Is your desk job STEALING your Strength?

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REFERENCES:

[1] Malai S, Pichaiyongwongdee S, Sakulsriprasert P. Immediate effect of hold-relax stretching of iliopsoas muscle on transversus abdominis activation in chronic NSLBP with hyper-lordosis. J Med Assoc Thai 2015;98

[2] Kim B, Yim J. Core stability and hip muscle stretching improve physical function in NSLBP: RCT. Tohoku J Exp Med 2020;251:193-206.

[3] Arjmand N, Shirazi-Adl A. Role of intra-abdominal pressure in the unloading and stabilization of the human spine during static lifting tasks. Eur Spine J. 2006 Aug;15(8):1265-75. doi: 10.1007/s00586-005-0012-9. Epub 2005 Dec 7. PMID: 16333683; PMCID: PMC3233951.

[4] Campbell A, Kemp-Smith K, O'Sullivan P, Straker L. Abdominal Bracing Increases Ground Reaction Forces and Reduces Knee and Hip Flexion During Landing. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016 Apr;46(4):286-92. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2016.5774. Epub 2016 Mar 8. PMID: 26954271.

[5] Hodges PW, Richardson CA. Inefficient muscular stabilization of the lumbar spine associated with low back pain. A motor control evaluation of transversus abdominis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1996 Nov 15;21(22):2640-50. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199611150-00014. PMID: 8961451.

[6] Byeong-Gwon Yun, Seung-Joo Lee, Hyun-Jeong So, and Won-Seob Shin. Changes in muscle activity of the abdominal muscles according to exercise method and speed during dead bug exercise. Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science 2017;6:1-6.

Desk jobs — or any chair surfing — are a necessary evil of modern life.

Upside: we can focus for long periods and earn in comfort.

Downside: sitting wrecks posture.

We end up with:

Forward head → reduced breathing & core stability (diaphragm inhibition).

Slumped shoulders → limited overhead mobility, higher shoulder injury risk.

Tight hips → weak glutes, shear forces on lumbar spine, back pain.

So on Swings, instead of hips powering the movement, the lower back overworks.

A common “fix” for tight hips is stretching hip flexors. When I first discovered this in 2001/2, it felt great—until it didn’t. The looseness never stuck. Research shows hip flexor stretching briefly boosts deep abdominal activity, but it fades when training ends. Sitting then reinforces tightness, creating a loop.

At the same time, I relied on abdominal bracing for core stability. Which worked—until it didn’t. A hard brace increases hip joint forces. Research shows strong bracing reduces shear at the lumbar spine but spikes hip compression by 8–12%. It also reduces hip-knee flexion and raises ground reaction forces, shifting stress to hips instead of glutes.

Combine tight hip flexors, weak glutes, and max bracing, and you get aching backs and damaged hips. That’s how I tore both labrums after years of stretching and bracing.

The Fix: Restore Anticipatory Control

In a healthy body, the deep core activates milliseconds before moving an arm, leg, or kettlebell. This feed-forward activation, or anticipatory postural adjustment, is also called reflexive stabilization.

Studies show the Transverse Abdominis and Multifidus fire early in pain-free lifters but late in those with back pain. Conscious bracing can’t substitute—once the bell moves, you’ve only got milliseconds. If the reflex is off, shear forces hit when load peaks, often causing that “lightning shock” in the lower back.

So, how do we restore it? With specialized stability drills that re-train feed-forward activation.

One of the best is the Dead Bug, proven to restore anticipatory control. We use this and others in the Stability phase of the SSP Model (Stability–Strength–Power) from Systematic Core Training for Kettlebells.

The prescription:

5 minutes of stability training before KB sessions.

10 minutes after.

Then progress to Strength and Power.

This resets the deep abdominals, re-strengthens them with the pelvic floor and diaphragm, and restores the ability to create intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) to protect the spine in Swings, Cleans, Squats, and Snatches.

Should You Ever Brace?

Yes—on heavy, slow lifts like Deadlifts, Squats, and Presses. But bracing should layer on top of reflexive stability, not replace it.

Stay Strong,

Geoff Neupert.