Everyday Fitness

Here's another segment of current research I came across on my train ride, and it has to do with deadlift mechanics. A group from the University of Illinois found a link between a person's knee and back strength, and how this changes the way a person would lift a heavy box/crate. Laying it out plain and simple; if a person's back is stronger than their knees, they lift more with their back. If the person's knees are stronger with their back, they lift more with their knees. 

Imagine there was a heavy box/crate in front of you; how would you approach lifting it? At some point you were probably instructed to bend at the knees and lift with your legs. Let me stop and say, I think it's garbage to assume our legs need to do all the lifting. Of course you need to engage your back to stabilize the lift as well! The old saying "lift with your legs" has good intentions though; you don't want to bend the back too much and muck up your spine. Anyways, there's one less obvious point I want to take away from this research:

We're too comfortable using the strong parts of our bodies and ignoring the parts that need improvement

Sure, in certain aspects of life it makes sense to stick to our talents. I'm good with the sciences, so I'll make a career out of research. I won't try making a living by painting, for example, because I'll end up living on the streets (So much for a gym membership then!) But when it comes to our bodies, it's a "you're only as strong as your weakest link" scenario. Varying the sorts of exercises you expose yourself to will lead to an optimal full body fitness, and prevent injury down the road.