Yardwork yields muscle gain at He's Fit

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Yardwork yields muscle gain

Posted October 2, 2007 at 02:00 PM by Megan Hueter

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Alt. Therapies

raking leaves As the seasons change, your yardwork does too. If you’re a regular homeowner, you’re probably going to do more raking, shoveling, closing the pool, cleaning gutters and splitting wood. A recent article from Read Express says that what seems like a pain, is actually good for you!

The article went over some of the major activities that one does in the fall. Since this information is not shared on the Read Express website, I’ll share the main points with you here, which can be very useful to know. Richard Johnson of Center Morichles, NY, chairman of the physical therapy program at SUNY Stony Brook and practicing physical therapist, shared some of his opinions on these activities.

The thing to remember here is that if you don’t get regular exercise, you NEED to make sure you’re in good cardiac health before you think about starting performing those outdoor activities that require such physical strain on the body. If you don’t get regular exercise and your body is not used to it, simple outdoor yardwork activities can quickly turn into a very dangerous situation for your physical health. So check with your doctor before you hit the yard.

That said, here are some of the activiites that can give you some great muscular results:

Raking - primarily works the trunk, shoulder, lower leg muscles. Johnson reccomends keeping the rake close to the body and alternating hands, taking occasional breaks. He suggests raking a pile, picking up the leaves, putting them in the bag, and carrying it somewhere so you incorporate all kinds of physical activity.

Shoveling - shoveling really focuses on the lower legs, knees, buttocks and quadriceps. Johnson says to keep the shovel close to the body and not overfill it. Longer handles on shovels work better because you don’t bend over as much (puts a lot of stress on your back and your heart. Concentrate on using your legs and not your lower back to throw the snow.

Closing the pool - works lower leg and back muscles. Scrubbing the inside of the pool should take place inside the pool, rather than reaching over the edges. This reduces the amount of bending. Be sure to get help from another person when pulling the heavy canvas over the pool.

Cleaning the gutters - Going up the ladder is the best exercise, because it uses the big muscle groups (buttocks and quads). The best way to do this is by getting on the ladder and moving up and down. Don’t sit on the roof and do it - you won’t get as much of a work out. Be careful when pulling the leaves out of the gutter.

Splitting wood - for those of you who actually do this, you know you have to cut down a tree. During this, you make use of your quads, buttocks and shoulder deltoids, burning a lot of calories.

No matter what your fall activity is, Johnson suggests one final strategy for the workout… pacing yourself and taking breaks. Don’t push too hard. And drink a lot of water during those long hours you are outside - no matter how cold it is.

Research sources and for more information: [Murray, Caryn Eve. “Turn over a new leaf this fall.” Fit: Phys Ed. Read Express Newspaper. 10-2-07, page 6]; [picture]