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Last weekend, I stepped into my gym, and before I could even ask how everyone was doing, I noticed a theme:
—𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐮𝐩.
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𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬:
SHOVELING! ❆
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Between multiple snowstorms and a lovely ice storm for good measure, my clients had unknowingly signed up for the ultimate full-body workout.
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And their backs were paying the price. 😫❄️
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𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤—𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞.
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The good news? You’re most likely (read more below on when to see the doctor) not injured, just overworked.
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𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. ✅💪
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WHAT CAUSES SHOVEL BACK? 🤔
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Shoveling snow is an intense, repetitive activity that 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠—often under cold conditions when your muscles are already stiff.
Here’s why you might be feeling it in your lower back:
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𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 – Most people bend at the waist and round in the lower back instead of hinging at the hip and squatting down to lift snow, putting excessive strain on the lower back.
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𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 + 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐲 – Lifting and throwing snow repeatedly over time fatigues the muscles and makes injury more likely. 🔄 Since many of you aren't professional snow shovelers, you probably don't do this all the time, and your bodies simply aren't used to this movement, hence the soreness.
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𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Shoveling is often one-sided, meaning one side of your body does most of the work. ⚖️
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𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 – If your core and back aren’t strong enough, the lower back takes the brunt of the work. 🏋️‍♀️
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𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 – Muscles tighten up in the cold, making them less flexible and more prone to strain. ❄️🥶
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𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓 🛀
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If you’re dealing with mild to moderate soreness, here are some ways to relieve the discomfort:
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𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 – Light movement like walking or stretching can help loosen stiff muscles. 🚶‍♂️
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𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 – A heating pad or warm bath can help relax tight muscles and improve circulation. 🌡️🛁
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𝐅𝐨𝐚𝐦 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 – These can help release lower back and hips muscle tension. 🎾
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𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 – Gentle stretches targeting the lower back, hamstrings, and hips can help ease tightness. 🧘‍♀️
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𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐭𝐡𝐞-𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 – If needed, anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen can help manage pain. 💊
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HOW TO MINIMIZE SHOVEL BACK🚧
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While you might not be able to avoid shoveling completely, you can minimize your risk of lower back pain by:
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𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 – No, your form doesn't need to be "perfect" (what does that mean anyway?) Bend at the knees and hips instead of the lower back. Hint, hint, if your upper back is hunched, chances are so is your lower back. The spine is cool like that. . Keep your back long and engage your core when lifting. 🏋️
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𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 – Avoid overloading one side of your body by alternating the side you shovel with. ↔️
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𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐔𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛 – Break up the job into bite-sized manageable tasks with particularly heavy snow (and ice like the other day). You’d be surprised how much more energy you’ll have after resting! ⏳
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𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 – A bent-handle or lightweight shovel can reduce strain on the lower back. 🛠️
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𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 – Don’t hesitate to ask a neighbor or family member for assistance. Some of my favorite memories are bonding with my neighbors as we shoveled driveways and sidewalks together! 🏡
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𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 (𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐓 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐙𝐄) 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

Strength training can significantly improve overall strength and stability, making shoveling easier on your body.
While there are many ways to build strength, two key movements that directly help with shoveling mechanics are:
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𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 – Focus on the hip hinge movement. People mean this when they say, "lift with your legs." For proper lifting mechanics, deadlifts strengthen the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes.
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𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 – Improve rotational power and core stability, which helps with the twisting motion involved in shoveling. 🪵🪓
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𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐀 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑🏥
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Soreness from shoveling is normal, especially if you don’t do it regularly.
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However, there’s a difference between muscle soreness and injury.
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𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐀 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐅:
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𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬. ⚡
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭. 🦵🚨
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧. ❌
𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. ⏳
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𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 🌟
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𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
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𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟—𝐢𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝!
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The good news?
𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦-𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬. ❄️
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Want to keep your back strong and pain-free this winter? ❄️
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𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐭, email 𝐦𝐞 by hitting "reply".
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Let’s chat about how you can stay active, strong, and injury-free all season long. 📩🔥
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That's all for now, and until the next winter storm, be well,

Coach Julie