Today we celebrate Mississippi. The focus of the day is the hinge. Think "bend over" but not the way most Americans do it. People often fear movements like the deadlift and for good reason. The fear of "hurting my back" is a legit fear. This is also the purpose for engraining hinge patterns into your body's movements so they occur naturally. The truth is that most disc herniation "I threw my back out" type injuries aren't even loaded with weights in hands. The head, shoulders, arms, everything about the lumbar spine weighs something, they are loaded. The pattern that gets people in trouble is flexing of lower back and rotation. Picture bending over to pick up something to the side of you incorrectly. When you learn to hinge and then you practice it and practice and practice it with weights, the correct movement becomes your natural pattern. You also develop your bodies natural back brace. Learning to create spinal tension while you move is key. If you gave my your 90 year old aunt to train and she had back issues, one of the first things we will learn to protect her back is HINGE. Guess what, she will bend over at some point in her life and I/she need that movement to be naturally and without thought correct.
This is why focus is so important. I yell at many of you as you do fantastic reps and then the last one you lazily flop over and put it down. That is the one that is going to bite you. I yell at you because I give a damn. Be locked in from the beginning all the way to the end of a set. I get my jollies off of watching someone improve their movement quality.
Think of this analogy. If you practice the bench press and get strong at it until 200 lbs is easy, what will happen if you only are doing 45 lbs? Very easy right? You can now do 45 lbs with perfect form and no real strain a million times right? Now think of that with the deadlift. If you get where you can pick up 200 lbs really well and easily, how much challenge to your body will bending over and picking up your 45 lb child be? The 45 lb child that wants to be lifted a million times....
You are training for life, not just for a symmetric strength score or anything else.
Upper Pavilion. See ya there.
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