Lower back pain is prevalent in society and manual lifting has been linked as one potential cause of these types of injuries. Therefore, the 3dLift biomechanical model was developed in this research with the goal of quantitatively analyzing lifting motions. The model divided the body into fifteen segments that were connected by fourteen anatomical joints. During experimental trials, a volunteer subject lifted an object using four different lifting combinations: symmetric leglifts, asymmetric leglifts, symmetric backlifts, and asymmetric backlifts. In order to individualize the 3dLift model, anthropometric parameters were estimated using measurements taken on the subject. During the lifting trials, the subject wore reflective markers placed on anatomical landmarks, the motions of which were tracked by five video cameras. The subject also stood with each foot on a separate force platform that was used to determine ground reaction forces and centers of pressure. Signal processing methods were utilized to predict the marker positions that were obscured during the lifting trials, and digital filtering was implemented to attenuate noise in the data. After reducing the experimental errors, the segment coordinate axes, Cardan angles, joint center positions, and mass center positions were calculated. The changes in the segment orientations with respect to time were then analyzed to determine the three-dimensional kinematics of the segments. Anthropometric, video, and force platform information were combined in equations of motion that were derived to predict the forces and moments occurring at the joints during the lifting motions. A lower body formulation was developed that started with the measured ground reactions at the feet and proceeded through the segments to the T10/T11 intervertebral joint. Similarly, an upper body formulation was derived that began with a known lifted load at the hands and continued through the segments to the same T10/T11 intervertebral joint. While predicting joint forces and moments, the two formulations also served as a means of validating the 3dLift model by comparing the results at the T10/T11 joint. While there is much work yet to be done in this research area, the 3dLift model takes the first steps by developing a systematic methodology for studying lifting motions.