By far the biggest benefit of going to the gym has been that my core muscles got stronger, which in turn has cured all back pains I had.
I had something similar where neck- and shoulder tension was the cause of headaches. And a friend of mine suffered from what felt like a tooth-ache for weeks, which turned out to be caused by a cramped up jaw muscle (which nobody thought of at first, since they were focussing on where she felt the pain).
I recently switched to a standing desk at work, with a tall chair for the option to sit, and it has helped some, but I think what helped most was rowing and weight lifting.
The other thing I've been finding is how much emotions affect posture. When I'm feeling open and unafraid, my whole front side opens up and relaxes, and when feeling insecure, it all curls forward.
For the tech-minded reading here, this is doubly so, as the app is really top notch, you can basically install it on your phone and just do exactly what it tells you to do and be in better shape quickly if you have the discipline to stick to it.
What exercises did you find most beneficial for strengthening?
On a related note -- I periodically do stretches where I stand on one leg and roll my hip & waist out to the side extending it behind me -- that helps alleviate tension in the side.
Similar - hanging on my forearms from chairs or those ab machines at the gym.
Pain Free (a method for stopping chronic pain) has 4.5 stars over 800 reviews @ http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Revolutionary-Stopping-Chron...
Mine let me do a number of test exercises and then created a program to work on the weak points she noticed (while explaining everything clearly), and it worked really effectively.
For example, in my case I needed to work a bit extra on shoulder support muscles because I'm somewhat hypermobile. This helped with all kinds of other exercises, because the shoulder muscles were the weakest link "holding back" the other muscles.
there's also the external and financial accountability that a personal trainer brings. that's a huge factor for a lot of people including me. i've tried going to the gym at 6am without a person and a significant dollar figure attached to it - i can't do it.
Mark rippetoe's book on starting strength is a great read on how to execute compound barbell exercises like the deadlift, and also has some great information on things like progressive overload. I'd recommend it even if you don't plan on following the starting strength program.
Anecdotal data point: my lower back pain disappears when I squat regularly.
I do understand where you're coming from though. We often times see guys at the gym quarter squatting or pulling with a rounded back which is indeed doing more harm than good.
I think a compromise to your point (e.g. safer alternatives are better than deadlifting) is that advice to do heavy barbell lifts should come with the warning that injury can happen easily and be serious and/or permanent. Proper posture is best learned from someone who is experienced and that you trust your well being to.
Sorry, but this is utter insanity. The squat and the deadlift, properly performed, are the most important lifts _any_ human being – young or old, male or female – can do. And a person _does not_ need to go heavy on either of these to realize tremendous benefits in their day-to-day life. Spending 6 weeks to get up to a 135x5x1 deadlift (bar + big plates for 1 set of 5 reps) – and then just doing that once a week in perpetuity – would be single most efficient way the average human could improve their daily wellbeing.
I did the exercises facing the wall rather than crushing myself on the floor; the primary benefit was in awakening a few back muscles enough so that I would feel the soreness if I was sitting incorrectly.
beware the person who warns against it - they have an agenda. it's unquestionably good for you when done properly and within your limits of capability.
i've heard less of the "but i don't want to get huge and bulky like a bodybuilder" these days, probably because as resistance training increases in popularity, people are realizing how incredibly, ridiculously, ludicrously, unreasonably difficult it is to build and maintain muscle.
For a typical person without special circumstances deadlifting with proper posture is the most important exercise you need to be doing, IMO. Personally, I was amazed that my minor back aches were gone, my shoulders stayed back without effort, and I was more confident in my posture. Why didn't someone tell me to deadlift sooner in life?
If you have joint, neck, back or muscle issues, ask your instructor for modifications that will work better for you. If they're competent they'll help you get into a good pose that won't cause other problems later on. Think limping when you've got a sore or injured leg, it causes back and hip problems or problems in the other leg if you limp too much. The same thing can happen with a poor choice of a modified yoga pose.
Yoga has been a great help for me since I started. I used to just run, but doing yoga really helped with strengthening the core muscles and changing my posture (at work, while walking, etc.)
And to repeat what Jtsummers said, always do the exercics right, at your own level. Just like with any sport-like activity, you can injure yourself quite easily.
Swimming is good for building endurance and working the whole body.
Deadlifts will work your entire core better than most other exercises. make sure you research correct form beforehand.