Zach is a strength coach and corrective exercise specialist. We've been chatting for the last few months, and he has come up with some interesting correlations in strength between various lifts an athlete performs. The goal behind understanding these correlations allows the coach/athlete to program towards these weaknesses hedging injury and promoting longevity in their training. Zach is here to talk today about the value in "rounded back" lifting. By @strengthratio: Ariel @a_m_strong demonstrating perfect technique in the Log Clean! Weightlifting technique demands strength in braced extension of the lumbar and thoracic spine during the first and second pulls. However, if the lifter deviates slightly from this position, and is weaker outside of this position, the lift is more likely to be missed. In a Log Clean, the spine should flex at the middle of the lift and extend at the top. The shouldering of a log strengthens the lifter outside of the positions inherent to weightlifting, so that when the lifter does deviate in his or her pull, it does not come at the expense of a missed lift or sudden strain/sprain. This exercise strengthens the smaller "intrinsic" stabilizing muscles of the spine when the larger "extrinsic" stabilizing muscles are not in an optimal position. Training with stones is also very helpful for these same reasons. For overall strength balance, the shouldering of a stone has the potential to be ~45% of the Back Squat, and the shouldering of a log has the potential to be ~55% of the Back Squat. #FuBarbell #teamstrengthratio #USAweightlifting #weightlifting #crossfit