4. What type of training equipment do I have access to? It is important to answer all of these questions BEFORE you start resistance training, otherwise you are very likely to end up making your posture worse and creating more problems than solutions. If this sounds hard to believe just go to your local gym and watch the ridiculous technique! Most of the people you see would be much better off NOT going to the gym...they really are doing themselves more harm than good.
Let's turn to question 1.
If you have poor posture then it make sense to choose exercises that will help to correct this rather than make it worse. There's not much point doing bench press and sit ups if you already have round shoulders and forward head posture. These exercises will only make this postural problem worse!
Exercises like rows (especially with a wide pronated grip to encourage recruitment of the interscapular muscles) are a much better idea.
Do you have really puny hamstrings and glutes? This is VERY common and leads to all sorts of back, hip, knee and ankle problems. If you do not have clearly defined muscle mass in your hamstrings and glutes then you are almost certainly in the "puny" category. To address this problem you must first train these weak muscles in isolation. Using exercises like squats, lunges and deadlifts (complex integrated exercises) will not usually have the desired effect because your brain has literally lost the neuromuscular control over these weak areas. Isolate these weak muscles first then integrate later once neuromuscular control has been re-established. If you do not know how to isolate your hamstrings and glutes then contact Janet and myself and we can help you. Balancing the strength/function of the quads, hamstrings and glutes is particularly critical for running and jumping sports. Most people who get knee injuries have weak glutes and quads that are far stronger than their hamstrings. This is a recipe for disaster.
Next month we will continue this discussion.