IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO AVOID SPINAL FLEXION WHEN LIFTING HEAVY THINGS.
A 16KG KETTLEBELL SWING AVERAGED 26° OF LUMBAR FLEXION HERE (1)
SQUATTING 32KG WITH THE AIM OF 'STAYING NEUTRAL' WAS MEASURED HERE WITH SOME SUBJECTS SHOWING UP TO 40° LUMBAR FLEXION (2)
AND SIMILAR FINDINGS LIFTING A 16KG BOX HERE (3). GOOD MORNINGS SHOWED BETWEEN 25-27° OF FLEXION HERE (4)
WE AREN'T ABLE TO ACCURATELY REPORT CHANGES IN JOINT ANGLES BY OBSERVATION.
THESE POSITIONS ALL INVOLVED FLEXION OF THE SPINE.
THE AUTHORS OF THIS PAPER STUDYING LUMBAR MOVEMENT DURING THE SQUAT RECOMMENDED AGAINST USING VISUAL OBSERVATION TO HEAVILY GUIDE CUEING.
IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO AVOID FLEXION. FLEXION IS FUNCTIONAL.
1/ McGill, S. and Marshall, L., 2012. Kettlebell Swing, Snatch, and Bottoms-Up Carry: Back and Hip Muscle Activation, Motion, and Low Back Loads. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(1), pp.16- 27.
2/ POTVIN, J., McGILL, S. and NORMAN, R., 1991. Trunk Muscle and Lumbar Ligament Contributions to Dynamic Lifts with Varying Degrees of Trunk Flexion. Spine, 16(9), pp.1099-1107.
3/ Kingma, I., Faber, G. and van Dieën, J., 2010. How to lift a box that is too large to fit between the knees. Ergonomics, 53(10), pp.1228-1238.
4/ Vigotsky, A., Harper, E., Ryan, D. and Contreras, B., 2015. Effects of load on good morning kinematics and EMG activity. PeerJ, 3, p.e708.
5/ Holder, L., 2013. The Effect Of Lumbar Posture And Pelvis Fixation On Back Extensor Torque And Paravertebral Muscle Activation. pp.42, 49.
6/ McKean, M., Dunn, P. and J. Burkett, B., 2010. The Lumbar and Sacrum Movement Pattern During the Back Squat Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), pp.2731-2741.
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