29 Apr Expert Lifting Techniques for Your Next Move
Moving is not only mentally draining, but can also lead to injury. If you’re not careful, your next move can cause a nasty twinge or muscle strain. It’s important that you learn some expert lifting techniques when moving. Let’s jump right in!
Stretch before lifting
While most people consider this as an afterthought, it goes a long way to prevent injury. Because lifting is more like a workout stretching makes the muscles flexible. Keep in mind, loading and unloading heavy objects can wear you out when you’re not prepared. If your muscles are too tight, you may have challenges lifting some objects. Stretching beforehand will improve your mobility and most importantly increase safety.
Test the object before you lift
This will tell you how heavy the object is. Not to mention, you can plan your route and repack the load if it feels unbalanced. Start lifting by making slow movements with your arms, not the back. And just like professional movers, you should not lift anything without knowing what you’re moving.
Bend with your knees, not your back
As you lift the objects, use your knees while keeping your back straight. But if the objects are extremely heavy, put one knee in front of you and the other one at a right angle. Even better, you can squat bending the knees and hips only. Be sure to use the muscles of your legs to lift the item.
Hold objects close to your body
It’s much easier lifting heavy objects close to your chest than with your arm. This ensures the objects are closer to the center of gravity thus reducing the possibility of getting an injury. Apart from that, this posture keeps the upper back straight. Whenever possible, hold the objects at belly button level. It’s worth mentioning holding objects further away from your body requires more force which runs through your back.
Keep your chest forward
If you lift heavy objects with a curved chest, you’ll leave your back vulnerable to injury. More clearly, you should breathe as normally as possible. Holding the breath can push the blood pressure to an unsafe level. If you’re unable to breathe, put the object down and rest a bit. At the same time, keep the core muscles of your abdomen tight and look straight ahead. This position maintains the natural curve of your body.
Change direction with your feet
To avoid injuring your lower back, you should change the direction with your feet. As you move, make sure your shoulders are aligned with your hips. Needless to say, you should walk slowly to reduce the risk of falling.
Before you make your next move, you should start with a plan. Secondly, don’t be in a hurry to load items in and out of the truck. This will ensure you move everything safely without injuries. When you hire a professional moving company, you don’t have to worry about using the above moving techniques.