How to improve your posture for triathlon

Two years of pandemic forced us all back into our homes, seeing us work from kitchen tables, sofas, even floors! In short, it wasn’t good for our mobility, activity levels or posture. Unsurprisingly, because of this, and the fact many of us are still working more hours at home than pre-pandemic, there’s been a marked increase in reported aches and pains.

Here, Rob Madden, who worked closely with Anthony Joshua for 10 years and is performance coach to F1 driver Lance Stroll, provides a complete guide to posture plus his five key exercises to help alleviate pain and improve flexibility.

What is posture?

Posture is defined as the attitude assumed by the body either with support during course of activity or as a result of the coordinated action.

How has the pandemic and at-home working affected our posture?

Many people were spending longer periods in one position due to a change of habits. Reasons contributing to this were: no commuting/travel to work and perhaps not going out for lunch and having to remain within their house/apartment all day.

Good or bad posture alone is actually not the cause of issues, but not moving enough or taking enough breaks for activity led to an increase in aches and pains.

• Self-massage: how to treat your aches and pains

What constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ posture?

As mentioned before it’s not quite as clear cut as being in one posture or another is bad for the body. The body is very resilient to cope with a variety of different postures. However, remaining in one position for very long periods of time without a good exercise routine can certainly impact the physical health of an individual. It may also lead to a greater risk of pain/stiffness.

For example, if someone has spent 40 hours sat down throughout a working week with no exercise or movement and then goes to play golf on the weekend without preparation, this can lead to reduced performance and greater chances of aches and pains. The video guides below are designed to give people a few easy options to take breaks away from the desk.

It’s also very much encouraged for people to spend large chunks of their day stood up (for example use a sit-to-stand desk). Also, where possible take a voice call on a hands free device so they can take a walk.

How can cycling negatively impact posture?

Following on from the above theme, cycling is a really positive way of exercising the body and can improve overall fitness and physical health.

However, if that individual only ever cycles and does not participate in other types of activity opposing the very flexed nature of cycling (flexed hip, flexed spine, flexed knees) then that may limit them and could increase risk of aches and pains.

My key advice is it to include variety within their physical training and sensibly manage the training load they do in one week and only gradually increase it.

• How to get more comfortable in the aero position on the bike

Does the three-sport nature of triathlon actually help with posture?

In keeping with the above theme, the nature of triathlon is fantastic as it creates a huge variety of different physical postures which the body will benefit from.

It does of course require careful training planning and sensible periodisation throughout a year, but it’s an extremely positive thing to do for the body. It’s also the ultimate test of fitness! All the triathletes I ever worked with were in brilliant shape.

• Running posture: What’s best for triathletes?

What advice can you give people who are still home-working or are desk-bound most of the day?

Follow the above advice and the below video series!

What are the best exercises to focus on?

Intro to minimising aches and pain from working from home

How to improve posture at your desk

How to use a foam roller to alleviate back pain

• What type of foam roller should I use?

How to alleviate neck pain

How to alleviate shoulder pain

Top image: Getty Images