Set Up Strong

Welcome to the Strengthen Up Project.

Before you begin:

• Put on your headphones.
• Maximize the size of your browser window.

Please click the play button on the video across the page to get started.

Remember -- you can watch the video full screen if you wish!

You are going to learn how to set up your own foundation so you are Set Up Strong every time you sit.

In this part, you will learn to:

1. Line up your FEET and KNEES
2. Bend at your HIP JOINTS to sit
3. Reset your FOUNDATION

1. Move your laptop to the edge of the table closest to you.
2. Arrange your chair, so that:
• your hands reach your keyboard, while
• your upper arms rest by the sides of your trunk (like the photo), and
• you are sitting on the front half of the chair (you might have to back up your chair).

Instructions:

1. Stand in front of your chair, far enough from your desk so that you can see your feet when you look down.
2. Bend (as you normally would) to sit down on your chair.
3. While you are bending to sit, look down to notice your feet.

Make sure your feet look like this:

not this:

and not this:

If you need to, reposition your heels and toes to make sure your feet look like this:

You should be standing up now.

This time while you are bending to sit down, look down to notice your knees.

Make sure your feet are still in a slight V and make your knees line up with your toes, like this:

not this:

and not this:

Now bend to sit again, making sure your knees follow your toes.

Instructions:

Up next is the most important part - your hip joints. Let’s start by finding them so you know where to bend.

Please stand up.

Instructions:

1. Lift your leg, with it bent at the knee like Postureman.
2. Place the outside edge of your hand—it’s like a karate chopping hand—in the deepest crease. Keep your hand there as a marker, even after you lower your leg.
3. Repeat with the other leg.

Watch Postureman demonstrate:

Do the following in slow motion:

1. As you go to sit, bend at the hip joints and bring your “karate chop hands” back.
2. Keep them coming back, back, back until your foundation is solid on the chair.

Watch Postureman demonstrate:

Notice: Postureman's karate chop hands are at the crease at the top of each leg--not as high as his waist! Place your karate chop hands at your hip joints like him.

Just before you land on the chair, powerful slump magnets can prevent your hip joints from coming back. This will force you to slump.

Do NOT do this!

Here's how to win the fight against the slump magnets as you bend:

Keep your hip joints coming back, back, back all the way until you land on the chair.

Try this a few more times. Use your strong trunk and glute muscles to lower yourself down with control -- then relax your weight down onto the chair. Reminders:

1. Make sure your feet are V’d.
2. Make sure your knees follow your toes.

Watch Postureman demonstrate:

Remember -- you can watch the video full screen if you wish!

Instructions:

1. Slide your hip joints forward and notice how your body falls into a slump. Notice how it feels.
2. Practice resetting your strong foundation by bringing your hip joints back under your trunk. Notice how this feels.

Click here to complete our short survey.