What is it?
I made it up, so I’ll define it and go against all the rules of using the word to define the word: the ability to bend. Pretty straightforward, right?
What is “bend-ability” in the context of your health?
Well, we’re made up of a shitload of joints, and what do joints do? They move. When they become unused and ignored, they rust over and become less mobile and creaky.
Why should you care?
Let’s use your low back as an example: when you have low back pain, do you avoid bending it? You’re not wrong if you answer yes. You’re just spitting facts, and most people would probably agree with you.
If you go to the gym, I’m sure you’re spending a lot of time trying to train “neutral spine”, which is great! However, always training in neutral spine doesn’t set you up for success in the real world when you’re loading the dishwasher, mopping floors, weeding, doing laundry, or picking up your kid that all of a sudden weighs 40 lbs.
The point is that your spine is made of a lot of joints, and joints are meant to move, so when we avoid bending it, we lose the ability to bend it.
I’m not saying that when your back hurts like hell that, you need to go ahead and bend the shit out of it, but I am saying that training your spine’s ability to bend on a regular basis can help build more resilience and decrease the likelihood of you throwing out your back when you’re picking up that pencil that suddenly becomes 30 lbs and makes you drop to your knees.
See the video below to start working on your spine’s bend-ability:
And share this with a friend who’s spine doesn’t bend!
