Working at desk

Most of us sit at a desk to work for atleast 7 – 8 hrs a day for 5 days a week. Sitting for prolonged periods of time causes increased stress to the back, neck, arms and legs and can add a tremendous amount of pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs as sitting in a slouched position can overstretch the spinal ligaments and strain the spinal discs. All these can have a negative effect on walking, running and activities of daily life, and can expose us to greater risks of injury.

The human body follows the SAID principle, that is: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. It means that the body is always seeking efficiency in the patterns one resorts to on a regular basis. The body will specifically adapt to the movements that an individual does regularly. For example, in an occupation where the individual is seated for prolonged periods of time, there is often kyphosis (see the picture) of the thoracic and cervical spine, and other postural misalignments and muscular imbalances, due to poor sitting posture. The picture is used for educational purposes only.

Can you stop working at desk?

No, everybody must work for their livelihood. There is certainly no excuse for not working. However, if you feel pain in your neck, back, shoulder, etc., due to long hours of sitting at a desk for work then it is very uncomfortable to continue to work. In such cases, most people would resort to easy and quick resolution to the pain/ discomfort. But this is not a permanent resolution to the pain/ discomfort, because the resolution/ therapy that was provided was only to the part (neck, shoulder, lower back, etc.) of the body where the person feels the pain/ discomfort. In such cases, the person will feel the pain/ discomfort again after a few weeks or months for the following reasons:

  1. The work routine – sitting at desk did not change.
  2. The treatment/ therapy was provided only to the area of pain and did not consider the overall posture of the person.
  3. The person is not performing strength training exercises to improve and maintain good posture.

What is permanent resolution to pain/ discomfort?

Whenever a new client comes to us for an assessment, the most common complaints are lower back pain, shoulder, and neck pain, all of which are linked to poor sitting posture for prolonged periods. Such clients have already tried & tested easy & quick resolutions maybe for 2 years and have not seen any positive results. Below are our 3 steps to resolve pain/ discomfort permanently:

STEP 1 – Book a free initial consult with us. The initial consultation will comprise of posture assessment and recommendation of specific strength exercises.
STEP 2 – Clients with postural problems, pain & discomfort will start with 1 on 1 personal training sessions. During the sessions, they will learn & train as under:

  1. Proper breathing technique.
  2. Improving ankle, hip, thoracic & shoulder mobility.
  3. Strength exercises like back squat, front squat, deadlift, overhead press, etc. The strength training is very important to maintain good posture and must be done for long term – considering that you will be continuing to work at desk to earn your livelihood.

STEP 3 – After building the foundation, we recommend the client to start with Olympic Weightlifting.

What is Olympic Weightlifting?

Olympic Weightlifting is a strength sport which includes 2 lifts – the snatch and the clean & jerk. It is a skill-based sport which involves – speed, power, mobility, stability, strength, co-ordination and makes you feel younger every time you train. This can be done by all age groups.

The following are some of the benefits of Olympic Weightlifting

Good Posture – Practicing Olympic Weightlifting atleast 2 to 3 times per week improves joint mobility and helps maintain good posture. It helps learn how to bend over properly from hips and prevent lower back injuries. The picture is the start position for Snatch. To get in that proper start position – mobility in ankles, hips and thoracic is very important. Mobility in joints is required outside the gym as well – hiking, playing with kids/ grandkids, enjoying summer, travelling, etc. In the process of practicing Olympic Weightlifting, you will be maintaining a good posture, while continuing to work at a desk.

Taking control of your body – How long will you keep looking for different therapy which only gives you short term relief for your neck, back or shoulder pain? You need to start strength training to maintain good posture & enjoy your body. Olympic Weightlifting is the best strength sport that will provide you with good mobility to be able to walk & run, feel good in your body and overall good joint health. The picture is of our member – Karon. Karon had a stroke in 2021. After completing her rehab, she has been practicing Olympic Weightlifting 2 times per week for over 3 years. Olympic Weightlifting helps her to play with her grandkids during summer fearlessly.

Feel younger & jump like a kid – Who does not want to feel younger? When was the last time you jumped like a kid? Most of us stopped jumping, running or playing outside in summer in mid 20s because of pain/ discomfort in lower back, knees, hips, etc. We are scared of going on hikes, bike riding or jumping in water during summer. If you want to feel young and want to start enjoying summer like a kid irrespective of your chronological age – start Olympic Weightlifting. Olympic Weightlifting will help you with jumping, balance & coordination and strength. The picture is of our member – Judy. She is 64 yrs old. She moves fast and jumps fearlessly.

Olympic Weightlifting as a tool for strength training is highly effective as it works the body in its entirety, ensuring proper coordination, and improving load tolerance on the joints. Clients who had postural related issues reported great improvements in posture, reduced back pain and other postural related issues after starting Olympic Weightlifting with us.


Occupation and routine will not change; we all have to continue to work at desks. However, if you start practicing Olympic Weightlifting you will have good posture, better load tolerance on joints irrespective of your age & you will enjoy summer like a kid.


If you’re ready to see what you’re truly capable of, we’re here to help you get stronger.


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