I would love to know and have not been able to figure this out when I am trying to lift extremely heavy objects. I always end up hurting my back or shoulders because I don’t know how you force the legs to lift things while you are standing on them in one spot or moving. Are you also supposed to be lifting with your legs while you’re walking the heavy object to its destination?
In: Physics
Think squats.
You keep your back as upright as possible, and squat in front of the heavy-thing.
You hold it as close to you as possible, keeping your back upright – then straighten your knees to stand up. Keep your abdominal muscles tense (as though to brace for a punch in the stomach), to minimise the chance of bending like a sapling.
There are plenty of [images of this](https://www.seton.net.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/85e4522595efc69f496374d01ef2bf13/1614173052/A/2/A22906.jpg) on the internet.
Your spine is absolutely *shit* at handling flexural stress. – it’s like a train of bones held together with squishy discs of cartilage. If you bend it over with a big weight at the top, the discs get pinched at the bend and can rupture – or at best, the muscles / ligaments / tendons desperately trying to prevent this can get strained or torn.
What your spine *is* good at handling is compressive strength. You can carry someone on your shoulders just fine, as all the force goes straight down the train. All those squishy discs spread the load equally between them like shock absorbers, and you’re fine. Let your knees and hips handle the strain-at-an-angle, which they’re built to cope with.
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