Category: Posture

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WHY ALL THE LEFT KNEE ISSUES?

THE THREE GREATEST NAMES IN THE GOLF WORLD TIGER WOODS, BROOKS KOEPKA, and DUSTIN JOHNSON

HAVE ALL RECENTLY HAD SURGERY ON THEIR LEFT KNEE

WHY IS IT USUALLY THE LEFT KNEE?

It seems like Hip and Knee Surgeries and Replacements have become epidemic in our culture and it’s apparent to me that the LEFT Knee seems to one of the most common injuries that we’re seeing.        I don’t think it’s coincidental that the THREE greatest names on the PGA Tour – Tiger Woods, Brooks       Koepka, and Dustin Johnson have all recently had LEFT Knee Surgeries.    (For Tiger, this is his 5thLeft Knee Surgery!).

I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that all 3 of these men are HEAVY WEIGHT LIFTERS.  Why is that a factor you ask?  Here’s Why:

  1. These guys have been playing golf since they were young boys making the dynamic RIGHT to LEFT golf motion millions of times growing up, while also playing other RIGHT to LEFT Sports. Whether you’re throwing or hitting a baseball, hitting tennis balls, or hitting golf balls with the same RIGHT to LEFT motion millions of times, you’re going to end up with a Stronger and Dominant Right Side – thus overpowering the Less Stable Left Side. After millions of ‘reps’ the torso and neuron patterns will get out of proper alignment and when that happens, FRICTION will be placed on the muscles and joints; and over time, the joint will eventually wear down and get injured.
  2. Then when that person begins a Heavy Weight Lifting Program, more and more STRESS and FORCES are going to be placed on that joint; which often drives the athlete to the Surgeon. The Surgeon then ‘Fixes’ the injured joint and the athlete feels like he’s now Back in the Game.

BUT, like Tiger, what often happens, is that the Surgery only took care of the Scene of the Crime, but not the CAUSE of it.  Again, the CAUSE of the injury is usually the muscle imbalances in the body.

Louise Hay, the late Motivational and Holistic Author said it best:

“If a physician performs a surgery on a person, but doesn’t change the CAUSE of the dis-ease, they are simply prolonging the creation of the dis-ease where it will Reappear elsewhere.”

I believe that which is based on my personal experience of having hundreds of clients come to me whom have had surgeries (often multiple)and are worse now than before (many of whom can’t play golf anymore and come to me to get them ‘Back in the Game’)

The Good News is that not only can a PROPER Flexibility and Posture Restoration Protocol restore imbalanced muscles back into Balance, but actually get the person out of pain, and in most cases, keeping them out of pain in the future.

My philosophy is; GET YOUR MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM BALANCE, THEN

Get Straight – Then Strengthen!

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How to Improve Posture and Rounded Shoulders

DO YOU SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE YOU’RE CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON YOUR SHOULDERS?

(‘Well, in a sense you might be!’)

Many people have asked me how to improve posture rounded shoulders and other posture related issues. That being the case I have spent years working with people to not only improve their golf game but their overall posture and health.

There is No Doubt in my mind that Posture is THE most neglected and least understood aspect of Health & Fitness.  Although I’ve gotten a reputation as the Golf Flexibility Guy for quite a few years,  it was  when I learned that ALL of my injuries (which ended my pro golf career), were actually due to my muscle imbalances and improper posture!  It was then that I got on a PROPER Posture Restoration Program that not only got me out of pain, but got me playing my best golf again!

Why you may ask?

Whether we know it or not, we humans are all ‘Slaves’ to Gravity’s forces upon us.  When we stand vertical and the joints are stacked on top of one another, there is much less stress placed upon ALL of our body’s systems.  BUT, when our body’s alignment gets out of their natural 90 degree angles, Gravity then places A LOT of Stress on not only our joints, but also inhibits our Breathing, Circulation, Digestion,  AND  CAUSES STRESS!.

I designed THE POSTURE SYSTEM, to help you identify YOUR Posture Type, and give you a simple to use program to get you back into proper alignment – and Thus take the Load off of your Body.

If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to check out my website on Posture and check out my Videos and Posture Products.

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YOU’RE ONLY AS YOUNG AS YOUR SPINE – ROLLER COASTERS

Rigidity in one’s body is a huge detriment to a fundamental golf swing, not to mention most all other forms of sports and movement. I believe strongly as the Yogi’s say, ‘You’re only as Young as your Spine’.

Keeping your spine healthy will go a long way to a healthy and fit life!

Over a lifetime of golf, I’ve observed literally thousands of different body types and have come to the conclusion that the golfers who play the longest are the ones who have the best Flexibility and Range of Motion. Although Strength is obviously another vital component, I feel strongly that Flexibility Reigns Supreme in maintaining the fountain of youth.

One of my favorite exercises is Roller Coasters – which we feature in the CORE STRENGTHENING PORTION OF THE POSTURE SYSTEM – demonstrated in today’s video with Victoria and Keith. Roller Coasters have It all: Flexibility, Strengthening, and Cardiovascular, which are all the ingredients of a complete workout.

However, if doing the Roller Coasters the way Victoria is demonstrating is too challenging, or if you have back and/or disc problems in your back, then do them the way that Keith is demonstrating.

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STRENGTHEN YOUR BACK & STRETCH YOUR PECS WITH THE SKYDIVER POSE

One of my common themes is that due to our Forward Bending Culture that has us Bent over at desks, cars, and even golf stances, our bodies get out of ‘True’ as a carpenter would say. Remember:

YOUR BODY WILL MOLD ITSELF INTO WHATEVER ACTIVITY IT’S DOING OVER LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

When you see the Rounded Shoulder Forward Head Look, it simply means that the muscles on the Anterior (front) of our torsos have tightened and pulled the torso forward, and the back muscles then become too weak due to the dominance of the Anterior torso.

A Great Exercise, and one that I do most days along with my overall Flexibility Program/Posture Programs, is Skydivers (as shown in today’s video). Generally speaking, I like to do around 3 SETS of a count of 5, or 1 or 2 SETS OF 5-10 Active Movements where you hold the pose for 1-2 seconds.

IF YOU HAVE DISC INVOLVEMENT YOU CAN EITHER DO THE ALTERNATE METHOD THAT KEITH IS DEMONSTRATING, OR ELIMINATE IT FROM YOUR PROGRAM.

AND, Of course, I highly recommend that you do the Flexibility Programs before and after to make sure you’re warmed up.

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A SIMPLE WAY TO BALANCE THE BODY BEFORE A ROUND OF GOLF

Since over 90+% of our population is right handed, the majority of golfers have stronger and tighter right sides, thus weaker left sides. Over time, these Imbalances become quite noticeable, and with the majority of right handed golfers, you’ll see a lower and more forward right shoulder.

Being out of balance wreaks havoc on your body and joints, not only limiting mobility, but also increasing the likelihood of a host of musculoskeletal injuries such as back surgeries, knee or hip replacement, etc. Always remember, that the body conforms to whatever position it’s in for long periods of time.

Again, because we spend nearly all of our time doing everything with just one side of the body. Driving a car… it’s the right leg that’s constantly working the gas and the brake. At a computer… it’s the right hand working the mouse. Baseball, Tennis, and playing a round of Golf… all these movements are predominantly all on the right side for the majority of people.

This results in an overdevelopment of the muscles on the right side and an underdevelopment of the muscles on the left side. Your right bicep is probably bigger than your left. In fact, most of the muscles on your dominant side are bigger and more developed than your non-dominant side. This makes them stronger and tighter, so your right shoulder is lower than your left, and if it’s really pronounced, your head even tilts to the right. This happens to your shoulders and to your hips.

This happens over years, BUT; it doesn’t take years to start to correct it. Proper stretching along with a simple Posture Restoration Program, and doing simple drills using your left side more, and balancing your exercises can make a huge change.

One of my favorite tools for rapid results here is the Power Swing Fan. Swinging the fan left handed just 10 times before or after a round will balance your body. The added resistance through the impact zone will start to build up your left side and will make it stronger faster, which is why it only takes a few swings to overcome an entire round of golf, and/or sitting down at your desk. Being better balanced won’t just help your posture and mobility but it will also help you swing faster, hit longer, straighter, and more consistent drives making golf fun again.

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HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR WORKOUTS BETWEEN WORKOUTS


Working out in our current culture is like taking 3 steps forward, then 2 steps back.  By that I mean that unlike our ancestors who basically moved and stayed in motion all day while they hunted and gathered, we spend the majority of our time Sitting down at our desks and computers, in our cars, on our couches, etc; which then bastardize the workouts that we’ve been doing.  Since nearly all of us are trapped in the sedentary lifestyle that exists in our culture, it’s often difficult to maintain our health & fitness – and especially our Posture!

However, I’ve found a phenomenal product called The Alignmed Posture Shirt that will not only keep your posture intact, but actually help; improve it—-Just By Wearing It!

With the unique material and stitching design of this product, the Shirt actually pulls your shoulders back and by doing so, fires the Posterior muscles to ‘Stay There’ and not slouch forward!  The shirt also tucks down below your glutes and helps maintain neutrality in your pelvis.

I have nearly all my tour professionals and athletes who travel a lot wear the Alignment Shirt, especially when they travel so that they can maintain the integrity of their posture All Day Long.

If you haven’t tried the shirt yet, I highly encourage you to:  GET IT ON!!

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WHOLE BODY STRETCHES AND EXERCISES ARE THE WAY TO GO!!


Remember, the old children’s nursery rhyme, “The Ankle Bone’s connected to the Shin Bone –The Shin Bone’s connected to the Knee Bone…”  The muscles of the human body are just like your car.  IE., They’re like tile on a roof and all run and work together.  Getting the body back into its natural 4 socket position design gets all of the muscles WORKING TOGETHER and help take the friction off of the injured joint and allow it to heal.  This is the reason why a lot of surgeries don’t take and people often end up with multiple surgeries.  Isn’t it interesting that around 1 out of 3 back surgeries are Re-Do’s?

In today’s video, I demonstrate how a couple of GREAT products- the Postursizer and Slant Board, will  help straighten you and get you back into proper anatomical alignment.  Once you get off of the Slant Board, you’ll feel what I call ‘The Thoracic Lift’.  At this point, not only will you feel Lighter and Taller, but you’ll be ready to do your exercises more effectively and……………. Go For It!

Leave your questions and comments for Roger Below!

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Neck Stretches


Do You Spend A Lot Of Time With Your Head Looking Down? In this video  I’m showing you a simple little routine that will help you get the kinks out of your neck from the stain ‘Looking Down’ puts on it. No doubt, the main reason for this is because of our Sitting Down ’Sedentary Lifestyle’ which not only tightens and creates muscle imbalances throughout our torso, but, has us looking down into our iPhones, Computers, Golf Stances, etc.

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Better Posture = Feeling Better

It has become irrefutable to me, that proper posture is the #1 most important aspect of musculeo skeletal health than any other. 

If there is one thing that gets more and more re-enforced into my brain year after year, it’s that the body has ONE design, and ONE design only, in which to operate from; and the more that people get out of this design, the more ailments they are prone to have.  Nature gave us one blueprint in which to operate from and that is, (From the side view), the Ear should be on top of the Hip joint, the Hip joint should be on top of the Knee, and the Knee should be on top of the ankle.  In other words, these joints are designed to stack on top of one another.  Along these lines, the next LAW of nature, is that muscles were designed to move joints, n

ot the other way around, and when these muscles get too imbalanced, they cause the joints to get out of it’s design, thus creating unbalanced load forces on the joints.

The reason that the vast majority of our population has so many aches and pains is simply because we live in a culture that in one sense – is not natural!  Instead of hunting and gathering, walking and moving in a multitude of directions, we instead sit and lean forward, whether driving a car, sitting at our desks, watching TV, ad infinitum.  Sitting down too much, is literally the #1 musculeo skeletal problem in our culture, simply because the hip muscles do too much work holding our torsos up, while the legs do too little work.  The result is that our hip muscles don’t work in sync with our legs. In time, the over use of our hip muscles begin to dominate our pelvis and eventually move it out of position.  Once the pelvis gets out of position, every single joint in the body is affected and in turn, the joints get too much friction, or pressure placed upon them.  When that happens, we’ll begin to see back problems, hip problems, knee problems, shoulder problems,  etc.  Simply by recognizing a persons posture, one can begin to eradicate the pressure placed upon the joints be doing the proper sequenced exercises (usually beginning with stretching) which will return balance to the body.

Whether it’s analyzing a golf swing, or prescribing a “custom” fitness program, restoring a person to proper posture is the key. 

How’s your posture?  How are your ailments?

What’s Your Posture Type?

Find out with our Free Posture Test!

Posture moderates and affects every physiologic condition in the human body, from Respiratory, Digestive, Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, even Hormones!

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PROP YOURSELF UP TO PREVENT SLOUCHING

(Our Bodies will always Mold itself into whatever it’s doing over long periods of time!)

How to stop posture issues while sitting

It’s no secret by now that Sitting Down too much is a major reason why we have so many health and posture problems in our culture today. No Doubt, the Sedentary Life Style that pervades our culture weakens and affects virtually every system in our bodies; including the circulatory and respiratory systems. ( Not to mention, tightens up and restricts our golf swings!).

Because our Bodies will Mold itself into whatever it’s doing over long periods of time, it’s a good idea, to put a pillow or cushion behind our backs and against the back of the chair when we’re sitting. By doing this, you’ll help prevent Slouching that will certainly play havoc on your health.

And although this tip will help you maintain good posture and well being, don’t forget that to get your body into excellent health and fitness, an all around program involving the Lower – Mid – and Upper Torso, should be included. Which is what my Flexibility and Posture Restoration Programs will do!