An anterior pelvic tilt can develop if you wear high-heeled shoes often and your knees angle toward each other. This position looks as if you are pushing your stomach out in front of you, with the tops of your hip bones bent forward. The abnormal curve of your pelvis can cause upper-body posture problems, including a hunched back. Incorporate anterior pelvic tilt exercises into your abdominal exercise routine to tilt your hip bones backward, improving or preventing poor posture.
Considerations
The muscles of your lower back and abdominals maintain the stability of your trunk and pelvis. In addition to the types of shoes you wear and your lower-body joint angles, poor abdominal conditioning and tight lower-back muscles also contribute to the anterior tilt of your pelvis. Incorporating strengthening exercises for all of your abdominal muscles and your lower back muscles will strengthen your trunk muscles around the circumference of your abdominal and lower back area. Train these muscles twice per week, ensuring you have at least 48 hours of rest between each session.
Hip Flexion
This exercise engages your abdominal and hip flexor muscles as you flex your hips and your lower back muscles as you extend your hips. Hip flexions are done with you sitting on an exercise ball, with your thighs parallel to the floor. Draw your navel toward your back to engage your transverse abdominal muscle, the horizontal muscle running from one side of your trunk to the other; it is your body's natural girdle. Perform this exercise by contracting your rectus abdominus muscle to flex your hips, curling the bottom of your pelvis forward. Then contract your lower back muscles to return the bottom of your pelvis to a neutral, upright position. Repeat the flexion and extension movements for two sets of 15 repetitions.
Ball Bridges with Shoulder Roll
Ball bridges strongly engage your transverse abdominus to keep your pelvis nearly parallel to the floor; your glute muscles are also activated to assist. Perform this exercise by first sitting on the stability ball, then walking your feet forward as you lie flat on the ball. Adjust your body's position so that the ball lies between your shoulder blades. Your arms should be extended straight out to either side. Raise your pelvis upward and suck your navel toward your spine so your thighs, pelvis and head are in a straight line. Next, slightly shift your left shoulder toward the left so it comes off of the ball and hold the position for five seconds. Return to the center, then shift your right shoulder blade slightly off the ball and hold for five seconds.
Lying Bridges
Lying bridges enable you to focus on tilting your pelvis backward as you push your pelvis up in the air, engaging your transverse abdominals and the lower half of your rectus abdominus. This exercise is performed by lying with your back flat on the floor. The ball should be positioned under the lower end of your calves. To begin this exercise, place your arms out at a diagonal from your body. Then contract your abdominals and your gluteal muscles to raise your pelvis and most of your trunk upward; your shoulder blades should remain in contact with the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then relax and lie back on the floor. Repeat the exercise for five repetitions of 30 seconds.
References
- "Equal But Not The Same, Considerations for Training Females"; C.H.E.K. Institute; 1997
- "Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Peggy Houglum; 2005
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