Lift with proper form!

The main thing that will provide safe form when it comes to lifting is the idea of maintaining a “lumbar lordosis”.  The region called the lumbar spine starts just above the lowest ribs that you can feel on your back and ends approximately at the top of the buttocks.  When most of us stand, it can be seen that this area is curved (with the concavity facing back) When we simply bend at the waist this curve starts to reverse, which raises the pressure in the discs (the gel-like mass between the vertebral bones).   Placing an object of substantial weight in one’s hands adds to this pressure.  So how do we lift to avoid this?

Get close to the object with your legs shoulder width, or a bit more, apart. Lower your body while keeping your back relatively straight…you will lose your lordosis only slightly as you go down.  Test the load to see how heavy it is by just picking it up less than an inch.  Now you are ready for the lift itself.  Place the load in your arms comfortably and even before you start to go up, pull it as close to your pelvis and belly as you can. By pushing up using your strong thigh and buttocks muscles and keeping your back as straight as you can, execute the lift.