Getting shredded is all well and good, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be a strong and healthy base that dictates your fitness. What base might we be talking about?
The pelvis. The connector of your thighs, abdominals, and back.
Whenever this important part of our bodies is thrown out of balance, things start to go bad, sometimes very bad. The problem tends to either be posterior pelvic tilt or anterior pelvic tilt, the latter of which we’ll be expanding on below.
While possibly leading to several problems, anterior pelvic tilt can be alleviated and even fixed with a steady commitment to including the proper stretches and strength training into your daily routine.
Anterior pelvic tilt (or APT for short) is a postural misalignment when the pelvis is rotated, or tilted, forwards and down. If looking from the side, this looks like the front of your pelvis being significantly lower than the back of your pelvis. While a slight anterior tilt is common (up to 10%), an exaggerated one is cause for concern.
One way to test whether you have APT is doing the Thomas Test, which is commonly used with gymnasts and dancers.
If you passed the Thomas test, the back of your resting leg should have been resting against the table every time you got into position.
However, if you had to either rotate or extend the resting leg for it to touch the table, then that’s a sign you might have anterior pelvic tilt.
If you’re not sure after doing the Thomas test, there are a few symptoms to watch out for if you think you have APT.
The first and most obvious is low back pain. Since the hips are rotated forward, this leads to the inward curving of the lumbar spine, also known as lordosis. Pain in the groin region can also come with lower back pain.
Another symptom is the tightening of certain muscles. This primarily includes tight hip flexors, hamstrings, and quadriceps. This all leads to postural changes, which can cascade into a series of knee pain, back pain, and hip pain.
So, the first step with fixing the problem is finding out what’s actually going on. The issue basically comes down to the tightening of certain muscles and the weakening of others.
The muscles that are tight, or are overactive, are the collection of hip flexor muscles; the psoas, rectus femoris, iliopsoas, and iliacus. The erector spinae muscle group is also affected (the muscles important for stabilizing your spine).
On the other hand, we have the muscles that have been weakened: primarily the abdominal muscles and the glutes, which includes the gluteus maximus, medias, and minimus.
Therefore, it follows that a proper alleviation of APT will have some sort of element of stretching to fix the tight muscles, and an element of strength training to beef up the weaker muscles.
If you either want to avoid APT or not add fuel to the fire, it’s important to know what causes this condition.
The primary reason is inactivity, and in particular, sitting too much. It’s not surprising that APT is becoming a bigger and bigger problem in today’s world with a population that’s increasingly stagnate at desk jobs. But while the most common reason, there’s a host of others that it’s good to be aware of.
For one, improper form with both the squat and especially the deadlift can compound the issues of APT, and even cause them. That’s why technique is so important when it comes to your heavy lifts.
Pelvic tilt can also be caused by either imbalanced strength training routines (when there aren’t enough movements targeting the core), and also from imbalances caused by certain sports (such as the aforementioned gymnastics). Lastly, there’s genetics, which opens up a whole can of worms.
As we mentioned above, part of fixing the issue is going to come down to stretching the muscles that are too tight. That means the hip flexors should be the focus of stretching, rather than the erector spinae. This is because the erector spinae muscle group tends to be a consequence of ATP instead of the cause.
In the hip flexor muscle group, it’s going to be the iliopsoas muscle that should be brought to the forefront of stretching. When it comes to strengthening muscles, it’s going to be glutes and abs that take the limelight.
While we could get into the nitty-gritty right off the bat, it’s going to be difficult for someone to do these movements properly if they don’t know what a “proper” pelvic angle feels like.
If you’ve done the Thomas test you already know what it’s supposed to look like, but it’s also important to get used to working with your pelvis to tilt it back and forth.
This is best done lying face-up on the floor with your knees bent at about a 90-degree angle. If you have APT, there is probably going to be significant space between your lower back and the floor. Initiate the movement by activating your glutes, tilting the pelvis, and then pushing your lower back into the ground.
This position is the posterior pelvic tilt, and it’s useful to get used to it so you can work with the advised stretches and exercises to their greatest benefit. Try going between the two positions for several reps until you get used to moving your pelvis around.
While the necessity of releasing the tight muscles before going into the stretches and strength movements will depend on the severity of a person’s APT, it’s a good idea to begin the routine this way nonetheless.
To release the erector spinae, place a massage ball underneath your lower back and lie down on it. However, make sure to use an OK amount of bodyweight, not too heavy and not too light. Remember not to put the ball directly underneath your spine, but do try to aim for the spots that are the most painful.
Some bruising might happen the first few times you do this, but don’t worry. Try to keep this release up for about 3 minutes (on each side) before each session.
When it comes to your hip flexors, you’ll want to place a foam roller underneath this muscle group and put your bodyweight overtop. It will be helpful to search up where muscles such as the rectus femoris and anterior adductors are, in order to find the correct spot for the foam roller, but it should be around your upper, front thigh region.
Once again, do this for about 3 minutes on each side before every training session.
There are three main stretches that are recommended, each targeting specific aspects of the muscle groups that are overactive. In terms of equipment, all you need is your bodyweight and some space.
This stretch is meant to target your psoas muscle on your inner thigh, helping to loosen up your hip flexors.
Over a series of sessions, this should begin loosening up your hip flexors.
The rectus femoris is the other muscle that makes up the hip flexors, and so it’s therefore essential that it’s properly stretched. This muscle is often tighter than the psoas, so take extra care with this stretch.
You can do this stretch either standing or kneeling.
The kneeling version can offer more stability if that’s an issue, and with the use of a bench, you can get an even deeper stretch if you’ve got the mobility to spare. This is adjustable by either bringing the bench closer or further away from you.
This is a great movement that combines elements of strengthening and stretching at the same time. Specifically, it will aid in abdominal activation while also stretching out your back and glutes.
Like the stretches above, these will also be bodyweight. When creating a routine to target your APT, make sure to include a variety of exercises that have different focuses. We’ve included some of the best exercises for you to choose from below.
As the name suggests, this movement will strengthen your glutes while also engaging your hamstrings, making it the perfect movement to tackle APT.
While similar to the glute bridge, hip thrusts introduce a wider range of motion due to the fact that your torso is elevated about your feet. It also targets the glutes and can even be done with a weight in your lap if you want to do it loaded.
This movement engages your abdominals to a high degree while also being a good hip flexor stretch.
Although RKC stands for the Russian Kettlebell Challenge, you won’t be using any kettlebells. What you will be doing, however, is engaging all of the conventional plank muscles to a much higher degree.
This works really well for our purposes since it’s those exact muscles we want to be strengthening, namely, the abs and glutes. Its secret comes down to the unique form.
It comes down to avoiding excessive sitting and poor posture while also avoiding weak glutes and weak abdominals, keeping your back muscles in check as well.
But while the above releases, stretches, and corrective exercises might put you well on your way to fixing any anterior tilt issues and muscle imbalances you might have, it’s going to be the daily commitment to the routine that brings home the bacon.
Keeping your eye on the prize and setting goals will be there to motivate you when nothing else will.
