If the phrase “lift with your legs” never made any sense to you, you’re not alone. Trying to follow this advice can feel awkward, unnatural, and ineffective—even though it’s not wrong, exactly. One 1993 study showed that even when warehouse workers had been trained to “lift with the legs,” and even when they said they were doing their best to follow the instructions, in most cases it was pretty much impossible to lift in the textbook manner.
Why everyone wants you to lift with your legs
The main point of lifting with your legs is to avoid one particular mistake: rounding your lower back so forcefully that you’re putting yourself at risk for a herniated disc. If you lift something by squatting down, with your back vertical, you avoid that mistake. This turns the lift into a squat: Your back doesn’t bend, but your legs and hips do.
Squatting with a
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