Lift With the Legs: What Does That Even Mean? - Blog Copy
BLOG TITLE: Lift With the Legs: What Does That Even Mean?
Ever seen one of those posters that tells you to lift with your legs instead of your back?
I bet you have.
I’ll let you in on a secret: Most of the posters show positions that make it almost impossible to lift an object.
I’ll tell you what’s going on with that and then explain how you can keep your back safe while lifting heavy loads.
HEAD: Impossible Lifts
When you see diagrams on lift-with-your-legs posters, they almost always show someone who is trying to pick a box off the floor. Because the poster creators want you to use your legs, they always show a person squatting down to the object with a torso that’s almost perpendicular to the floor.
If you can’t recall a picture, do a “lift with your legs” image search on Google or just imagine a person squatting down with a completely upright torso.
But think about that position: You have a heavy box of books in front of you. When you squat down in front of it, your knees are almost always in the way, and the box is outside your base of support.
This would be fine if you were a forklift. You’d just slide the forks under the box and lift it straight up. But humans can’t do that, especially if the box has any weight to it.
The next time you see a poster, take a close look and you’ll see what I mean.
The cartoon characters have no hope of using a squat to lift a heavy object that’s well in front of their knees.
HEAD:The Safe Way to Lift
To lift something heavy, you want to start with the object inside your base of support and keep it very close your body as you lift. That means it’s usually best to put the object between your feet if you can.
From there, you should hinge at the hips and bend your knees until you can get your hands onto the object. If you try this at home now, you’ll realize that your torso is likely inclined toward the floor to some degree.
I’m here to tell you this is OK if you know how to brace your spine in the correct position before you lift.
You want to use your strong leg muscles to move heavy loads. But you must use your hands to grab the object, so the core must transfer the force from the legs to the upper body to the object. If your spine is braced properly in its natural curves, the lift is safe because the only movement happens at the hip and knee joints, which are made for lifting.
You are using your leg muscles to do the lifting, and the spine is just a rigid lever that transfers force.
Problems can appear when some doesn’t brace the spine in its natural position and then tries to lift. When that happens, the spine moves under load and injuries can occur.
Think about someone hunching over and rounding their back before trying to pick up a heavy object. You don’t want to do that.
To get the right visual, do a Google image search for “proper deadlift start position.” The images you see will show people preparing to lift barbells with various torso angles. Each lifter’s position will be slightly different. The exact angle depends on the lifter’s physical proportions.
In the pictures, you should see people with stiff, rigid spines surrounded by active muscle. Their backs aren’t “soft” or rounded. Even though their torsos are inclined toward the floor to some degree, they are lifting with their legs.
You can use a similar starting position to lift a child, a box or a bag of dog food. The key is bracing your core so the spine doesn’t move as you lift.
HEAD: Need Help?
I wrote this blog because workplace posters just don’t provide enough info to help people lift properly.
The best plan is to work with an experienced coach who can tell you exactly how to lift objects in daily life. We train people to use great form in the gym and build strong muscles so they can move objects safely. If you’d like to talk about proper lifting mechanics for a healthy back, let’s chat.
We offer free consultations in which you can talk about your goals and ask questions, and we have appointments available this week.
To book a consultation, click here [LINK]!