* A 5-pound weight equals 50-pounds to our backs when it is held out in front us. Consider that when you're hefting 10 to 20 pounds of snow on the end of a shovel. * If a person can bench-press 300 pounds, he can usually leg-press 500 pounds, almost twice as much weight. Yet, most of us use our arms, not our legs, when shoveling. Here's what most of us do wrong: * We bend over using poor technique; we lift the shovel with the arms and back (not the legs), and we rapidly extend and twist the back when we toss the snow. That's three things, done even once, that can easily cause injury. * Repeat this action many, many times, and is it any wonder that many of us can barely move after an hour of shoveling snow? Instead, said Dr. Falcone, here's what to do: * Try sticking out your fanny (to keep an inward curve in your back), lift the shovel and its load of snow straight up with your legs, maintaining that arched back/butt out position. * Keep your arms and elbows straight and walk the shovel load over to the dumping location. Do not try and throw the load a distance by twisting your body. * Take multiple breaks and switch sides so you don't "beat up" the same muscle groups repeatedly."
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