Alpha Male Power Poses
Why Do Power Poses Matter?
Rounded shoulders, hunched lower backs, aches, pains and feelings of stress and anxiety all go hand-in-hand with poor posture.
Sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, spending weekends hunched on a lazy boy recliner and a lack of exercise all form the basis for the influx of poor posture we see from day to day.
Look at any 'powerful figure' whether they're a top tier athlete, a CEO of a global brand, a model or a politician and you'll notice one thing synonymous regardless of their chosen discipline.
It's their body language, the way they carry and project themselves to the world.
They carry themselves the exact opposite to the masses.
Rounded shoulders, hunched back and constantly looking down is a way of becoming compact, of taking up less space in your environment.
Glance into any business meeting or coaching session and without any information of the situation you'll quickly be able to pick who the top dogs are and who the apprentices are based upon their body language and posture...
They take up more space, their chest is out, their shoulders are down and back.
This doesn't just reflect in the physical sense, these small changes to posture yield much bigger benefits...
You'll Feel Less Anxiety
When you're anxious we automatically 'close' our body language and posture, we become tense and we take up less space.
Once you begin to spread out and take up more space the opposite begin to occur... you'll feel a increased sense of well-being.
You'll Feel An Increased Level Of Confidence
With a decrease in anxiety comes an increase in confidence, as the saying goes 'fake it until you make it' - performing power poses and conveying open body language in a way tricks your mind into cultivating a small, temporary burst of increased confidence.
What's the significance of this to you? If you're about to perform a speech or throw yourself into any uncomfortable or stressful situation then a few 'reps' of your power poses before your time to shine can not only calm your nerves, but it can help you perform better too!
You'll Give Yourself A Quick Boost Of Energy
As power poses reduce cortisol and increase testosterone temporarily it comes as no surprise that an increased boost of energy is apparent.
As such, power poses should form the basis of any good 'energizing' morning routine or mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
Combine your power poses with some caffeine and a cold shower and you'll find yourself quickly feeling unstoppable.
The Importance Of Body Language & Power Poses Is Nothing New...
Over the last few years there's been more and more discussion on the big benefits of of open body language, power poses and alpha male body language, however this is nothing new.
Several years ago I picked up a copy of Allan Pease's book 'Body Language: How To Read Others' Thoughts By Their Gestures' from a second-hand bookshop in a small country town as I was passing by.
The first edition of this book, published in 1981 includes a vast amount of information on this exact topic. For $3 I was able to not only find out how to improve how I look and are perceived by altering my posture and body language, but also how to read and interpet the body language and posture of others.
The saying "80% of all communication is non-verbal" is 100% accurate.
I highly recommend picking up a book on body language and posture so you can identify and correct your poor, closed posture when you find yourself reverting to it, but also to read and interpret others (I don't know any salesmen that don't have a small library on body language books alone!)
A few recommendations:
- What Every BODY Is Saying by Joe Navarro (Click to view on Amazon)
- Presence by Amy Cuddy (Click to view on Amazon)
- Body Language by Allan Pease (Click to view on Amazon)
When & How To Perform Your Alpha Male Power Poses
How To Power Pose
- Plant your feet firmly on the ground
- Maintain a slight bend in your knees (prevent yourself from overbalancing)
- Push your chest forward and your shoulders down and back
- Raise your arms as wide as possible while raising your chin and look up
- Hold for a second or two and feel the stretch while breathing deeply with a clear mind
Perform Power Poses During Your Morning Routine
Every man should have a morning routine, consistent actions produce consistent results.
Perform 2 sets of 6 repetitions before beginning your hardest task for the morning.
Here's an example of one of my morning routines:
- Wake up @ 4:15am
- Brew pot of strong black coffee
- Read 20 pages
- Perform power poses
- Hit the gym
- Drink green smoothie
A morning routine incorporating power poses like the above will have you at mach speed while others are rolling out of their beds at 7:00am anxiously wondering what the universe holds in store for them today (remember, the world doesn't respond to need, it responds to seed... so be an executor and actually take action!)
Perform Power Poses As Needed
Don't want to add power poses to your morning routine, or perhaps need a boost of energy or a surge of confidence at various points or events during the day? Perform your power poses as needed!
From my experience (I'm sure this will differ for everyone) it takes me 3 - 4 reps of my power pose to get into the zone and build the momentum I need to conquer whatever task it is I'm about to begin.