The Position Of Strength

The Position of Strength is one of the foundations of Dr. Reaume Carroll Mulry’s approach to back health and correct movement. In his Freedom From Back Pain programs, he taught the basic position simply as back straight, knees bent.

By bending your knees rather than bending from your back, you bring the powerful muscles of your stomach and thighs into action. The Position of Strength provides a stable foundation for reaching, lifting, carrying, transferring, sitting, and other activities of daily living.

Dr. Mulry later applied these same principles of balance, centeredness, breathing, and coordinated movement to sports and peak performance.

Developing The Position Of Strength

Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly. Keep your back straight, with your chest forward and your head up.

This position helps maintain the natural inward curve of the lower back while lowering your center of gravity and bringing the powerful muscles of your thighs into action.

Dr. Mulry contrasted this with the Position of Weakness, where the knees remain straight and the body bends forward from the back. In the Position of Strength, the legs, stomach, and full body work together to perform the movement.

Whenever possible, keep what you are lifting or carrying close to your body. The farther a weight moves away from you, the greater the strain placed on your back.

Function From Your Center

Centering is fundamental to the Position of Strength. Dr. Mulry taught that lowering your center of gravity improves balance and allows you to function from a stronger, more stable position.

The principle can be seen throughout everyday movement as well as sports. Dr. Mulry used examples from Judo, Sumo wrestling, ballet, Tai-Chi, bowling, skiing, horseback riding, and golf to demonstrate how effective movement begins from a balanced and centered position.

The same principle applies when carrying groceries, mowing the lawn, picking up a child, or performing other activities of daily living.

Protecting Your Back

The Position of Strength became a core skill in Dr. Mulry’s Freedom From Back Pain programs.

When reaching or lifting, use the Position of Strength and keep the activity within your Back Safety Zone whenever possible. If you must reach outside that zone, bring the object close to your body as quickly as possible.

Dr. Mulry also taught you to pivot rather than twist. When changing direction, move your shoulders and hips together while repositioning your feet toward the new direction.

These principles are demonstrated throughout Watch Your Back and especially in Position of Strength – Transfers, where Dr. Mulry applies the Position of Strength to helping another person move safely.

Stomach And Thigh Power

A central principle of the Position of Strength is learning to use your stomach and thigh power rather than relying primarily on your back and arms.

When physical effort is required, Dr. Mulry taught Exhale Into The Exertion. Exhaling during the effort activates the stomach muscles and coordinates breathing with the movement.

A Hard Stomach Breath can also be practiced in the Position of Strength to experience the stability of the full-body posture. A Soft Stomach Breath allows you to remain relaxed and balanced while maintaining the position.

The Position Of Strength In Motion

The Position of Strength is not simply a standing posture. Dr. Mulry taught it as a way of moving.

Use your knees and legs as you reach, lift, lower, carry, push, pull, or transfer weight. Keep the movement close to your center whenever possible and reposition your feet rather than twisting your back.

The same principles continue when sitting. Bring your chest forward, keep your head over your shoulders, and maintain the natural inward curve of your lower back.

With practice, correct movement becomes part of everyday activity. As Dr. Mulry taught, correct movement is exercise.

From Backcare To Peak Performance

The Position of Strength began as an important part of Dr. Mulry’s Backcare teaching, but its principles extend beyond protecting the back.

Within In The Zone Skills Training, Dr. Mulry developed these ideas further through Power Moves: balance, breathing, centeredness, poised readiness for action, and coordinated, efficient movement.

Practicing these physical qualities helps develop the feeling of stability and strength as a full-body attitude. Power Moves is one of the four In The Zone Peak Performance Skills.

The Position of Strength became one of the foundations of Dr. Mulry’s approach to correct movement. What began as a practical way to protect the back developed into a broader principle of functioning from a balanced, centered, and powerful position in everyday life and peak performance.

Through practice, the goal is to make the Position of Strength part of how you naturally move: back straight, knees bent, centered, balanced, and ready for action.

For relaxation and recovery, Dr. Mulry also taught the Position of Comfort, a supported resting position used with Soft Stomach Breathing and Relaxation Therapy.