lifting on and off for 6 years (just general to maintain a level of strength) - very erratic, no real program followed

94kg
183cm
17 % bf (based on navy measurement)
goal = correct posture and cut fat to 10-12%

2500 kcals a day - 800 protein, 1000 fat, 700 carbs (mainly peri workout)

looking for input on posture issue and general muscle inbalances, please see this link.

36in waist, 16in arms, 16in calves, 26 inch thigh, 16.5 neck, 43 chest

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...s_should_i_take

it seems as though you have no head. this could pose a problem.
In all seriousness, it seems as though some subluxations exist in your upper spine/neck area.
I suggest seeing a chiropractor.

Hey there, thanks for your email - do you think sublaxations are a real possibility? Am I right that this is essentially a displaced vertebrae?

I dont get any pain or numbness or anything, could I still have an underlying issue? I thought I may have had anterior tilted scapular, tight lights and tight anterior deltoids, with internally rotated humeri. This is based on the various self checks on this site and some threads in the forums.

I'll be honest, im not too comfortable with chiropractors, in the UK, its very difficult to find geniunely knowledgeable practicioners and I dont want to risk messing with my spine if i can help it. Would a good ART practioner be able to diagnose and possibly treat this, or better yet, can i do some prehab in the gym myself???

Nahhh, I don't think you have subluxations. What's more likely is that you just have poor posture from sitting too much, chest tightness and general muscle imbalance (maybe you push more than you pull).

Here are some things that will help your posture

- roll your upper back with a foam roller or a pvc roller. Let your upper back arch back.
- stretch your pecs a lot from different angles
- do more rows and pull ups in your workouts.

Another thing that is really important is to just try to fight the bad posture. The more minutes you spend every day trying to improve it, the faster it'll improve. It doesn't have to be hours, you can start with 5 minutes a day.

Fr3Aki,

Thanks for the advice, that's pretty much what im doing but was thinking that there may be some specific exercises i need to perform in order to strengthen certain muscles.

What about in general, I think i need to bring my traps and chest up (i know lagging all over but those two seem to be very noticeably behind. I also need to shed the fat, looks worse than i thought.

Facepulls, pushups,band pull-aparts. I found these options a few months ago and they helped me tremendously.

As the op said, spend as much time holding good posture throughout the day, it gets easier as you go. I do this while driving, watching tv, anytime I'm lifting weights and so on. Never lift with poor posture, it will only enforce that behavior.

I wouldn't worry about muscular imbalances at this point, just put on more mass and try to get the bf% down.

As for your posture...holy fuck. In that first pic, if that is the way you normally hold your head, you need to get that resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise prepare for spinal degeneration and splitting pain before your senior years.