MAINE, USA — How much thought does the average person put into sitting down and standing up? If the answer is "not much," that's not uncommon. The Form Lab in Portland wants to change that.
The gym officially opened its doors in February. Since then, trainers have been teaching clients how to improve the way they move their bodies. The goal is to incorporate those movements into everyday life to help get the most out of each workout and minimize long-term aches and pains.
The Form Lab's co-founder, Andrew Blais, said even something as simple as picking up an object off the floor the wrong way could lead to problems down the road over time.
When it comes to the way people sit, Blais said it's something simple most do every day, but it can be done wrong.
"Start with that hinge, slight outward pressure, and then we're trying to keep those knees relatively back. And we should start to feel that tension starting to creep up into the hamstrings and glutes to get seated on the bench," Blais said. "When we're standing, we want to do the same thing. We want to apply that outward pressure, and all you're thinking about is squeezing the back of the muscle in the backside of your leg and propelling you back into that upright position."
Watch the full video for more tips.