Sean Bailey75 said:If you're doing it wrong, anything can happen.
If someone were to train correctly and follow the guidance of a professional, they would almost certainly see improvements in a short amount of time simply by engaging the motor reflex of contraction and relaxation. Specifically, if everything is stiff because it's constantly spasming, then even basic exercises focused on maximal tension and release could actually improve circulation and yield results.
Doing nothing as a solution definitely won't produce any results; in fact, things could just get worse.
That is a majorly flawed assumption. In reality, slouching most often occurs due to muscle atrophy in the back and poor circulation in that area. This imbalance doesn't necessarily mean the chest and abdominal muscles are strong if the back and postural muscles are far too weak. Most of the time, the issue is actually that many of those muscles have wasted away from atrophy. In such a case, claiming this is a "normal" state would be counterproductive, because it's an abnormal state that leads to serious health issues.
The only way to help oneself is to take action—start exercising under the supervision of a professional initially, and once you've mastered the basics, move on to more advanced movements.
Don't you think that when someone hunches forward, it shifts their center of gravity? Like, their chin starts jutting out and their weight moves toward their toes instead of staying over their heels?
If you agree with that—which I think you should—then you also have to admit that the body tries to compensate by cranking up the activation in the back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves just to keep the head and torso upright.
You can test this yourself quite easily—just stand up straight and slowly push your head forward while hunching over. You'll feel it immediately—more contraction in the abs, more tension in the back, the glutes, the posterior chain, and even the front of the feet.
Right?
So then, how does a muscle group that's working overtime to hold up the weight of the head and shoulders end up becoming atrophied and weak?
If you give someone with bad posture a little poke, you'll notice they feel incredibly tight all along that entire posterior kinetic chain.
And look, nobody is saying "do nothing"—far from it. But in my experience, the fastest and most lasting results come from gaining better control over the anterior side—basically learning how to relax those overactive chest and abdominal muscles—which is what actually allows the posture to straighten out.
