There is more to perfecting exercise technique than knowing how to move a few joints. A squat can be like a Fitstagram super model, great looking from the outside and a straight up dumpster fire on the inside. The “inside” being your back and his/her soul. Here a few tips you can use to hit some new PRs and get out of pain. 

 Lower back pain is common if you do not know how to brace your core. It is actually pretty predictable; either you brace with your abs or your body will automatically brace with your lower back. 

 Imagine you are wearing a belt that is a little bit too loose. Take a deep breath, pushing the air into your belly and push your core (abs, obliques, lower back) out in all directions, filling the space in that loose belt. While you are expanding your core, you should be pushing with your abs. Perform that bracing action before squatting or deadlifting. Deep breath, brace, lift, exhale, repeat. 

 Did you know that your lats are the largest muscles of the upper body and a primary mover when you perform a set of pullups. Most people fail to properly engage the lats and end up attempting to curl themselves to the bar. 

 Reach up overhead, arms fully extended, and attempt to pull your shoulder blades back and down toward your back pocket. You should feel your upper back tense up and engage. Once the upper back is locked in, pull yourself up. It might take some time to get used to but the more automatic you can make this process, the easier pullups become. 

 Single leg exercises can be a killer for your glutes, quads and hamstrings. You can bring more muscle into the fold by tensing up the core and upper back as you lunge, hinge and step-up. 

 Lets say you are performing a set of walking lunges with 25lbs. dumbbells in each hand. As you get set to lunge forward, brace your core as explained above and focus on keeping your upper back locked in by pulling your shoulder blades back and together. If you do this right, the weights should not swing at all as you move from the bottom to the top of each rep. Tense up and keep your joints and tendons happy while building more muscle!

 Exercises, like certain internet celebrities, can look great on the outside while needing a few tweaks on the inside. Spend some time learning how to brace and create tension, I promise it will pay off.