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“Tradespeople need to be thinking about how to maintain their bodies so they can keep them as good as they can for as long as they can,” Will Hunt, physiotherapist and NSW Chair for the Australian Physiotherapy Association's Occupational Health special interest group, says. So, what’s the best way to do this? He suggests regular stretching is a good way to futureproof your body, as well as help you work more effectively during the day. Here are his top tips for daily stretches tradies should add to their routine.
There are two different ways to stretch – called static and dynamic – and different times of day to be doing each type, says Will. “The time for static stretching – that means holding your joint in a position near the end of its range of motion for 20 to 30 seconds – is after work when you're looking to relax the muscles,” he says. As the name suggests, there is no movement in a static stretch.
“What you need to be doing before work is more of a dynamic movement,” he explains. “A good dynamic stretch is something like a leg swing – moving it forward and backwards throughout the range of motion. You’re getting the muscles firing.”
There’s no one-size-fits-all stretch for tradies and the right one for you will depend on what range of motion you’ll be using on the job. “Think about ‘What's my first job of the day? And what sort of positions do I have to get my body into?’” says Will. “Use that as a template for how you're going to prepare your body for that early movement in the day.”
Remember, though, start slow and if you feel any pain, stop. “Stretches shouldn't be painful,” says Will. “It shouldn't be anything more than a four out of 10 in terms of discomfort.” If you do feel pain, see a physio or your GP.
Kick off your working day with some easy warm-ups – these stretches are dynamic with constant movement.
If you’re going to be doing a lot of bending, it’s a good idea to warm up your lower back at the start of the day. This is particularly good for trades like plumbing and tiling. “You should be preparing your lower back and hips for that forward bend,” says Will. “Stand up tall and just let your spine curl forwards towards the ground. Then stand yourself back up and gently extend your back backwards. Do those five or ten times.”
If, on the other hand, you're reaching up to work overhead, like a builder or an electrician might, you’ll be extending your back in the opposite direction. “You want to be bending backwards and sideways, with some rotations at the waist,” says Will.
A great general stretch for all trades is a leg swing. “It’s 6am, you've just been lying down in bed, maybe you've just driven in the car for an hour to get to site – what you need is an active movement like a leg swing,” says Will. “Balance yourself holding onto the side of the ute and swing your whole leg forwards and backwards so you're moving it all the time. Move through its whole range of motion.” Try 20 leg swings on each leg to get started.
A shoulder circle is a two-for-one stretch that warms up the neck as well as the shoulder. It’s great for all trades but particularly good if you're reaching over your head. “Take your arm out to the side and move it in wide circles,” Will says. “What a lot of people don't realise is when you lift the shoulder, you're also using a lot of muscles that also control the neck.” Do 10 rotations on each side.
As with dynamic stretches, there are a lot of different static stretches for cooling down your muscles after work, too.
Been looking overhead all day? Your neck might want some relief. “A really good stretch for the neck is called an upper trap stretch, where you gently pull your head down to the shoulder using the opposite arm. It stretches all the muscles on that side,” says Will. “The evidence is still out on how long you need to hold a stretch, but the advice is 20 to 30 seconds for it to be relaxing.”
The morning shoulder stretch is about warming up your joints. The evening stretch, on the other hand, is about releasing that tension built up from strenuous activity. “There are some really simple stretches you can do for your shoulders,” Will says, such as the cross-body shoulder stretch. Pull one arm in front and across your body with the other arm and hold for 20 to 30 seconds on each side.