Snow Shoveling 101: Use Your Head to Save Your Back

Unless you have a shovel-wielding butler, there’s no getting around it-- you’re shoveling snow today, tomorrow and maybe the next day. Even if you have a top-of-the-line snow blower, snow shoveling for those hard-to-reach areas is probably still in your immediate future. Assuming you've kept up with your workouts, they should be paying big dividends here, but we still want you to stay safe and injury free. Our best advice is, stay on top of it; it's easier to remove a little snow in many layers over the course of the storm than to wait until all the snow is down, because by then you could literally have hundreds of pounds to move. But if you wake up in the morning and your house is buried, follow these tips, borrowed from Popular Mechanics and retooled with the help of a few fitness trainers, to stay safe.

Some of these pointers may seem like old hat for seasoned New Englanders, who may want to skip ahead to number 7, but it’s still good to take a moment to consider these tips before tackling this monster. 

1. Don't overdress: You need to stay warm, but if you overdress you're going to get sweaty and chilled all at once. Dress in loose-fitting layers that you can remove as you heat up.  

2. Stretch before you pick up your shovel: Stretch as thoroughly as you would before any hard workout or other strenuous activity. Stretch your hamstrings, your back, and your shoulders.  

3. Drag all able-bodied souls off the couch to help: Why should you be the only one getting all the exercise? Get the family or roommates to join in the fun and you’ll be done in half the time. 

4. Inspect your tools: The front edge of a snow shovel takes a beating. If it's metal, hammer it straight when it gets bent; if it's plastic use a utility knife to carve off the burr that forms on its end. Tighten a loose handle by driving a large hex head sheet metal screw through the blade socket and into the handle. Consider using an ergonomic snow shovel with a curved handle. The curve in the handle encourages you to bend and lift from the legs. 

5. Clear cars first: Brush snow off cars then clear around the cars.  

6. Don't move snow twice: Before you even take your first scoop, decide where you're going to dump the snow. Drop the first shovelful farther away from where you are standing, then dump remaining snow closer and closer to where you are. That way, the last scoops that you shovel are moved the shortest distance. Don't block access to snow that needs to be removed by piling it up in a way that will force you to move it twice.  

7. When digging into the heavy stuff, maintain proper posture: Joe Caruso, certified personal trainer at Fitness Together in Norwell advises, “Just like when picking up weights for a deadlift you want to drop down using your legs rather than bending forward with the back. If you can keep your back in an upright posture and keep your head looking up, your back will be in a better position to lift up heavy snow and you will use your legs and core for strength to pick up the snow. You want to take your back mostly out of the equation. Focusing on using your core when twisting to dump the snow will also help not use your back.” 

Alicia Tasney, also a certified personal trainer at Fitness Together in Norwell adds, “If possible, as you shovel try to switch sides. Don't just favor one side or else you'll have a really sore muscles on that side.” 

So, to break it down remember these tips:

- Use your leg muscles as much as possible, NOT YOUR BACK. Push snow when you can and use your legs to lift when you can't push it.

-Keep your back straight as you move from the squat position to the upright position.

-Use your shoulder muscles as much as possible.

-Hold the snow shovel as close to your body as possible and keep one hand close to the shovel blade for better leverage.

-Don't twist your upper body as you throw snow.  

8. Move snow the shortest distance possible: Consider that everything from a driveway to a patio to a walkway is really a rectangle, and rectangles have a center point. Move the snow from the center of the rectangle to the nearest edge.  

9. Stay hydrated: Take bottles of water out with you and keep them accessible, either in the car or on the front stoop or somewhere else convenient.  

10. Rest frequently: Clearing an area by hand means that you may lift and carry anywhere from hundreds of pounds to tons of snow. As with a strenuous workout, if you start to feel the need for a break, take one and come back to it later.  

11. Stretch after you've finished: Stretch gently when you're done and use an ice pack and ibuprofen to take care of inflamed muscles. Rest and remain hydrated.   Read more: 16 Cardinal Rules for Snow Shovelling - Popular Mechanics