The age-old debate. We settle it once and for all.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

You can bias lower abs from upper abs by doing posterior pelvic tilt vs ab curl here
People with LBP lift with LESS flexion in their lumbar spine here
There was low-quality evidence that greater lumbar spine flexion during lifting was not a risk factor for LBP onset/persistence or a differentiator of people with and without LBP here
Only 4% difference in total load on the vertebrae during stoop vs squat lifting here
Load shifts posteriorly away from disk as you flex here at close to full flexion less than a quarter of extensor moment is from disk and deep ligaments
People lift more efficiently in spinal flexion (more efficiently = same force output with less muscle activity) here
That’s probably why elite powerlifters increase spinal flexion automatically as they approach maximum loads here
Spine posture in general has not been shown to be a causal factor in LBP according to a systematic review of systematic reviews in 2020 here
Even lifting a box from knee height when instructed to keep the spine neutral, results in 22 degrees of lumbar flexion here
Experienced physical therapists can’t detect lumbar flexion of less than 34 degrees during a squat here
In lab experiments compressive load - not flexion or extension - causes disk injury here
“Bad technique” doesn’t cause injury - Crossfit injury incidence is 0.27 - 3.3 per 1000 hours of training here
Injury incidence in running is 2.5 - 33 which is almost exactly 10x higher here
Injury incidence in ballet is 3.9-4.4 per 1000 hours - which is higher than Crossfit even though ballet dancers practice in perfect alignment here
Most injuries in fitness centers result from people falling off equipment or dropping weights on themselves here
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