How to protect your back during Yard work
Every spring and summer, we see a huge increase in back pain flare-ups from yard work. One weekend of raking, mulching, planting, lifting bags of soil, or pulling weeds can leave people feeling stiff, sore, or completely “thrown out.”
The good news? Your back is not fragile — but it does need preparation, movement variety, and load management.
Here are some of our favorite ways to protect your back during yard work this season.
1. Warm Up Before You Start
Most people go from sitting at a desk all week to several hours of repetitive bending and lifting on the weekends.
A quick 5-minute warm-up can make a huge difference.
Focus on:
Hip mobility
Thoracic rotation
Glute activation
Core engagement
Gentle squatting and hinging
Think of yard work like a workout — your body performs better when it’s prepared.
2. Avoid Staying in One Position Too Long
One of the biggest triggers for back pain is prolonged positioning.
Instead of spending 45 straight minutes bent over weeding:
Alternate tasks every 10–15 minutes
Change positions often
Switch sides when carrying or raking
Stand up and extend backward periodically
Your spine generally tolerates movement better than staying stuck in one posture.
3. Use Your Hips, Not Just Your Back
A lot of yard work becomes a repeated “bend and twist” pattern.
Instead:
Hinge through the hips
Bend through the knees when appropriate
Keep heavier loads close to your body
Pivot your feet instead of twisting through your spine repeatedly
Your glutes and legs are designed to help absorb load.
4. Don’t Ignore Rotation Training
Many people hurt their back when twisting because they never actually train rotation.
Your spine is meant to rotate — but it needs strength and control there.
Exercises like:
Cable rotations
Open books
Half kneeling chops/lifts
Dead bugs with rotation
Carries
…can improve your body’s ability to tolerate real-life movement demands like raking, shoveling, and lifting awkward objects.
5. Break Up Heavy Lifting
Mulch bags, rocks, pots, and soil add up quickly.
A few tips:
Take more trips with lighter loads
Use wheelbarrows when possible
Avoid holding your breath while lifting
Exhale during effort
Alternate carrying sides
Your back usually gets irritated more from volume + fatigue than from one single movement.
6. Recovery Matters Too
If you spend all day outside working, your recovery matters afterward.
Focus on:
Walking
Hydration
Gentle mobility
Deep breathing
Light stretching
Getting out of prolonged sitting later that night
Often people stiffen up more after they stop moving completely.
When to Get Help
If your pain:
Radiates down the leg
Causes numbness/tingling
Persists longer than a few days
Keeps recurring every time you do yard work
Makes it hard to move normally
…it may be time to address the underlying strength, mobility, or movement limitations contributing to the issue.
At Fixxed, we help clients build resilient backs that can tolerate real life — workouts, yard work, sports, parenting, and everything in between.
Because the goal isn’t to avoid movement.
It’s to build a body that can handle it!
