Lesson 8
Leverage: Why Distance Adds Weight
Use torque to see why a load held out feels heavier, why leaning forward in a squat works your hips, and how to make any exercise easier or harder.
Same bag, heavier arm
Carry a full shopping bag at your side and it's fine. Hold the same bag out in front of you and within seconds your shoulder is burning. The bag hasn't got any heavier. What's changed is how far it sits from your shoulder.
Your bones, joints and muscles work as levers, and distance from the joint matters as much as weight. A simple lever model explains a lot of what makes one exercise harder than another.