Shoveling Like an Athlete

Physical Therapy Tips for Staying Injury-free While Shoveling

Shoveling is Part of the Northern Experience

We talk a lot about physical therapy for specific outdoor sports around here at Summit. One sport we haven’t written about yet? Snow shoveling.  . If you live where it snows, chances are you have moved that snow at one point or another. We know everybody in Vermont has to be doing it

Everyone gets excited about that first big snowfall (still waiting on it this year!). Even if you’re not a winter sports enthusiast, snow makes everything much prettier.  But snow is really just water in crystal form, and water is….heavy.

Shoveling is a Workout

I always start strong when shoveling–heck, I have even tracked shoveling on my fitness watch–I am always curious just how good of a workout it is.  I like to make sure my heart rate is in the right zone, so I try to shovel quickly.  After about 15 minutes though—suddenly my shoulders start to complain, and often my wrists and back start to rebel.

What if we could prepare for shoveling with a few exercises? Maybe we could even prevent a few back strains along the way. We are all about preventative care. Preventative care means fixing problems before they start.

Shoveling Can Be Prepared For

Snow shoveling intensively uses the shoulder and arm muscles. However, if you only use those biceps and shoulders, you are going to end up sore with an aching back. To shovel with good mechanics means that you need to use your core muscles as well.

In addition to the core stability needed, shoveling actually causes you to use a hip hinge type of motion, where you are locking and unlocking at the pelvis as you lift the snow and then throw it. This makes it very dynamic, and also tiring!

Here are our favorite exercises to prep those backs, cores, shoulders, and hips for the first big snow fall.

3 Exercises for Snow Shoveling this Winter

Thoracic Rotation Against a Wall

This move helps with mobility of your thoracic region and your shoulders. It will help keep everything moving comfortably. It also helps to open up your chest.

Woodchopper

Despite its exciting name, The Woodchopper does NOT involve chopping a real piece of wood. Instead it mimics the full body motion of shoveling (or chopping wood!), including a hip hinge, as well as working on shoulder strength, stability, and core.

Paloff Press

The Paloff Press is a slow burn type of movement. It looks simple, but when done slowly and properly will challenge your core. It works to build anti-rational strength, which is a fancy way of saying that this movement will help to build the strength you need to keep from throwing your back out.

Let Us Know How it Goes

Try out these new moves, and let us know how it goes this….shoveling season. Seriously, even if you just have to shovel your front walkway, we all know how sore that one arm gets after a quick snow clearing session. Add these to your daily routine and maybe you’ll make some new shoveling records!