Ask a sample of office workers which type of sit stand desk might have the best speed of adjustability, chances are they would go for electrically controlled. This would be a perfectly logical response, after all what could be easier than pressing a button to move the top to where you want it?

For a moment though, imagine you’re searching the web for more information on a topic. Google throws up what looks like the answer you need, you click on what looks like the best answer and then the page takes an age to load. How long are you going to wait before clicking away and going to the next result?

Probably 5 to 7 seconds, because as soon as a page starts to load slowly it all becomes different. All of a sudden speed becomes important.

So, let’s look at speed and convenience and then how the different types of adjustability options on sit stand desks are affected.

Will speed affect the way you use a desk?
The quicker it is to adjust the height of a moving top workstation the more likely users are to alternate between sitting and standing, especially if it’s easy as well.

And providing it’s simple to change height some delay in speed will be acceptable for most users.

How fast do different desk mechanisms adjust?
We’ll begin with electrically controlled tops. Normally these move at around an inch per second so covering the full range will take about 15 seconds.

It’s not a huge amount of time and it couldn’t be easier to do, press a button and it’s on the move. However it isn’t as rapid as some of the alternatives.

Another plus is electric tops are available in larger sizes and have good weight capacity. This makes them more flexible than other solutions. A number offer memory presets allowing you to save preferred positions.

Crank operated desks adjust at a similar speed to their electric equivalents. It just requires the added effort of some rapid turns of the handle to make the required adjustments. Size and weight capacities are also good on these manually operated desks.

Although electric and crank are the most well known types there are workstations which are mechanically operated in other ways.

These include gas lift, counterbalanced, cable controlled and add on workstations for use with an existing desk. Most of these are rapidly adjustable going through the full height range in a few seconds.

In terms of speed and convenience these sorts of desks are very easy to use. Inevitably there are some drawbacks and there are two common limitations.

First, the top size is often a lot smaller than a conventional desk, so they don’t have space for much equipment.

Second, the weight carrying capacity is typically low, restricting use to maybe a monitor and keyboard.

Nonetheless when you don’t need loads of gear on your desk top they are certainly a sound alternative.

Let’s recap on what we’ve covered here:
Speed and ease of use will likely affect how often you alter your working height
Electric push button control is undoubtedly easy to use, adjustment speed can be a little slow
Crank operated tops move at a similar speed to electric, requiring more user involvement
Both electric and crank offer good work surface size and carrying capacity
Alternative controllers allow rapid height changes however surface area and weight capacity can be limited

Related topics
Here’s where you find more information about the desks discussed in this article.

• Electrically operated workstations
• Crank adjusted desks
• Other mechanical adjusting desks

Enthusiasm for working at a standing desk continues to gain momentum as more and more people seek to escape the harmful effects of excessive sitting.

And yet for some this eagerness to stand will end with more discomfort than when they were sitting all day. For them it quickly becomes a pain in the anterior as underused muscles suddenly get placed under stress.

So what’s this problem all about? In this 3 part article we’re going to look at:

• What causes the problem
• How you can correct it
• Why you need to pay attention to your posture

Lets get started shall we?

What’s this problem about?
Medically the term for the condition is known as anterior pelvic tilt. Don’t worry it’s not an illness, it’s more of a bad habit resulting in placing your body in a poor posture.

Poor Posture Caused By Tilted Pelvis

If you study the diagram you will see that people with this problem have the front of their pelvis lowered and the back of their pelvis raised. This unnatural posture places a group of muscles known as the hip flexors in a shortened and pressured situation.

And when you stand at a desk for any length of time the affected muscles soon become painful. All this isn’t helped by the fact that another group of muscles, the hip extensors become lengthened due to the shortening of the flexors. So your hip muscles end up being out of balance as the flexors are reduced and tight, whilst extensor muscles like the hamstrings become stretched and weak.

What can be done to correct the problem?

Corrective exercises help restore good posture
By doing regular exercises specifically targeted at the problem muscles you lengthen the short muscles and strengthen the weakened extended muscles.

Here’s where you can find an interesting article that not only discusses the problems of pelvic tilt but also has several short videos of exercises specifically aimed at correcting it.

Performing the right exercises should remedy things, however it’s still important to keep an eye on your body so you don’t end up slipping back into your old ways.

Why you need to watch your posture
Even after doing the suggested exercises you’ll want to keep a close watch on how you work with your standing workstation.

To get your standing setup right begin by making sure you have soft knees. This means having a little give at your knee joint, one of the side effects of anterior pelvic tilt is a tendency to have rigid knee joints. When your knees are locked like this it actually makes it harder to set your pelvis in the neutral position you need it in.

So, relax your knees a little first and then using your hands by your sides adjust the angle of your pelvis to correct the tilt to its natural angle.

It can be helpful to practice doing this facing side on to a full length mirror. This way you can see how your standing posture looks before and after correction. Once you have done this a few times you should be able to adjust your body for good standing desk posture.

Related information
Here are some resources and articles on related topics.

Here are some resources and articles on related topics.

• Correcting pelvic tilt
• Wikipedia
• Differences between a standing desk and a height adjustable desk

There is a huge amount of interest these days from office bound people in switching from sitting all day to a sit stand desk. This is understandable as not only is sitting for hours at a time unhealthy, it’s also energy draining too.

It’s easy to understand why so many are keen to make the change, until they hit the brick wall – cost.

What makes these sorts of desk so costly?
When you introduce a moving top to a desk, you add an element of complication. Unlike a fixed height workstation where it’s simply welded or bolted together, making it easy to manufacture.

With an adjustable desk something has to be added to move the top up and down. The most cost effective method is to have sliding legs pre punched with holes with removable pins for changing the height. Unfortunately this isn’t very practical in use.

Consequently some mechanical means of adjustment is needed and as soon as you add this into the mix, the cost of producing it quickly ratchets up the price.

However, people using portable computing do have a better chance of keeping costs down.

How some people can benefit from a low cost solution
With the move away from traditional desk computers to a more mobile way of working, it is possible for some users to gain the advantage of sit stand working without spending a fortune.

Where your main computer is a laptop or a tablet it’s far easier to find an affordable workstation. Whereas you might need to invest $500+ for a full size moving top table, adjustable tables for use with portable devices can be had for less than half this amount.

The reason this is possible is because they need a much smaller top as well as a lower weight carrying capacity. This helps to keep costs in check as it requires less sophisticated equipment for moving the top.

Nonetheless, caution is needed.

What are the limitations with these cheaper products?
It’s important to realize that there is usually a compromise with these sorts of products which shouldn’t be ignored.

First, they generally have a much smaller work surface maybe 24 inches wide by 18 inches deep. This isn’t necessarily an issue where you only need maybe your laptop or tablet. However when you have other items you will rapidly run out of space.

Second, they are only designed for relatively light weights, so the top may only support 30lbs in total. Again, not a problem until you start adding extra equipment.

One other thing to watch out for is when you come across very low cost products. Before rushing in to buy, take the time to check out some existing customer feedback. Some we’ve seen have very low customer satisfaction and ignoring this could prove costly.

In conclusion
Let’s quickly recap on the main points we’ve covered here:
Adjustable desks cost more because they often require expensive mechanisms
Portable computer users can often find a lower priced solution
It’s important to recognize the limitation of top size and carrying capacity of smaller desks
Always check the feedback on very low cost products, it will save you any nasty shocks

Further reading
Here’s where you can read about the different sorts of sit stand desk as well as ideas on alternative products to be aware of when weighing up your options.

Have you had any good or bad experiences with sit to stand desks? Let us know what you’ve found.

Phoenix based MultiTable has recently extended the range of crank adjustable tables with a new addition, the MiniMod.

MiniMod Table – Black Top & Silver Frame

The top comes in a single size which is 3 feet wide by 18 inches deep.

This compact size makes it a great choice for home office use where room is often limited.

It can also be used as a side desk alongside your existing fixed desk, making it easy to alternate between sitting and standing to work.

Here’s where you can find further details about the MiniMod table.