THE POSTURE

PLAYBOOK
Conor Harris
BS, CSCS, XPS, CES, CPT
 DISCLAIMER
This eBook is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as a
means of injury diagnosis or treatment. If you are in pain, go see a
qualified physical therapist.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the ebook! I am excited to share with you an easily
digestible guide to understanding and improving your posture.

The goal for this guide is to give you the resources to

understand exactly why your body looks the way it does, why it
can feel asymmetrical, and how we can truly address the root
cause of poor posture and subsequently, poor movement
patterns.

The ebook will be in the following order:

1. What is posture really telling us?
2. How to self-assess your posture
3. Tools and exercises to being to fix your problems

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

RE-DEFINING POSTURE
Posture is a representation of how we manage our center of
gravity.

Our center of gravity can be described how we distribute our

bodyweight from head to toe in relationship to the ground.

Essentially, all our body is trying to do is keep itself upright

against gravity.

Gravity is constantly pushing us down, so we need to find the

strategy that is best available to us based on our genetics,
movement capabilities, and injury history to stay upright.

Therefore, we will find a way to organize our spine curves

around an invisible line that runs down the center of our body.
This is what every single posture has in common:

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

We will tilt our pelvis forward, backward, and side-to-side to
best accomplish this.

But then, our shoulders have to adjust to accommodate for that

to balance out our center of gravity.

For example, if my pelvis tilts forward, my ribcage has to move

back, or else I will fall forward:

If my pelvis tilts back, my head/neck has to move forward, or

else I will fall backward:

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 If my pelvis tilts up on one side, the shoulder on that side will
tend to shift down in many cases:

Hopefully you’re starting to get the picture.

The point is, we can’t keep looking as posture as if:

“Oh these muscles are tight/overactive and these other ones are
long/underactive, so all I need to do is stretch the tight ones and
activate the long ones!”

No. That is addressing the symptom, not the actual cause.

We need to ask WHY.

Why are those muscles tight in the first place?

Did your body decide to wake up one day and create tight hip
flexors and pec muscles?

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Did your body think it was a good idea for you to live with
Anterior Pelvic Tilt because it thought it would be fun?

Of course not. Everything our body does happens for a reason.

Our bodies are not stupid. Our brains, working constantly at a

sub-conscious level to monitor our center of gravity, balance,
and threat level, are not stupid.

The Real Answer

Going back to the example before, maybe your pelvis is tipped
forward into Anterior Pelvic Tilt because you are trying to find
something you’re lacking.

For example, we generally need internal rotation at the hips to

produce force and move forward in the gait (walking) cycle.

If we lack this ability to create internal rotation at the hips, we

will need to find it somewhere else.

When our pelvis tilts forward, we pick up internal rotation:

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 This is a strategy to pick up compensatory internal rotation.
Now you can produce that force you previously couldn’t, but
you also set off the cascade of compensations that lead to the
pelvis tipping forward and ribcage tipping back:

Now your hip flexors feel tight all the time, so you think that is
the issue.

This doesn‘t apply to just both sides of the body at the same time,
or just from front-to-back.

This can, and does, have major implications on side-to-side

imbalances as well.

Another example: Maybe you sprained your left ankle badly

when you were 16 years old.

Your body didn’t trust it’s ability to load your left side any more
so you shifted your center of gravity to your right side, but now
you set off that cascade of compensations where your right hip
hikes up, your right shoulder lowers.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Now your right low back and knee hurts because you can’t shift
out of your right side and you’re overloading your body on that
side.

Maybe now your left knee hurts because every time you load
your left side, your body doesn’t trust your left side and your
knee collapses in because it’s making up for the fact that you
can’t properly load your ankle.

Hopefully this is starting to make sense.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Tight muscles, pain, and limited range of motion
are all symptoms of a greater underlying
problem: The inability for us to control our
center of gravity and effectively shift from one
side to another in the gait cycle.

I promise you, if you improve those things, in most cases a lot of

these “problems” suddenly start to disappear.

This is going to be easy in some cases, and hard in others.

Anyone who tells you it’s always an easy fix is lying to you.

In the upcoming section, I’m going to show you easy tools for
understanding how your body is presenting the way it is today,
and what those easy assessments tell you.

Then, we’re going to get into exactly what you can start to do
about it.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 SIMPLE ASSESSMENTS
We are going to use three simple assessments to understand how our
body’s posture is organized:

1. Head Rotation
2. Shoulder Abduction
3. Pelvis Rotation

These three assessments are the most common tests I use in my

Biomechanics Course, and in my every day practice.

Let me show you why:

Head Rotation:

Ideal range of motion: 30 degrees, or the ability to get your chin to

the front of your collarbone without any restriction.

You’ll know when to stop when you feel any amount of tension in
your neck beyond about a 1/10 intensity.
© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present
 This test tells us to what side you can more easily turn your
head/neck towards.

In order to do that optimally, we need to be able to have a “neutral”

position of the neck to allow the vertebrae to rotate fluidly and as
needed for full range of motion.

If we have less than 30 degrees on both sides, that tell us that your
head is likely in a forward position, creating restrictions on both
sides.

If you have noticeably more range of motion, or one side feels easier
than the other, then the side that is easier is very likely the side your
head is constantly rotated towards to some extent throughout the
day and within your posture.

You just don’t feel it because your body has normalized this within
you. You don’t know any different. Below is obviously exaggerated
for visual demonstration.

Rightward-Oriented Head Better Right Rotation

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 Shoulder Abduction:

Ideal range of motion: 45 degrees, or the ability to get your humerus

(arm bone) at a perfectly diagonal angle to the ground.

You’ll know when to stop when you feel any amount of tension in
your pec, arm, or shoulder beyond about a 2/10 intensity.

This test is assessing for your ability to turn your sternum/ribcage to

one side, and have your shoulder rotate in a way that represents
freedom of movement without restriction.

If you have less than 45 degrees on both sides, you likely have some
degree of tightness/compression of your shoulder because your
ribcage isn’t in a good position to allow your scapula (shoulder blade)
to move freely on it.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

If one side feels noticeably better than the other, then you are likely
turned towards that side within your ribcage.

Here is a simple way you can visualize that. If your ribcage is turned
to the right, then it’s going to be easy for you to abduct your shoulder
on that side, which will naturally make your left side more
challenging:

Rightward-Oriented Trunk Better Right Abduction

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 Pelvis Rotation:

Ideal range of motion: 70 degrees, meaning the crease of your knees

gets almost to parallel with the table/floor.

You’ll know when to stop when you feel any amount of tension in
your low back, hips, or ribs beyond about a 2/10 intensity.

This test is assessing for your ability to turn your pelvis towards a
given side.

You are keeping your trunk stable while your pelvis is turning
towards one side.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

If you are limited less than 70 degrees on both sides, you likely have a
forward center of gravity which is creating a tight low back and flared
ribcage on both sides.

If one side is noticeably easier than the other, then your pelvis is very
likely turned towards that side, limiting your ability to shift out of the
side that’s easier and making it harder to shift into the side that is
more limited.

Rightward-Oriented Pelvis Better Right Pelvis Rotation

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 INTERPRETING
ASSESSMENTS
Ultimately, everyone is going to have some limitation. If you pass all
the tests, I would bet you are pushing too hard through restriction.

Keep in mind that you need to stop these tests at the first sign of any
meaningful tension.

After you gather your assessment results, one of two things will
become clear:

1. You have all your tests indicating your are turned towards one
side
2. You have mixed results

Think of a rubix cube.

Your head, ribcage, and pelvis are all oriented in a given direction -
the left or right.
© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present
Your head can be oriented to the left while your ribcage and pelvis
are oriented to the right:

R L

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Your head and ribcage can be turned to the left while your pelvis is
turned to the right:

R L

Everyone will be a bit different. But the key is, considering how this is
affecting your center of gravity and your ability to shift from side to
side.
© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
POSTURE & MOVEMENT
There are two ways to start to fix your posture and movement
capabilities.

It will depend on your assessments.

Method #1

If you were limited on both sides in two out of three, or all three,
assessments then you should start here.

For example, if you two or more of the following:

Less than 30 degrees of head rotation on both sides
Less than 45 degrees of shoulder abduction on both sides
Less than 70 degrees of trunk rotation on both sides

You very likely have significant restrictions in your ability to control

your center of gravity. It’s likely forward to some extent.

You have either anterior or posterior pelvic tilt which is creating

tightness on either the front or back side of your hips, which both can
significantly restrict these measurements.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

If you have anterior pelvic tilt, you are stuck in a more forward
position of your pelvis. The goal would be to help you find your
heels (rearfoot) with pulling your pelvis into more of a relative
backward position.

Here are some exercises that helps with this:

EXERCISE #1:
COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE REPS
90/90 Hip Lift with Active Ball 8 breaths
Squeeze
Note: Some benefit from not squeezing the
ball at all, but most do. Experiment with what
works best for you. If you do squeeze, make
sure everything else stays relaxed outside of
hamstrings/inner thighs.

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present
 EXERCISE #2:
COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE REPS
Standing Latissimus Stretch 8 breaths per
side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

If you have posterior pelvic tilt, you are stuck in a more backward
position of your pelvis. The goal would be to help you create a more
neutral pelvis with a little bit more forward position of your pelvis
and to help your find your center of gmore over your mid-foot.

Here are some exercises that help with this:

EXERCISE #1:
COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE REPS
Supine Chest Opener 5-8 breaths
(however many
you can do
without feeling
any neck at all)

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 EXERCISE #2:
COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE REPS
90/90 Hip Lift with Extension Bias 5-8 breaths

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

 Method #2

If you had large asymmetries from side to side of around 10 degrees

or more in two out of three, or all three tests, then this section is for
you.

For example:
Head Rotation: 10 Left, 20 Right
Shoulder Abduction: 20 Left, 45 Right
Pelvis Rotation: 55 Left, 70 Right

That would be a very asymmetrical body as all three segments are

facing the right side. This would require the subsequent approach.

Or:
Head Rotation: 30 Left, 15 Right
Shoulder Abduction: 40 Left, 15 Right
Pelvis Rotation: 50 Left, 70 Right

This would be a more complex case since the head and ribcage is
facing the left, but the pelvis is facing the right. However, it’s still
quite asymmetrical.

To simplify things, as long as you have 2/3 or 3/3 tests indicating you
are facing one direction more than the other, this indicates you are
overall more shifted to that side and shifted away from the other
side.

If you want to address this more in detail, check out my Beginner

Body Restoration program.

If you want to learn more about this in detail, check out my Beginner
Biomechanics Course.

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Therefore, you would do the following exercises. Do this first one
lying on the side you are shifted away from. For example, if I was
shifted left overall, I would lay on my right side:

EXERCISE #1:
COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE REPS
Sidelying Grounding 5 breaths

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Do this next one lying on the side you are shifted towards, with the
top (active) leg being the one you are shifted away from. For example,
if I was shifted right, I would do this lying on my right side:

EXERCISE REPS
Sidelying Adductor Pullback 5 breaths

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

After doing these exercises for about 3 sets of 5 slow breath cycles
each, try re-testing your measurements and see what happens!

They should feel a bit easier :)

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present

Ending Notes
I hope you enjoyed the ebook! I put effort into this, and I hope
you appreciate the resource and it starts to help guide you in the
right direction.

Again, If you want to address this more in detail, check out my

Beginner Body Restoration program.

If you want to learn more about this in detail, check out my

Beginner Biomechanics Course.

Please keep in mind this program is meant to be self-guided and is

not me training or working with you individually. This is a free
program I give out. It would not be fair to expect me to answer
questions or give you individual help for free.

My YouTube channel is a fantastic resource to learn more.

I sincerely believe that giving out free, high quality content is the best
way to attract people to what I’m doing. That’s why you can expect this
quality content to continue coming your way since you are on my email
list.

Wishing you all the best,

Conor

© Copyright Conor Harris 2023 - Present