Lifting with your back

[calcium]

I'm putting this in my men's section since it's my boyfriend I'm arguing with...

My bf has a tendency to lift heavy things with his back. Like just bending over and picking whatever up. I tell him he's supposed to squat and lift with his legs but he tells me that if you never use your back to do things then you'll never build muscle in it :-/ I say he's going to injure himself but he says that you injure yourself when you don't do anything with your back and then suddenly do. So, what do we all think about this...

~Nicole

 

[goergen1]

Lifting With Back

As far as lifting with the back goes everything is fine as long as the muscles of the spine are not completly relaxed and the spine is not completly rounded.

 

[Karky]

yeah. If he keeps the back straight, or keeps the natrual arch its ok. think of a romanian deadlift.
but if he rounds the lower back then he could very possibly injure himself.

 

[theleip]

I think i fyou know what you're doing it's theoretically okay, but he doesn't seem like he's really into paying attention to his body (from what you've said in the past) so he might end up hurting himself eventually.

Yeah I was feeling the same thing. If you know what you are doing then its a great workout, if you don't then its asking for a hospital visit.

 

[Running Man]

i worked in construction, and i can tell you many guys have problems with their backs because they lift stuff that way, but thats like sacs weighing 40 kg etc and heavy bricks etc anyways all the older guys have problem with their backs and make their chiropractor rich guess why

 

[Adumb]

He should probably lift with his legs not his back. Most objects besides weights are usually more difficult to lift with perfect form like you would with weights. You do the weight training for strength and protection to prevent injuries usually resulting from activities like that. So, I'd say, he's wrong and you're right.

 

[Supmuhhumbruh]

you can train/strengthen your muscle to lift from just about any position, even compromised positions. I know a lot of jiu jitsu players who actually perform rounded back deadlifts, since they are constantly fighting from a rounded back position. As long he takes the time to train and strengthen your muscles to perform in that manner, then your friend should be fine. But if he just lifts things like that occasionally, and then tries to pick up something really heavy with a rounded back, then yeah, he could very well be setting himself up for injury since your lower back muscles are naturally much weaker than your quads or your hamstrings