Injury Prevention Exercises - Fitness Tips For Laborers

Grunt work will always exist. Good old elbow grease and hard work is the mainstay for many North Americans. Labor comes in many shapes and sizes. This particular job description is very wide and can include but is not limited to shoveling, wheel wheelbarrowing, and painting, overhead drilling, and moving heavy and or large items. There are several ways to get hurt in this industry aside from the machinery. Strains and sprains are just some of the simpler issues. Many times this career can leave a person with permanent chronic problems.

The good news is that it does not have to be this way. It seems hard to imagine how someone can go work out after a full day of labor or to get in a training session before work if you are up very early. Weekends are open sometimes but it's hard to motivate yourself to work out on a day off, could be the only one in the week if work is good. Some labor jobs have time off which gives you ample time to rebuild and refresh the muscles but those who work all year have limited time.

Shorter sessions are usually suggested and sticking with large muscle group machine workouts will have you in and out in no time without aggravating any muscles which are needed for work. Look at an all body hit 1-2 times per week at the minimum and focus on things like Leg Press or if you prefer free weights and have the time and energy then go for squats. These exercises stimulate the whole leg and core maximizing your efforts.

Seated Chest machine is a staple for training as is the mid back row or lat pull. That takes care of the legs, chest and back. Next you would want to look at a shoulder exercise such as the overhead press machine followed by some arms to end the session.

Choose a favorite bicep exercise or just do some chin ups. Then try Tricep dips or kickbacks to follow. I like to end with crunches and hyperextensions to make sure my laboring clients are strong in the core as well. Vary the sets, reps, training styles and rep speed in order to keep this program fresh for a few months.

Make sure to keep well hydrated because if you are an outdoor worker you have higher chances of sun stroke and indoor works can get heat stroke along with the outside workers depending on your environment. Most hard workers eat well so keep it up and make sure you take in a lot of fresh produce along with your lean meats.

These are the keys to making your job much less difficult on your body and your day.

By Linda Cusmano