FIX APT BY TRAINING PPT

1) Lying pelvic tilt

Many trainees who possess excessive APT have no idea

their low back sway, bulging abdomen, back pain, inability
to perform good squats, and/or poor glute strength are
actually a part of a muscle imbalance pattern that, to a great
extent, can be corrected.

Also, folks in excessive APT often have no idea how to

posteriorly tilt their pelvis.

For these people, step 1 is to learn how to get the pelvis into
a neutral position and posterior tilt. The lying pelvic tilt is
a great exercise for achieving this, as “push the lower back
into the ground” is an easy cue for most people to
understand.
2) Standing pelvic tilt (SPT)

When the trainee manages to perform the lying pelvic tilt

and understands how to control pelvic alignment, the
standing pelvic tilt is a natural next step. “Squeeze the
glutes” is an excellent cue for the SPT as it triggers the
trainee to contract the glutes and posteriorly tilt the pelvis.
3) Learn and ingrain the hip hinge pattern

I’ve found that one of the most effective exercises for

teaching clients the hip hinge pattern is the pull through.
The movement pattern in the pull through closely
resembles that of the deadlift, kettlebell swing, and other
hip dominant exercises. However, there’s one key
difference. When performing pull throughs the band or
cable is attached behind the trainee, and this helps force the
client into a posterior weight shift.

Concentrate on keeping the chest high (without

overarching the lower back), pushing the hips back, and
finishing the movement by squeezing the glutes.
4) Strengthen the posterior pelvic tilt movement
pattern/muscles that produce posterior pelvic tilt

I’ve found that the cable pull through and RKC plank are
among the most effective exercises for treating APT.
Posterior pelvic tilt hip thrusts, american deadlifts, and
other exercises that strengthen the posterior pelvic tilt
movement pattern and weak muscle groups (especially
glutes and abdominals) are also great additions.
5) Incorporate squats, deadlifts, presses, and other
compound lifts with good technique

Spinal alignment
As many trainees tend to round their backs when doing hip
dominant exercises, “arch” is often used as a cue when
coaching deadlifts, box squats, etc. However, when
coaching someone who possesses APT, this cue can often do
more harm than good as the lifter ends up with an
exaggerated lumbar curve.

While many inexperienced lifters (even those with no

apparent postural problems) have a tendency to
overextend their backs when locking out the deadlift,
people in APT often display excessive back arch during the
entire lift. This position is generally considered more
damaging than the more commonly seen spinal flexion.

And it’s not just during the deadlift that individuals with
excessive APT display poor form. Swayback during
presses, pulldowns, and a wide range of other exercises
goes hand in hand with APT, and in combination with quad
dominant lifting, poor glute involvement, and knee drift
(squats) this poor alignment strengthens muscle groups
that are already strong and set you up for injuries.

While some experienced trainees prefer a rounded (upper)

back position in exercises such as the deadlift, the general
recommendation is to keep the spine in neutral. The
coaching required to achieve this spinal alignment depends
on the client.

When you’re coaching a client who displays a normal

(neutral/slight anterior pelvic tilt) or posteriorly tilted
pelvis, “arch” (or perhaps even better, “Chest up!”) is often
a good cue during deadlifts and squats. For someone in
excessive APT, keeping the chest high is still essential, but
instructing the client to arch the back will often lead the
client to overextend.

Besides the focus on spinal alignment, my two top cues for

a perfect deadlift and squat are to spread the floor apart
(push against the outside of your heels like you’re literally
trying to pull the floor apart beneath you) and drive
through the heels. When assessing a clients’ squat and
deadlift technique it’s often wise to start with a side view,
as this allows you to see whether the bar is traveling in a
vertical line over the mid-foot (it should) and if the spine is
in good alignment.
A quick note on neck/head position. “Tucking the chin”
and maintaining a neutral neck position is always a “safe”
tip, but to be honest I’ve found that it doesn’t really matter
that much (as long as you don’t look up at the ceiling, to the
side, etc.). Many of the strongest deadlifters in the world
look straight ahead during the lift, and I’ve never found this
head position to be problematic. Some coaches argue that
you’re strongest when lifting with a neutral neck position,
but if there really is an advantage to this position, then it’s
quite small.

Squeezing the glutes/posteriorly tilting the pelvis during

training
It’s not just during lower body exercises that pelvic position
is essential. Squeezing the glutes and posteriorly tilting the
pelvis during exercises such as the press, push-up, chin-up,
pushdown, and bicep curl is a good general
recommendation.

While it’s not a requirement, posteriorly tilting the pelvis

during these types of exercises stabilizes the spine and even
gives you some static glute training. Also, when
performing hip dominant exercises such as deadlifts, hip
thrusts, and box squats, a good tip is to finish the
contraction by squeezing the glutes.

Emphasizing PPT during training is especially beneficial

for athletes in APT, but it also applies to other lifters who
want to get optimal benefits from their workouts (Who
doesn’t?).

Other strategies that can help speed up the progress:

 Adding in some hip flexor and lower back stretches.

 Postural training is an important part of treating APT,
and especially paying attention to sitting posture is
vital.
 More glute strengthening and activation (e.g., PPT
bodyweight glute bridges and hip thrusts) and
abdominal work. Can be done at home.