Practical Programming: From Back Pain to a Pain Free Bend Pattern – The Deadlift [news]

Why do we need to train this particular movement pattern? Even with our sedentary lifestyles we're all required to bend many times through out the day - life still exists below desk level! However bending with poor technique i.e. from the waist without use of the lower extremities, places significantly increased pressure on the lumbar disks.

A retrospective analysis in Spine of 1000 women with herniated disks found straight-legged lifting to be the number one correlating factor! Therefore understanding and learning to bend with correct technique is essential.

Bending to pick up objects is not a bad thing, if it is done correctly with respect to the load. When should you bend from the waist with straight knees and when should you bend using the legs? The key factor determining your bending technique is the magnitude of the load you are lifting.