Our clients’ posture matters

In this issue, we speak with Fluidform Founder, Kirsten King about how different posture types impact how we work with our clients.

How do you assess your client's posture?

When I program for my clients, it isn’t just about static assessments.  I am monitoring them from the moment they walk into the studio, how they sit, stand, move down onto the mat, how they set up positions and how they move through the exercises.  This continual observation, provides opportunities to identify tightness and weaknesses you don’t always see in set up static assessments.  As my clients then move through the class, I am constantly adjusting my programming to address what I see and suit what they need.

What other factors contribute to our clients' posture?

What client’s do during their daily lives is a major contribution to their postures.  Repetitive movements and positions cause tightness and imbalance.  Understanding this allows you to not only identify and address imbalances, it allows you to program movements to support their daily lives, build strength and reduce further imbalance in their bodies.

How do you choose the movements you program to suit your clients?

I have my core fundamental movements, I have developed these after teaching many different bodies in the studios.  I then layer and build on these movements to suit my client.  These movements are functional and safe for everyone and most of all they provide results.

Below we go through some of the common postures Kirsten sees in the studio, how they identify and some key points to focus on when programming for them.

Office Worker

We teach many clients in the studio who spend a lot of time in the office, working at their desks for prolonged periods. Their composition typically resembles a forward head position, tightness through the front of neck and chest, and weakness through the upper back. Their lumbar spine has lost its healthy neutral curve, and their hips sit forward, with their body almost hanging into their legs. They will often complain of tightness through their lower back and front of hips, with a lack of strength in their hips, abdominals and glutes. 

First and foremost, daily movement will help to mobilise and realign their body, releasing tightness and imbalances. Our purpose as their teacher is to create a personalised program to enhance the lives and each individual and their function. 

For an office worker, our focus is to provide the movements to balance their body, addressing tightness and weakness. 

The first step is to ask ourselves, what is the functional movement this office-worker client needs? Our programming will focus on:

1.    Creating space and openness through their hips. 

2.    Opening their chest and the front of their body.

3.    Strengthening their legs, upper back and abdominals. 

This might include exercises like quadruped, extension work and plies.

New Mum

During pregnancy and childbirth, the body undergoes an incredible process of change. The spine adjusts to allow for the baby to grow, and the body releases hormones to relax joints and ligaments in the body. In the months following delivery, these changes start to reverse impacting your clients spine, pelvis, glutes and surrounding muscles. These clients spend a lot of time in flexion, especially through their lumbar spine. The repetitive movements of lifting their baby in and out of a cot, nursing and feeding all place strain on the mother’s body. 

For these clients, we focus on supporting their body as it moves back into alignment, muscles reconnect and rebuild strength. Our programming will focus on:

1.    Opening their upper body 

2.    Realigning their spine and hips 

3.    Improving their balance  

One great way of doing this is doing pelvic curls, movements in quadruped position and isometric holds to help stabilise the body as it regains strength.
  

Ageing 

We teach many ageing clients in the studios, as Pilates and functional movement has incredible benefits to support your body and maintain strength as we age. They often have a forward head position, with an extended kyphotic curve, a lack of abdominal strength, and lacking joint strength and stability. Our purpose is to support the joints by maintaining healthy movement and strength.

Your clients need consistent, supported movement and balance work to maintain the strength of their slow twitch muscles, spine and joints. Our programming will focus on:

1.    Balance work

2.    Supported movements 

3.    Slow twitch muscles to support the spine and joints

They will also benefit from standing work (supported by a barre, chair or stick if required), pelvic curls and side lying.

High Intensity Trainer or Heavy Weight Lifters

HIIT trainers and heavy weight lifters typically resemble a bulky, strong frame with dominant global muscles. Imagine a military-like posture – a proud chest, almost flat through the upper back with a pronounced lordotic curve in the lumbar spine as a result of the anterior tilt in the pelvis. Despite a strong frame and larger muscles, the smaller, slow twitch muscles are often neglected. 

For these clients we focus on bringing balance back to the body.  Finding alignment and strengthening the slow twitch muscles against the dominant fast twitch. Our programming will focus on:

1.    Strengthening their slow twitch muscles

2.    Realigning their spine 

They will benefit greatly from side lying glute work, rollbacks and parallel plies. Initially, you would avoid adding load or long levers. Start with closed chain movements and focus on the correct set up before moving.

My teaching is about teaching the body in front of you.  Understanding their posture, their daily lives and programming to support this.

Kirsten King is the Founder of Fluidform Pilates. You can find out more about her method via fluidformpilates.com/ or her Fluidform Training program training.fluidformpilates.com/