Q:

Preparing for moving to new house

A friend of mine is moving to his new house in a week, and I am going to help him with heavy lifting.
However I am concerned with low-back injury prevention. 
My question is : how to best prepare for such work given only one week ? Maybe back and abdominal exercises ? Thank you for your ideas and suggestions.

A:

With only one week before the move, you don't have enough time to develop significantly more strength.
Instead, focus on these tips for safely moving things:

Before lifting an object, take a big breath and hold it (Valsalva maneuver) at least until you are standing upright.  The goal is to keep your torso rigid.
Move with your feet, not your back. Do not twist your spine while loaded; otherwise, risk of injury (strain, disc damage) increases dramatically.

