I’m sure you’re wondering why a personal trainer is talking about jeans. Shouldn’t this be on a fashion blog or “What Not To Wear?” Well, my discussion is a little more involved than getting your jeans altered. We’re talking exercise solutions to fixing the back gap in your jeans.
So here’s what we’re talking about:
You put on a pair of jeans and there is a lot of space between the waist and your lower back. Maybe the cut of the jeans is to blame. Maybe it’s because your pelvis is tilted forward creating that extra space.
Before you go blaming the size of your butt, take a look at this video. Your pelvis can tip forward and rock back. If your pelvis is resting in the tipped forward position, the arch in your lower back is increased.
The anterior tilted pelvis not only affects how your pants fit, but also your hip muscles, lower back, knees, ankles and feet. Because your center of gravity is shifted over your feet more, you could develop plantar fasciitis. Or, you could develop random, unexplained knee pain.
Luckily, there are two exercises you can do anywhere to help your pelvis return to it’s normal alignment. The first exercise is a hip flexor stretch. Here is a link to physical therapist extraordinaire, Mike Reinold’s, article which includes video of the correct way to stretch the front of your hips.
To make the hip flexor stretch even more effective, try foam rolling your quads before doing the stretch. Foam rolling gets all the trigger points out.
The second exercise is the glute bridge. When your pelvis is tipping forward, your glutes are put on stretch. Or another way to think of it is that they are lengthened and weak. So, it’s important to literally get your butt in gear. You need to activate and strengthen your gluteal muscles with the bridge.
Doing these corrective exercises will not provide an immediate solution to the gap in your jeans. It will take some time for your muscles to respond. So, you may still need to visit a tailor. However, you should get working on these exercises right away so when you buy your next pair of jeans, they will fit better. Do them once a day, every day for at least two weeks. You can progress to 2-3 sets of the bridges.
There are some additional bonuses from doing the hip flexor stretch and glute bridges that will help you look amazing in your jeans without losing a pound. When your pelvis starts tilting back to it’s normal position, your belly will appear less round. Don’t believe me? Go back and watch that first video of my pelvis rocking. This time, watch my belly.
Did you do it? Did you go back and watch again? You can see how when I tuck my tailbone, my belly goes away. That’s because my abs are contracting. Posteriorly tilting your pelvis engages both your glutes and your abs. Two for one….hooray! Try rocking your pelvis at home watching yourself in the mirror from the side.
So, that’s it! An exercise solution to making your jeans fit properly without spending hours on the treadmill. I hope I’ve given you a new perspective on posture. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
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