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Does movement technique actually matter?

Have you ever tweaked your back trying to move something and thought, "I just lifted that wrong"?


One of the most controversial topics regarding exercise and injury prevention is technique.

A comparison picture of someone lifting a box with a flat back and a rounded back with a check mark over one and an "x" over the other
*What if I told you this picture is misleading?

We often cite wanting to ensure we “do things right” or risk hurting ourselves with exercise. Technique is important, but not in the ways you think. Taking a look at the picture above, what if I told you that neither technique is incorrect? Allow me to explain.


Pain and injury only occur when we do something beyond our capacity. That's the only situation when it happens. That's why there's no such thing as a bad exercise, posture, or movement, because more context and nuance are needed to understand why someone would get hurt doing a certain movement.


If I pick something up with a rounded back, it's often thought of as a risky position and one that would cause back pain. But what if I intentionally train to lift things with that technique? Maybe it's part of what I do as part of a physical labour job, or maybe I just do a lot of Jefferson curls and zercher deadlifts. I would naturally, in this situation, feel stronger and more capable lifting with a rounded back because the human body adapts to what we put in front of it.


A demonstration of a jefferson curl movement while standing on a box
*If I train these positions, I become more tolerant of them

In other words, if I have practiced with one type of technique, that inherently makes it less risky when it comes to injury. If I never do anything with a rounded back and then try to pick up something that way, sure, I'd be at risk of hurting my back.


So, if technique on its own doesn't predispose us to injury, when does it actually matter?


Here are three situations where technique is most important in my eyes.


First is when an exercise is painful.


If my knees hurt while squatting, I can alter my technique to take some of the stress off and still be able to perform the movement.


In this case, I’d cue myself to “sit back” more while not letting my knees come as far forward. It’s still a squat, but I’m biasing more stress to my hips and back as opposed to my ailing knees.


If my back hurts while lifting with a rounded posture, I can flatten my spine to compensate. (I can't stress enough that it doesn't make lifting that way wrong, but there's a time and place to work on it.)


The second is when you’re trying to load a specific tissue.


If I want to load the knees as much as possible, I can alter my squat technique to provide as much stimulus as possible and get as much bang for my buck with the exercise.


In this case, I’d purposely drive my knees as far forward as I can, taking the hips as much out of the equation as possible to get the stimulus I want. It works both ways.


The third situation is when you’re trying to move as efficiently as possible.


For performance-based movements (for example, when you’re trying to lift as heavy as possible), you need efficiency.


If I’m loose, unstable, and not leveraging my body optimally, I won’t be able to perform as well.


In a scenario like deadlifting, great technique can make the weight feel lighter because you’re moving more efficiently.


To sum up.


Again, most people stress about technique because they think they’re going to hurt themselves.


The reality is that no specific technique causes pain.


Squatting one way may hurt someone's knees, but feel good for another. In other words, being able to modify your technique to the situation and your goal is more important than the technique itself.


All exercises are made up anyway, and they’re tools for us to acquire a means to an end. Use them in ways that make the most sense to you based on your goals.


Ultimately, proper technique means getting what you want out of the exercise.



To your good health,

Coach Stephen

Thanks for reading.


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