Builders & Biceps Blog

Hey there HOME-ie. Oh man, my father-in-law Jeff is rubbing off on me with his bad dad jokes. Anyway, Courtney here. I am the business consultant for Jeff’s Good Works. I’ve been a business owner for well over a decade and my day-to-day work requirement used to be all things FOOD and FITNESS. 

Today it’s all things CONTRACTING!

I was recently going through the check list for the day and thinking, “I wonder if I could combine my personal training career with what I am currently doing?” Why you may ask…? 

Because it’s important for men and women in the manual labor field to take time to take care of themselves. Now, do contractors actually set a structured wellness routine? Now that’s an entirely different question…

With thanksgiving right around the corner, I wanted to show how THANKFUL we are for all of our hard-working men and women in the contracting industry. I want to give YOU THREE WAYS to INCREASE STAMINA, BUILD STRENGTH and PREVENT INJURY. We’ll call this segment of Jeff’s Journal BUILDERS & BICEPS:

#1 MOBILITY.

I’ve seen you work, and I know you’re strong. Trust me, I’m married to a contractor. My man is a brick house -Que Chuck Rainey: “OOOWWWW He’s a brick……HOUSE. He’s mighty, mighty just letting it all hang out- You’re strong yes, but have you asked yourself this question:

ARE YOU MOBILE?

It’s important to understand in any physical profession (or really for health/longevity in general) mobility is necessary to implement. I must say, the majority of general contractors I have worked with as a personal trainer (to put it bluntly) SUCK at doing mobility drills. Hence, why I’ve been hired! They know first-hand how crucial it is for their job. Now, mobility is different from flexibility. Let me explain:

Flexibility is extending the joints and limbs through a range of motion while mobility is strengthening the tendons, joints and limbs through a range of motion. Let me provide an example to understand/feel the difference:

First, sit on the floor with an upright posture. Extend both legs in a mild hamstring stretch (flexibility) while keeping your hands on the floor by your hips. Now, slowly lift one leg off the floor. Keep your heel hovering while NOT arching your low back.

Feel that? Now that’s mobility. Challenging huh?! Try holding that for 10 seconds.10 longest seconds of your life am I right?! Now let’s add on:

While maintaining that gentle strain, still lifting one leg off the ground, remove your hands. Don’t arch your back! Hold each leg for 10 seconds. Do you hate me yet? Don’t worry; I’m used to it. Can you kick it up one more notch?

Now take it to a BIG straddle stretch AND lift your foot off the ground WHILE keeping your hands off the ground. Don’t forget – don’t arch your back AND don’t forget to breathe. Ok, now we’re talking. You might even cuss a little on this one.

The pics look easy right? However, these mobility drills are NOT so simple. It requires focus, attention to mind-muscle connection and maybe a little bit of laughter to keep improving on mobility.

THESE three mobility drills are a simple way to improve strength and stamina. Trust me, I’ve seen it. Try it and let me know how you do. Now these mobility exercises are here to get your wheels turning, but do require customization. I highly recommend working with a fitness professional to build the rock-solid foundation of strength and nourishment that’s unique to YOU. Full body strength training and individualized nourishment guidelines set the base to add on mobility drills that make all the difference for long term health. (see #3)

#2 RECOVERY.

I was born in the 80s. Men in my family, well, they were all “low key” contractors. My grandfather John and my father (also John) both could build or fix almost anything. They spent countless weekends constructing cabins in the great north country of Virginia, Minnesota. John & John were so skilled in this “hobby” that after their regular 9-5 job, those two (plus a few close friends) would work on home additions. They also built a family cabin across the lake from their main home. When a long day of installing windows and lifting heavy beams was complete, the fellas would grab their ratty, indoor-outdoor slippers, crack a brew-ski, flip the recliner into DEEP recline mode, turn on the tube with the latest football game to take one, deep, long exhale from a full day of hard work. The guys would gulp an ice-cold sip of whatever the refrigerator kicked out that day and finally RELAX.

Those were the days, am I right?!

It sounds chill doesn’t it?

Not to mention well earned.

I would love to jump in my grandfather’s worn, musty, creaky recliner as I write this, but before I can relax, I have recovery work to do after my own strength training.  You see, relaxing and recovery are NOT the same thing.

Relaxing is unwinding and typically unconscious. Recovery is intentional, it’s mindful and it’s specifically done to rehabilitate your body after a physically demanding day of work. Now, I could write forever on this subject, but I won’t. I know you want me to get to the point. The point is, in order to succeed for the LONG haul in this physically demanding career choice of yours, one must properly recover. Here’s some ideas:  

1.     Hot to Cold Exposure (Ex. Cold Water Exposure to Sauna)

2.     Foam Rolling (The long roller without ridges is my favorite) – amazon link

3.     Massage (This is the best gift you could give any builder/contractor)

4.     Racket Ball Work (To pinpoint the deep muscle aches) – amazon link

5.     Red Light Therapy (For cellular regeneration) – amazon link

6.     Restorative Yoga (For core, mobility and of course recovery)

7.     Acupressure Mat (To stimulate blood flow) – amazon link

8.     Stretch Straps (To assist into a deeper stretch) – amazon link

9.     Mobility Drills Paired with Breathwork (as mentioned above)

10.  Meditation, Prayer & Thankfulness (God is good. All the time!)

Implementing one or two items from this recovery list after a demanding day of work is a fantastic place to start. Ease into it and remember – something is better than nothing!

#3 FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH.

I already know Mr. or Mrs. Contractor: You have muscle. You’re Paul and you’re Babe too. Cute! You’re built well in the shoulders and your legs are solid. It comes with the territory of your work. However, I have a more pressing question: Are you functional? Functional training is a big part of personal training and believe it or not, it is most likely not on a client’s radar for strength training goals. Most people come to the gym to “get toned” (which essentially means lose body fat) and/or lose weight. Every now and again I will get a wise soul that says,

“I need to strength train to climb a latter continuously for work” or

“I have an Elk hunt coming up and I need to build endurance” or

“I recently became a grandma and I need to get up & down off the floor with ease.”

These are examples of functional training and it’s my favorite style of customized personal training.  

As a general contractor, functional training is something I would highly suggest looking into. Functional training mimics movements in your everyday life & it also adds in specific components to training that are often overlooked like:

1)    Balance

2)    Core Stability

3)    Reaction Time

4)    Mobility (which you now know)

5)    Stamina

Want to try a “fun” functional training test? I do these assessments on my clients every three months to detail their score and track progress. Ready?

For Balance: Stand on one foot. Count to 10 without dropping your foot to the ground. Now do the other foot. Did you make it to 10? Now do it again while holding one foot in the air, but close your eyes! Count to 10 and score your left leg. Count to 10 and score your right leg.

For Core Stability: Sit on the floor with your hands across your chest. Now lean back while keeping your arms across your chest and your heels planted on the ground. Count! How long did you last? Where do you feel it? Back, obliques (sides) or stomach? Score the time.

For Reaction Time: A partner is recommended. Have your partner throw a tennis ball at the wall. Have your partner bounce the ball to hit the floor, then the wall and YOU will catch it with one arm only. Start with your right and try to catch 10. Score how many you were able to catch. Now switch to your non-dominant hand. Try to catch 10 and score it.

For Mobility: See Point #1! You know what to do

For Stamina: There’s so many tests we can do! Let’s try a lower body, an upper body and a core strength test.

For Legs – Hold a wall sit. Hold it as long as you can and score your time. Keep your butt in line with your knees, back flat against the wall and no cheating! Pop up; you’re done!

For Upper Body - Grab soup cans OR five-pound dumbbells. Hold the weights out and in front of your torso with arms hovering above your chest. Try and keep your arms fairly straight, don’t lean back and don’t forget to breathe! Hold it as long as you can and score the time.

Finally – Plank Test! How long can you hold? Score the time WITH proper form. Keep your hands in line with your chest and don’t sink that low back. You can also modify this test on your knees.

Not to mention, there is much more to try and improve on:

A)    Reaching high or low with ease

B)    Twisting without stiff muscles 

C)    Climbing while activating the proper muscles

D)    Getting off the floor without knee pain

E)    Bending without hurting your back

In closing, I hope this gets your wheels turning. My prayer is that these tips inspire YOU to start something simple to create momentum for long-term change. My hope is that you can maintain full-body wellness that goes much deeper than picking up heavy cinder blocks at a job site. Injury prevention is necessary to think through with a manual-labor career. Functional training, mobility and proper recovery are fantastic places to build the foundation to real strength. If you need more information for strength/stamina referrals in the Bemidji area, please reach out!

Courtney Haseltine

Haseltine Consulting LLC

Jeff’s Good Works

651-724-2208