Shoveling the snow after a snowstorm isn’t only a pain in the butt, it can actually be dangerous if you don’t do it carefully. Moving a heavy shovel full of snow repeatedly without proper form can increases a person’s risk for low-back and shoulder injuries.
Do a proper warm-up: Before you shovel at any point in the day, move through a quick dynamic warm-up to “wake up” all the right muscles. It’s also suggested to get your heart pumping before you head outside.
Hold the shovel correctly: Keep a wide grip on the shovel handle—with one hand near the top of the handle and the other close to the actual shovel full of snow—so that you have better control of the heavy load. Also, keep the shovel as close to your body as possible as you carry it. “You have a mechanical advantage when you keep the lever arm of the shovel and the weight of the load close to your body,” Dobrosielski says. “The closer the load is to your center of gravity, the less strain and discomfort you are putting on every muscle and joint involved in that movement.”
Don’t twist and throw: You shouldn’t be rounding your shoulders and dropping your back to lift the snow without engaging your legs and glutes—or using your lower back to lift the snow in the shovel. But another huge mistake is twisting or hyperextending your back to propel and throw the snow off the shovel. And when you can, don’t even lift the snow; just plow it to the side.
Take breaks: “When fatigue sets in, this is when injuries tend to happen,” Lovitt cautions. So keep your snow-shoveling intervals short and sweet, taking breaks whenever you need to.
Make shoveling snow a workout: If you’re shoveling snow properly, you’ll work your glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs, low back, upper back, and shoulders. Once you get into the swing of things and nail your form, you can really start to make it a double-duty chore and up the fitness factor.
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