So I was able to get a short ride in today after moving my seat forward (I think part of my problem was riding too far down the nose of the saddle). I've decided that the saddle I have (it says Lithia 155 and it's made by Specialized) is a good shape and the right width. It does have a fairly big cutout in the center of it and I am not sure a bigger/wider/deeper groove is going to assist me with the soft tissue issues. It may be purely a postural problem (it's hard to know since I can't actually see myself ride).

Question is - when you ride, am I supposed to be sitting mostly upright with my hands on the top of the handlebars (where the shifters are), or am I supposed to be slightly bent over with my hands down in the crooks of the bars? Riding bent over is more comfortable/aerodynamic, but as far as mashing parts of my body that aren't supposed to be mashed, sitting upright is better. I know people say you should sit on the saddle like you are in a chair and then without rotating your pelvis, hold the handlebars... but I can't do this. I can't arch my back that way and when I ride, my pelvis definitely rotates forward (which may explain the mashing). Is there a way to correct for this or do I need to learn to ride like a hunchback? My spine is either straight or mildly lordotic (curved inward toward my abdomen) at the small of my back.

Thanks in advance for any advice.