The following exercise can help you find proper neutral posture.  Neutral is the position that imposes the least amount of stress on the body.  In neutral, the spine maintains its natural curves, and stress to the joints, muscles, tissue and vertebrae is minimized.  The exercise below should be done while standing, moving either upward from the feet or downward from the head.  The purpose of each movement is to help you understand postural extremes and ultimately identify proper neutral posture.  It is important for an exerciser to be able to find and feel neutral posture because many exercises require one to hold neutral posture before, during or at the end of an exercise.

Exercise:

1. Place the feet hip width apart.


2. 
   
   Bend the knees to a semi squat position and then come to a full stance with soft knees.


3. Rotate the pelvis between a posterior tilt, which creates a flat low back, and an anterior tilt, which creates excessive curvature in the low back.  Then set the pelvis in between those two extremes.
   
4. Contract the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor, thereby activating the inner unit.
   
5. Lift and lower both shoulders, then relax them downward, depressing the shoulder blades.  Roll the shoulders back.
   
6. Protract and retract the shoulder blades, ending the movement with the scapulae slightly retracted.
   
7. Extend the neck forward, then retract the chin (the ears should line up over the shoulders).
   
8. Review neutral posture, ensuring that the ears, shoulders, ribs, hips, knees and ankles are in alignment.

Below is an illustration of the key core conditioning muscles involved with promoting neutral posture.

Exercise and illustration reprinted with permission from IDEA Health and Fitness Association, www.ideafit.com. Author Credit: Amanda Vogel, M.A.

Benefits of Neutral Spine: 

1.  Encourages Proper Technique
Neutral spine allows for the proper execution of exercises.  Clients who exercise out of neutral may be inhibiting the recruitment of certain muscles necessary to perform the movements correctly.

2.  Improves Overall Posture
Understanding neutral spine heightens postural awareness.  The more cognizant participants are of their good and bad posture, the easier it will be for them to adjust alignment problems.  An awareness of how the body functions and moves leads to better posture in the long run.

3.  Decreases the Risk of Injury
Performing exercises out of neutral spine can lead to injury.  And consistent non-neutral posture during everyday activities often manifests as chronic aches and pains.

(Source: ACE Certified News, Feb./Mar. 2001. Helping Clients Find Neutral Spine, Vol. 7/No. 2, 6-7.  Author Credit: Amanda Vogel, M.A.)

Other Muscles Involved in Neutral Posture 
Muscles that act on the spine, as well as those that interact with the spine are involved in achieving alignment and neutral spine.  Scapular-shoulder and hip and pelvis musculature play a role.  Activation of the abdominals, especially the deep transverses abdominis and pelvic floor are also instrumental to neutral posture.  An individual with well conditioned torso, hip and shoulder muscles are able to hold neutral longer and with less effort than those with muscular weakness, inflexibility and/or imbalance.  To see illustrations of these additional muscles, visit www.bodysmart.com

RESOURCES
Articles:

1. Finding Neutral Posture, by Amanda Vogel, MA., IDEA Health and Fitness Source. Mar. 2001; (32-38).
   


2. Helping Clients Find Neutral Spine, by Amanda Vogel, MA., ACE Certified News. Feb./Mar. 2001; Vol. 7/No.2, (6-7).