The posterior chain

People often poke fun at my broad shouldered "tough man" walk.  The fact is, that walk is the example of a good posterior chain.

The posterior chain encompasses the entire back of your body; from where your trapezius attaches to the base of your school, down through your lats and rhomboids, your erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings and to the calves.

The body's natural tendency is to get stronger and tighter on the front but weak in the back. Most of this can be attributed to the anatomical fact that the hips hinge more this way, we tend to reach forward more, we sit more, and gravity is more influential this way.

It is important to create symmetry of the body, meaning equal strength and flexibility on the front as well as the back.  This needs to be addressed with proper resistance training (lower back extensions, planks, reverse flys, lat pull downs), proper stretching of tight opposing muscles (hip flexors and chest), and also walking with correct posture (broad shouldered).

Look in the mirror, check your posture!