The Deadlift in Real Life

When I was at the grocery store today I cringed when I saw a woman try to lift a case of water with a rounded back. I felt awkward saying something to her, but it inspired me to write a post about how we can apply what we learn in weight training to real life situations. A case of water is not really heavy enough to throw your back out if lifted improperly, but I can only imagine the 90 million different situations you can find yourself in where you are trying to lift a heavy load and there isn't a macho man around to help you. Gardening, moving...even shopping! So let's learn the proper lifting form so we never hurt our backs.

In order to prevent back injury during heavy lifting, you need to lift with your legs and maintain a straight back. Lifting a heavy load from the ground up to mid thigh level is basically what we call a "Deadlift". Begin by standing with whatever you are about to lift above the center of your feet. Your stance should be wider than hip width, but slightly narrower than shoulder width apart, and your toes fanning out about 45 degrees so that your knees are tracking directly over your ankles. Be very careful not to let your knees buckle in. Next, shift your weight into your heels, stick your butt out, keep your back flat and squat down. If you have tight hamstrings, you may feel a pulling sensation in the backs of your legs, but that is how you know you are doing it correctly! Keep you chest lifted and your gaze in front of you. From here, grab your item, begin to push yourself up digging your heels into the ground and using your legs and as you ascend upward, make sure that your back stays completely straight, your abs stay tight and engaged, and you never begin to roll up through your spine. If you use this proper technique, you should be able to lift a lot more weight than you think you can because, again, you are using your legs to lift vs. your arms or back (ouch!) So the next time you are at the store remember your deadlifts and cases of water/soda/dog food/cat litter/etc. will never be a problem again! :)