03/28/2025
Not mother nature gaslighting me into thinking I never shoveled last night...
When shoveling heavy snow, keep some of these tricks in mind to prevent injury:
● use a smaller shovel ●
○ If you're like me and try to move too much snow at once, do yourself a favor and downsize your tool. Too much weight will absolutely strain your back. More reps > more weight. If you don't have a smaller shovel, only fill a large one up partially.
● bend your knees ●
○ You need your knees to act as shock absorbers for your back. This will not happen if they are straight/locked out. Bending them also naturally drives you to have a wider base, making you lower to the ground. This helps to ground you and give you more balance.
● push with your legs ●
○ Now that your knees are unlocked, that means you can use the strength in your legs to push the snow. Your legs have far larger, more powerful muscle groups that make quick work of these tasks. Try not to rely totally on your arms.
● have a wide grip on the handle ●
○ For the exact same reason as having a wide base in your legs, wide hand positioning helps give you more leverage and more efficient strength.
● switch sides often ●
○ If you start with your right hand on the bottom of the shovel, switch to have your left hand in that position at least every 2 minutes, and vice versa. Try to use both sides equally to prevent tiring of any one side.
● take breaks ●
○ Snow shoveling can be just as aerobic as a workout. I even count it as my workout for the day personally. I don't know about you, but I do take 2-4 minute breaks when I exercise to hydrate and stretch. I treat this the same way.
● limber up ●
○ On the same vein as treating this as a workout, you should be warming up your muscles in preparation for this strenuous activity. Take 10-20 minutes to stretch prior.