Technique during exercise can vary greatly. For example, should your feet be straight or turned out when doing a squat? Should your elbows be by your sides or flared out when doing a push-up? Are your knees allowed to go over your toes when doing a lunge? These are common questions I encounter when assessing someone’s technical abilities during exercise.

When examining technique, exercise choices, and injuries, some scientific perspectives tend to oversimplify the relationship between load and capacity, neglecting the impact of movement quality. Integrating all three components—technique, load, and capacity—is known as the "adaptation model." This model suggests that as long as the load is within the body's capacity, movement quality isn't crucial. This blog will share the "Technique Triad Theory," which argues that movement quality, applied load, and tissue capacity all play significant roles in injury prevention and high performance.
The Adaptation Model asserts that we can recover from or adapt to any stress, provided it doesn’t exceed our capacity. While this model acknowledges that poor movement can misdirect force, it assumes the body can adapt without increasing injury risk if load and recovery are managed well. However, this perspective overlooks fundamental biomechanical principles.
The Technique Triad Theory emphasizes that technique, load, and capacity are interconnected. Good technique allows for increased load without surpassing tissue capacity. As technique improves, the load can be increased safely, appropriately challenging capacity. So, how do we provide enough stress for adaptation without exceeding capacity? The answer lies in proper load management.
Capacity refers to the ability to endure stress or fatigue, influenced by factors such as sleep, nutrition, and hydration. While exercise can build strength, excessive stress without adequate recovery can impair performance and increase the risk of injury. For instance, jumping from a light weight squat to a heavy squat without gradual progression creates a higher risk of overloading tissues. Proper load management involves gradually increasing stress (i.e., the weight on the bar) to allow tissues to adapt and strengthen.
Movement quality affects how load is distributed across different tissues. A study found that poor lumbar spine posture during lifts shifts force from muscles to passive spine structures, such as the intervertebral disc, increasing injury risk. Additionally, some tissues, like intervertebral discs, have limited healing capacities and therefore do not adapt as well to load introduced in a high-volume, high-pressure environment. Hence, oversimplifying injury prevention to just load and capacity ignores the importance of movement quality.
Biomechanics help us understand how movement affects force distribution. Poor technique can lead to inefficient force migration, increasing injury risk. Research supports that dynamic balance and core control are crucial for reducing injury risk, particularly for ACL injuries. Furthermore, technique-focused training has shown better results in movement control and injury prevention compared to conventional methods.
In summary, proper technique enables a higher applied load because technique is essential. Without it, increasing load can lead to uncontrolled stress and injury. While load challenges capacity, capacity determines how much load can be managed. When the correct balance is achieved, it protects your tissues and maximizes your potential.
This integrated approach ensures that technique, load, and capacity are all optimized for improved performance and injury prevention. If you're unsure where to start, reach out to your friendly neighbourhood fitness professional. Thanks for reading!
Emmanuel Ofori
Your friendly neighbourhood fitness professional
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