<b>Introduction </b>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Today we will discuss the basics of understanding lifting biomechanics for personal trainers and strength coaches. The role of a personal trainer and strength coach is to coach lifting technique, so enhancing our understanding of lifting biomechanics will contribute to our programme design and may offer up more ideas for creativity, longevity, regressions and progressions. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4115 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Romanian-Deadlifts-Training-The-Other-Half-Of-Your-Leg-header-v2-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /> </span>

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<b>What is biomechanics?</b>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Biomechanics can be described as the study of human movement, focusing on how external forces act upon the neuro-musculoskeletal systems. This could also be described as ‘extrinsic’ biomechanics. In the field of ‘intrinsic’ biomechanics, the focus is on how these structures respond and react to these forces.   </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">As exercise professionals, we need to understand human movement in relation to this science to enable us to train clients to lift when they want to be stronger at something or reduce their risk of becoming injured when lifting things day to day. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Examples of extrinsic biomechanical influences during lifting are the ground underfoot, the object being lifted, the weight distribution and choice of hand position/grip, the reaction of gravity to that object along with how and where its force impacts upon the body, footwear, belts, straps and clothing.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Intrinsic biomechanical influences that can affect manual lifting are things like joint angles and limb lengths along with connective tissue and neural tension. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-33785 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/shutterstock_1054776068-300x118.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="118" />  </span>

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<b>How does our intrinsic biomechanics impact lifting? </b>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">We already know that lifestyle creates adaptations and compensations inside our client's bodies, but how does this impact on lifting?</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Imagine an adaptation like subclinical muscle spasm (not clinical nor symptomatic) of the pelvic muscles, maybe from sitting for long periods. This client may come to you for help to develop their mobility or hip muscle strength. However, the adaptation may result in a compensation that leaves them with a functional leg length discrepancy FLLD). </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">This compensation alters the descending force being produced through the lower limb joints. It can also alter the ascending force being transferred up into the spine and upper body. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We may see an asymmetry during the lift by observing one shoulder being higher or the barbell itself not remaining level. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">It is quite possible the lift will be impacted by virtue of the fact that asymmetry and reduced muscle function can reduce stability, control and therefore strength and power. Some range of motion may also have been lost and muscle development can be inhibited. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Another example of this type of compensation might be a loose Midtarsal joint (MTJ)  in the foot, resulting in a flattening of the arch. This could encourage a knee valgus which results in a more medially loaded knee joint. These asymmetries may not be visible during lifting but could be measured in advance if the trainer has the right assessment skills. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">A simple pelvic function screen can reveal an FLLD to enable the trainer or coach to prescribe an intervention like a muscle energy technique (M.E.T), also known as an anti-spasm, prior to the lift to reduce the muscle spasm and improve muscle function along with symmetry. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4116 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/olympic-lifting-2-300x191.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="191" /> </span>

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<b>How does lifting impact our intrinsic biomechanics? </b>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">If we ask a client to perform a deadlift for example when they are not intrinsically prepared they may experience reduced grip strength from tightness in the median nerve for example. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The shear force of a deadlift on the spine extensors could also increase risk should there be inhibition of either or both QL muscles. The trunk muscle's ability to stiffen adequately during a deadlift requires great biomechanical setup. So the body may grumble or complain when deadlifting to tell us the body isn’t yet prepared and we could experience ‘niggles’. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s important to note here that these ‘compensations’ are ‘common’ modern ailments that have been ‘normalised’ so much so that it’s expected and accepted as part of life.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Understanding how to assess intrinsic biomechanics is a unique and specialised skill set that enables trainers and coaches to optimise performance while reducing risk when a client is lifting. The ability to measure, monitor and objectively benchmark our client's movement is a vital aspect of being a movement practitioner. </span>

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<img class="size-medium wp-image-1030 aligncenter" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/skele-pelvis-300x214.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="214" />

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<b>The benefits of understanding lifting biomechanics </b>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">So to develop tissue tolerance &amp; load management for lifting we must take into account the reason the client is lifting in the first place. This paired with their intrinsic biomechanical measurements, their starting benchmarks and an understanding of lifting biomechanics to then create a programme that takes all of these considerations into account. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Is the recommended weight or load creating a compressive force or shear force on the body? How might shoulder width impact the lift? Can we learn ways to measure &amp; improve abdominal muscle stiffness for lifting? These might be great questions to start with.</span>

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<img class="size-medium wp-image-7303 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Are-All-Biomechanical-Studies-Flawed_-And-Would-You-Like-To-Squat-Better_-Biomechanics-Coaching-300x150.png" alt="" width="300" height="150" />

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<b>The benefits of understanding biomechanics for overall movement </b>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Considering the integrated system during a squat/deadlift as the knee flexes, as the tibia inclines forwards over the forefoot, SubTalar Joint pronates, the plantar flexors lengthen, the Soleus muscle lengthens eccentrically, the nervous system is stretched. The weight of the body moves forward, the knee extensors lengthen eccentrically, hip extensors lengthen eccentrically, spine extensors stiffen and may lengthen depending upon technique and/or capacity under load. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">These are just a few examples of the way the body intrinsically interacts as a system during a lift and so any issues or compensation with any of these areas could influence the lift. Next, consider how much we think about each of these aspects when we bend over to pick up a towel we dropped, or if we go to pick a washing basket up. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">If our client wants to develop strength for performance and risk reduction then could it be argued that conditioning their joints to experience various planes, loads, angles and alignments is best? Does cueing ‘knees in line’ degrade the knees ability to be tolerant to loads outside of ‘in line’? Should we train clients' knees outside of the midline? If so, how far outside and what risk does it hold? </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Controversially we could argue that deliberately taking the knees into a valgus position during a squat is preparing the body for it should we take a fall. It might be wise to reduce the loads initially if doing this but leaning the body into ‘bad’ form or poor alignment could be ‘good’ for preparing a client's joints. This might be simply using body weight to start with.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">How would you feel about doing this? </span>

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<img class="size-medium wp-image-35135 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-07-at-15.17.56-300x287.png" alt="" width="300" height="287" />

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Summary </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Coaching someone to lift should be about keeping things simple in application. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ask yourself a few questions each time a client comes to you for a lifting programme. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">What’s the goal? </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What’s the risk? </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What are the influences? </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What can I measure? </span>

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