoulder are symmetrical then do your circles with your shoulders in this lowered position. 3. Don t let your elbow joints bend. It helps to look in the mirror for this too. What we feel in our bodies is not always what is actually happening, therefore having some visual feedback can help you to make corrections. 4. Don t lose the Golfer s Grip hand position. Keep your fingers tight! 5. Don t let your feet turn out or become asymmetrical. Check your feet periodically and point them straight ahead again each time they move. PURPOSE: This exercise activates shoulder muscles by moving the shoulder joints through internal and external rotation. Muscles of the upper and lower back are also reacting to the movement of the arm circles, thus causing a change to the position of the pelvis (the body structure that you feel when you place your hands on your waist line) and an overall positive shift to your body s balance. 6

7 Exercise #2: Standing Elbow Curls 1 set of 25 reps 7

8 INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Although not shown this way in the photos, it is preferable that you stand at a wall with your heels, hips, upper back and head against the wall. If you don t have a wall you can do this free standing as shown in the photos. 2. Stand with your feet pointed straight and hip-width apart. Take the time to set up your feet so they are hip width apart by measuring the distance between your ankle joints to be a fist and a half width apart. You will know your feet are pointed straight ahead when the inner edges of the feet are slightly angled inward and you look slightly pigeon toed. 3. Place your hands into the same Golfer s Grip position from Standing Arm Circles by placing your fingertips into the pad of each hand and pointing your thumbs straight out. 4. With your hands in the Golfer s Grip position, place your knuckles against your temples with your thumbs fully extended and pointing down to your shoulders. Be sure to maintain the Golfer s Grip and the connection of your knuckles with your temples throughout the exercise. 5. Open and pull back your elbows so that they are against the wall (or imagine bringing your elbows to meet a wall if you are not standing against a wall) then close your elbows together in front of your face. TIP FOR SUCCESS: Bring your elbows to meet symmetrically in front of your face. It helps to look in a mirror to see this. If at first your elbows are not meeting symmetrically in the middle of your face, this is an indicator of an imbalance in your shoulders. 6. Keep your elbows up at shoulder level throughout the entire movement, don t let your elbows drop down. Keep your thumbs extended and pointing down, don t let your thumbs point towards your cheeks. Relax your toes and relax your stomach! FUN FACT: The purpose of the Golfer s Grip in this exercise is to immobilize the hand and wrist joint which will promote more movement at the shoulder joint. Try it without the Golfer s Grip by allowing your hands and wrists to be soft and floppy. It will feel significantly easier, and you won t get the same benefit. 7. Repeat for 1 set of 25 reps. TIP FOR SUCCESS: If you can t achieve the full range of motion of bringing your elbows all the way back, then all the way together in front of your face, do what you can and your range of motion will improve over time. 8

9 MISTAKES TO AVOID: 1. Don t let your knuckles pull away from your temples. 2. Don t let your fingers get loose and don t let your thumbs come in towards your cheeks. 3. Don t bend your wrists; keep them straight. The hand and wrist position are critical to this move.. 4. Don t pull your head off the wall (if you re up against a wall). 5. Don t hold your breath. Breathe with each repetition. PURPOSE: In a perfect world, your shoulder blades are supposed to function sort of like a hinge, with the ability to fluidly move together and apart. When we work at a computer all day and don t move enough, our shoulder blades become frozen and they lose their hinge-like abilities. This exercise activates the correct movement of the shoulder blades, and helps to bring the upper back and head back in a vertical alignment. 9

Exercise #3: Standing Gluteal Contractions 3 sets of 20 reps INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Stand with your feet pointed straight and hip width apart. No wall is needed for this one, you can do this free standing.

10 Exercise #3: Standing Gluteal Contractions 3 sets of 20 reps INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Stand with your feet pointed straight and hip width apart. No wall is needed for this one, you can do this free standing. 2. Squeeze and release your butt muscles (also known as your gluteal muscles). FUN FACT: Your glutes help support your body when you stand, help you push off the ground, and give you better balance in general. 3. Don t contract your stomach muscles and don t contract your thigh muscles; keep them relaxed. This will be tricky at first, but with some practice you will get better at isolating your butt muscles. 4. Focus on gentle, even contractions. Contract for a count of one, hold for a count of one, then release slowly for a full count of one. Try to emphasize the release as much as possible. 10

11 5. If it seems too difficult, point your feet outward to 45 degrees for the first set and then straighten your feet up for subsequent sets. TIP FOR SUCCESS: If one glute feels stronger than the other, or if the contraction feels uneven at the beginning, your goal is to get the contraction to feel more balanced by the end of the exercise. 6. Repeat for 3 sets of 20 reps. MISTAKES TO AVOID: 1. Don t use your stomach muscles to do the work. An easy trick to get your stomach to relax is to breathe into your belly while you do this exercise. 2. Don t just speed through this or go through the motions! Relax, breathe, and become aware of the work being done in your glutes. PURPOSE: When you sit, your glutes shut down. Your glutes impact the movement, rotation, and stability of your hips and pelvis which has an even larger impact on your entire body. This exercise gives your butt muscles a much-needed wakeup call! Now that you have completed the three posture exercises, move on to the final RE-TEST to see how you did! 11

12 RE-TEST: Stand still and close your eyes. Pay attention to the weight distribution in your feet by checking for the following three things: 1. Notice if you have more weight on your left foot or your right foot. 2. Notice if you have more weight on the insides of your feet or the outsides of your feet. 3. And finally notice if you have more weight on the balls (front portions) of your feet or the heels (back portions) of your feet. Compare what you are feeling now with what you felt the first time! All changes, big or small, are important to note. Even the slightest improvements in your balance will have a cumulative positive effect over time. Each time you improve the position of your load bearing joints, your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, like you just did with these exercises, you are becoming more balanced and you are inching your way closer to a healthier, more functional you! 12

13 A BIT ABOUT ME AND WHY I DO THIS WORK At the age of 27 I suffered from debilitating hip and back pain that left me in a wheelchair for almost a year. In an effort to treat my symptoms I consulted over 20 healthcare professionals. I literally did it all: surgeries, MRI s, multiple doctors, injections and painkillers. After undergoing an invasive hip surgery as a last resort attempt to fix the problem, I was devastated when I was still in chronic pain and unable to walk. After being introduced to Posture Alignment Therapy through the Egoscue Method, a therapeutic exercise technique that treats the underlying cause of pain by correcting posture alignment, I began following the program every single day. Over the course of roughly three years, and putting in lots of work every single day, I went from not being able to walk, to regaining full range of motion and function of my hip. Today my hip is fully recovered and 100% pain free. I haven t had a set-back to my hip in over five years, and have slowly regained the confidence and ability to get back into my favorite sports, mostly surfing, running, and lifting weights, but even more importantly, I got my life back. Today there is not a day that goes by that I don t do my menu (a customized routine of posture exercises). The exercises make me feel good, enable me to perform in the sports that I love, and they keep the problem with my hip, along with other problems from coming back. Along this process, I discovered that there is a huge gap in both traditional and alternative health care models today. Had I not encountered the methodology made available through Pete Egoscue and his work, I would have never gotten to where I am today, and I would not have helped 100s of other men and women from around the world to heal their own bodies of chronic pain without having to rely on expert intervention themselves. 13

14 The gap that I see in health care today can be summarized by the following principles: The human body needs movement in order to maintain health. Today our bodies are off balance mostly because we don t move enough. Imbalances within the body are the root cause of the majority of chronic pain issues we are dealing with today. Each of us has our own innate ability to take responsibility for our own health and to heal ourselves. This requires guidance at first, and a willingness to take daily action. Today these principles need to be emphasized more than ever due to the widespread epidemic of the ever-declining necessity for movement in our daily lives. My mission is to fill the gap summarized by the principles outlined above by reaching as many people as possible. Through this ebook, it is my joy and passion to give you the opportunity to discover your own ability to heal your body. Keep in mind that the only way to make improvements over time is to take action consistently. When you are ready to take the next step towards making improvements to your posture, visit to learn more about my online program designed to revolutionize your posture and your overall health. I hope you and I meet again soon, but for now, happy re-aligning! - Maryann The information contained in this ebook is for informational purposes only. The purpose of this ebook is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this ebook. 14

TPW 's Upper Back Menu

TPW 's Upper Back Menu # Sets Reps Duration E-cise 1 1 1 00:10:00 Static Back 2 3 10 Static Back Reverse Presses 3 3 10 Static Back Pullovers 4 1 1 0:01:00 Floor Block 5 1 1 0:02:00 Static Extension Position