How to REALLY Use a Shovel | Proper Technique = No back Pain!

[@matteopotato]

Wow! The shovel seems like a real groundbreaking invention!!

[@Drqonic]

Haha, nice one.

[@javkhlanenkhbaatar3843]

Good one there.

[@DrMeowsif]

I do underground utility construction and have noticed that my back had been starting to have issues from digging. Thank you for the form help!

[@neglectfulsausage7689]

Use the opposite leg from now on.

[@TripleDDDD]

Who else is watching after shoveling and getting backpain?

[@MyLifeMyExpression]

Me. Going to be even more sore tomorrow I'm thinking.

[@salvadorvega9834]

destroyed my back after moving 20 cu yards of soil

[@wafiyudin4436]

Sheee😬😬

[@nannesoar]

🤣 I haven't done any shoveling yet but I do have back pain

[@dont_care_official7839]

This guy 😐👈

[@denverkirk7722]

Not sure why I'm looking up shovel Technique but just because you made a video on you have earned my subscription. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your videos ☺

[@Honeycombe88]

See my post above about why I found this video about shoveling while protecting the back.

[@uktony1525]

It is interesting that in the US that everyone uses a long handled spade. In the UK the normal spade is much shorter with a D or T shaped handle. I became a convert to the long handled spade about 25 years ago and agree it is much easier on the back.

[@MidwestManMountain]

Wow, that's interesting!

[@Galdasturis]

never thought i would look for this and actually learn something. Thanks!

[@RiotGearEpsilon]

really appreciate you covering the basics for fools like me, zero irony

[@denverkirk7722]

Super cool video, thanks for the warning. I think I've found my new favorite song☺

[@gillianbc]

Christopher, the mid-west man-mountain, this is the clearest digging video I've seen! Thank you. I have a bad back, bad hip and bad knees, but I have to dig out a long border today so I will try your technique. My bad knees have actually made my legs strong as I have had to squat a lot to reach low things rather than kneeling. I had never thought of squatting to do the lifting action.

[@neglectfulsausage7689]

you can squat on me!

[@Mo1stF1re]

I just found your channel. You have the personality of my kind of people. I'm a private contractor and have always used gardening tools. Your enthusiasm and passion for botany peeks interest. Nice video my guy 👊

[@cursednapmiuq2571]

This is really helpful You did not just help me of important information but also you talked about what your channel does and have done

[@ohmahgawdfilms]

I LOVE DIGGING HOLES! It makes me feel so happy :D Even if its not for a garden, digging is just a pleasure in it's own.

[@eduardonajera4415]

I hear ya I do concrete work for a living 8 yrs now

[@5ive5ive6ixwr]

Anyone else watching this during COVID 19?

[@jodifrye8877]

2 weeks off for me just means more work at home lol

[@chancemattox3151]

About to have dig sewer lines, ty for the tips.

[@thomaskelly1228]

i need more instruction , could you show me more? About 20'x 20' in my garden please.

[@MidwestManMountain]

lolololol. You know I love shoveling. Remember how I spade my whole garden in the fall?

[@fitthirties7195]

I just shoveled two tonnes of hardcorr for my garden project. Should've watched this before. Never realised there was a technique to it. Could've saved my neck from aching!!!

[@georgecroney6168]

Nice clogs, I find my crocs with holes allow dirt into my clogs and dirty my socks whilst doing light garden work. Yours look perfect

[@devilinthebelfry7292]

I'm a plumber and I have to dig a lot through all kinds of ground. Squatting before lifting the shovel is crucial for saving your back. Your gonna feel it as your legs and but get stronger but its worth it. I choke up on the grip towards the head of the shovel if the ground is moist and heavy to keep the weight more central and not 3' out in front of me pulling on my lower back.

[@eddied1804]

I don't have back problems yet, i'm only 18, but i'm a bricklayer, and my coworkers made fun og my "shoveling technique". Now i'm tryna find out how to properly use a shovel

[@AifozXela]

I loved the channel name so much that i subscribed

[@pedromgoedert]

that's why I pay Internet

[@MidwestManMountain]

w00t!

[@StBasko]

Watch my videos to don"t waste the money .:):)

[@devvyas6751]

Thank you, I really needed this

[@Badminton-s9r]

Im in highschool and we have to dig out a lot of dirt so this really helped me alot

[@thisisbethm]

I swear my lawn is 70% rock up in Garden Zone 4...any suggestions for dealing with rocky soil?

[@MidwestManMountain]

I agree that a raised bed, like Daniel suggests, would be a good simple solution. Otherwise you might be able to find some plants with deep roots that prefer tons of drainage (that the rocks would provide well), and just focus on growing those. Your local university extension website should have some great ideas.

[@bj.roberts6410]

What is the proper way for turning over a garden ..... so I dont get so fatigued or damaged and mising up and mixing in compost into the soil at the same time

[@MidwestManMountain]

Well, I turn my garden with a spade each fall. You can see what I've done both on my channel and here on HGMM. As for adding compost, I'm prone to adding that in the spring at the beginning of the growing season rather than once it's over in the fall.

[@dps6198]

When you work with shovels, rakes . spading forks, etc. wearing the proper foot attire will go along way in protecting your feet as much as wearing the correct gloves to keep blisters and calluses to a minimum. Consider the proper eye protection when using gasoline and electric powered tools in the garden as well as hearing protection. On many of these home and garden videos I rarely see anyone wearing gloves, proper footwear, hearing or eye protection.

[@lankymaccrazyhair264]

Ah yes, highly naturally speaking. In all seriousness, I've been employed to do garden work for her. While I'm young, I'm not particularly strong and I have scoliosis, so I'm more susceptible to back pain than I should be. Thanks for this, it should help a lot.

[@dymondwillow2]

where is that video about transplanting that you mentioned? i too moved some raspberry canes and they do not look well at all!

[@rhuffstedtler]

What Christopher calls the “meaty part of the toe” is what everyone else would call the ball of the foot.

[@Honeycombe88]

Good video. I subscribed. I have to shovel a large mound of dirt, but I'm older & have sacroiliac issues. It was great seeing how to lessen the pressure on the back! May have helped me avoid an injury. Plus...I love his little garden there. I wonder if I can do that? Anyway, subscribed.

[@efox2001]

Lots of digging in clay. As the season progresses and the soil dries out and turns to stone, I switch to a pick and then a demolition hammer (small jackhammer) with a spade bit. Like butter, best $700 dollars I've spent on a "shovel"! Not to future house hunters; if you like to garden, no clay is a must item!

[@efox2001]

If you must use a shovel in clay, start shallow, pairing away the sides. repeat until you have the desired depth. for trenching, dig a hole as described above and then pair away the clay in the direction of the trench. Using a trenching shovel, your spoils should come out looking like roof tiles. This will only work for wet clay but will save your back. For dry clay, get a light weight pick and pray that there aren't any stones!

[@bloodgain]

Adding compost and mulch will slowly start turning that soil into softer, rich top soil. It might take you a few years to transform it, though. We have lots of tough red clay here, too, which is one of the reasons I decided on raised beds. I've also heard adding treatments of gypsum to the land will help loosen it up. I've considered it, but I don't have any experience to tell you the actual results.

[@efox2001]

bloodgain thank you I tried amending the soil but the clay would just consume whatever I put down. I'm slowly adding really nice raised cedar beds. I have heard of adding gypsum but stopped amending before giving it a go.

[@dymondwillow2]

I too have clay. Got some wood shavings - from a tree chipper. Loaded about 5 inches worth on top of that section of garden bed and left it to over winter. Next year i was out of commission BUT this year, that area is amazing! I could dig down the length of a hand spade and pulling out those blasted dandelions was so easy.

[@MidwestManMountain]

There's a lot of REALLY good discussion here. I too have had struggles with solid clay, particularly in the front of my house where my perennial flowers are planted. I have been amending it with wood chips and cedar for two years, and already I'm seeing improvements 2-3 inches into the clay. Be persistent, and you'll see success soon!

[@BenChnobli]

If, with your left hand, you grab the shovel from above instead of below, just like you do with your right hand, it is imho even less tiring.

[@MidwestManMountain]

Great tip! See, there are so many ways to save your back.

[@MrGman590]

I've actually been putting off my gardening due to rapid fatigue from digging. There is a *lot* of shale in my ground and I'm worried it's going to mess with my potatoes next year, so I've been digging out about 12-18 inches down, and sifting out the larger bits of shale. The ground is hard, so I've been using my pick mattock to break up the ground. It's hard work, though. Say, would you recommend regularly sharpening one's shovel?

[@AmandaOrigo]

Who else already uses these strategies and still gets back pain 😅 there’s got to be more solutions for this right? Great video though 😊

[@upwoodworks4987]

Not in my garden but just excavated by hand for a 10' x 16' 2 level patio

[@MidwestManMountain]

Phew, that was a lot of work!

[@tonybaggett1984]

Nice video. Post hole diggers are almost my always go to hole diggers. They just seem to be so much easier.

[@jwmachen]

I love this tip. A post hole digger is nice for smaller plants, flowers and such where you don't need the wider hole from a regular shovel.

[@tonybaggett1984]

John Machen thank you. I've even used them for big holes. Dig the first hole then start shaving the sides with the diggers to make it bigger.

[@MidwestManMountain]

That's a spectacular tip!

[@tonybaggett1984]

Thank you. FYI I've found out that the best post hole diggers are the simplest and lightest . Not those heavy complicated expensive ones you see sometimes. Fiberglass handles are a huge plus.

[@bradenbaldwin6744]

This is great, but people keep making fun of me for squatting at work 😂

[@Brittowski]

My uncle retired due to extreme back pain after a whole life of labour work, yet he went and corrected me about squatting cause it eould hurt my back rofl

[@bradenbaldwin6744]

@@Brittowski best advice is to just shovel like everyone else, but make business moves so you don’t have to do it too long

[@Jubilak]

If you have any tips on digging holes for fence posts I'll gladly take them, my sister and brother-in-law has asked for my help digging a 100 or so :P

[@MidwestManMountain]

I would highly recommend a post hold digger!

[@harrytroglodyte2129]

How do you dig when you live in an old riverbed that's 90% rocks the size of a football?

[@BOXXYwhat]

this will be useful on bike trails

[@neglectfulsausage7689]

If you search for 5 top scoliosis exercises, you will notice that you step onto a box with the longer leg. If digging causes pain when using one leg and having one shoulder forward, use the opposite leg from now on. This naturally behaves like the scoliosis box technique. If you have pain from digging, you might have a spine issue. If one side hurts, use the other. Second, dig small amount at a time from the edge. If you watch giant bulldozers do their work, do they try to tackle a completely full bucket load of dirt all at once? No. They scalp small sections off repeatedly. If you try to dig in the middle of settled ground, you are going to suffer. Use a mattock or other implement to break up a small location. Dig it out. Now that there is a hole at the depth you want, start digging away from that hole using thin "cake" slices and foot pressure on the back of the shovel. Depending on what you are doing, if you want broken up terrain without turning it over, peel off that thin slice with the shovel, and then light straight up and do it again, working in a line. If you want to hill up terrain, peel the slice off, squat slightly and put your arms below the lift point of your shovel, then squeeze your legs and glutes to straighten up to pull up the dirt, and then toss it into the area you want hilled.

[@anthonyadame1197]

pardon my language but this tip works so FUCKING great!!!!

[@MidwestManMountain]

Alright!

[@justingarcia5012]

I don’t know why, but I find this guy weird but cool. 😂

[@321riah_]

the only reson i looked this up was because i wanted to know if i was a righty or lefty

[@jaimeparker5317]

What about dirt that isn't loose? I can't even sink it with all my weight and jumping on it.

[@obsidianwraith3982]

I really thought this guy was going to show me something beyond common sence, like how to dig 10ft. Deep through clay & rock, I hope he's got a video on how to breathe oxygen too.

[@RedNeckSurgeyTech]

Did his shovel hit him in the mouth or does that guy have red lipstick on?

[@MidwestManMountain]

Just healthy blood flow to the lips.

[@BatiJuampe]

man, you rock.

[@michaelminosky8128]

15 year landscaper here. Never use your arch when stomping the shovel down! You will damage your arch. Seen it too many times.

[@samspianos]

You may think you know how, but there's a good chance you're missing something.

[@CopperheadGarage]

I kick balls with my right foot and wright with my right hand but I use my left foot to shovel

[@runtz3729]

It’s okay digging nice dry loose soil try clay and big rocks

[@mohmoh3249]

Thanks ☺ you are funny man

[@Splitspine1]

I legit do everything and go everywhere barefoot and I've shoveled barefoot many times

[@darcyeustace9922]

WHAT ARE THOSE

[@ZE308AC]

I mess up my wrist digging a hole

[@K10-89]

I gotta get those shoes, slip on shovel safe shoes??!

[@Kajixu]

wish i knew this before shoveling 6 tonne of sand

[@mvpaulie]

Where is Moose?!

[@MidwestManMountain]

He was running wild in the back yard at the time when I was shooting this video. Alas, no puppies in the garden :)

[@nicholenichols3353]

I think I have been doing this all wrong

[@browningmaxus5360]

You know the world is fucked when you have to be shown how to use a shovel😪

[@samspianos]

Thats a spade ace

[@mwdeters]

Proper technique is both hands palms down.

[@comette4u]

Or thumb and index finger touching with palms facing up! ;-)

[@kevinnelson507]

I had to move 115 cubic yards of soil and rock this summer with a hand shovle and wheel barrow for a few new gardens. SAAAD.

[@silverthreadproductions7401]

Some stuff my teacher mr Adams would make

[@lazygardens]

A shovel is the wrong tool for excavating hard dirt. Use a pickaxe or mattock to bust it up - gravity doing the work - and a long-handled shovel to scoop out the loose material.

[@lewisrajah1663]

If you close your eyes and listen to him he sounds like Obama. Thanks for the tip and technique.

[@SkankHunt6942]

What are thoooose

[@antonshkabara3090]

Great to see it. I did it too. The plans from Woodglut helped me a lot :)

[@DanielRLuke]

The shovel, and many tools like it, contains many design flaws, and it’s sad, quite frankly that so many injuries and deaths occur b/c if these idiotic devices. The truth is, if the shovel were properly designed, one would never need to bend or strain one’s back.

[@kortt]

Is it sad that some people actually need instructions on how to use a shovel? What a world we live in. :D

[@MidwestManMountain]

I chuckle too, but I suppose I've been using a shovel since I was wee heigh. I think it fits well as a mere mortal topic :)

[@MidwestManMountain]

ha!

[@BDGilly1990]

It's called the ball of the foot...

[@MidwestManMountain]

That's it!

[@EarlyDood]

thanks im gonna dig a hole in 15 minutes and im gonna do it right

[@harveypost7799]

Like the hat got same place I did China..

[@south_poIe]

that's a spade not a shovel lol

[@joebustos6413]

Your technique is way over the edge. To much movement for so little dirt. Your technique is going to hurt someone.

[@sherlockholmes8822]

Elon that u

[@samk5842]

I feel 10% gayer after watching this. I enjoyed every second.

[@peterjsheehy]

What a load of nonsense. Never try and push a shovel with your foot-it doesn’t work. Slip on shoes are useless and offer no ankle protection, (especially if you try and stamp the shovel into the ground!). Take some instruction from an experienced ground worker and get the techniques to make the shovel work for you, safely.

[@Z-Ack]

One odd dude…